The early-morning sun floods through the windows of Hans’ Bakery and illuminates the cases of seemingly endless baked treats and novelties. A new business in the Orono area, Hans’ Bakery opened in November after owner Kelly Olsen reinvigorated the shop’s historic location in Anoka. The Anoka store, which had been a city landmark before it was foreclosed on in 2010, did so well after its February reopening that Olsen decided a second location was in order.
For Olsen, a real estate agent from Orono, the opportunity to take over the historic building 2013 was unexpected. After her first husband passed away in 2008 and the housing market began to decline, she was ready for a change. “I was tired of being the worst part of everyone’s day,” Olsen says, remembering the disappointment of delivering bad news to clients over the value of their homes. “I wanted to do something to reach out to people. I wanted something more community-oriented.”
Reopening Hans’ Bakery was exactly the remedy. The Anoka community welcomed the store (and Olsen) with open arms and eager appetites. “I was blown away by how many people were there. We opened at 6 a.m. and sold out by 10,” Olsen says. “We just kept climbing up the ladder, crossing things off the list as they were sold out. When we finally crossed out the last one, I was nervous that people were going to be upset, but they just cheered and clapped.”
The bakery’s sweet scent drew in customers from all over Minnesota, and even a few out-of-state travelers stopped in to taste the legendary novelties. Its popularity over those first eight months in Anoka was solidified as the crowds didn’t subside, creating the necessity for another store. The Orono location makes the treats from Hans’ more accessible to customers coming from the west metro area.
Sticking with her trend of historic landmarks, Olsen chose Minnetonka Mud—a popular coffee shop that closed its doors four years ago—as the new location for Hans’. “The Orono store will maintain its identity with that of a more traditional coffee shop style,” Olsen says. With plans to connect with the community by revitalizing the former café, Hans’ Bakery will feature specialty coffee drinks and all-day soups, salads and sandwiches alongside traditional bakery items.
That’s not the only change that Olsen introduced. The Orono bakery carries the same items as the original location, but it also produces gluten-free products to allow customers with celiac disease to enjoy the tasty treats. “We were concerned about cross-contamination and we wanted to have more control over that,” Olsen explains. “So we produce purely gluten-free products at the Orono location, and the rest of the products in Anoka.” The bakeries make overnight swaps so each location has both gluten-free items and traditional inventory.
Barb Wielinski, an employee at the Hans’ Bakery in Anoka, are happy about the expansion as well. Wielinski works with customers on the front end and at the register, meeting people from all over the Twin Cities as well as visitors from Arizona, Colorado and Texas. “It’s an exciting idea that other folks can enjoy the product,” Wielinski says.
As if two locations and a gluten-free bakery weren’t enough, Olsen also has her sights set on a food truck, set to make an appearance this spring. Olsen is looking forward to the flexibility of that new adventure. “A food truck will keep us agile. We could go downtown one day, the park-and-ride another day. The ability to be that mobile with coffee and a doughnut is a good thing.”
Olsen thinks the bakery’s success can be attributed to connection that customers feel with the history. “A lot of people who had gone here as kids are now coming in with their kids,” Olsen says. “They are using it as a place to slow down and reconnect. Those are the things I was really trying to foster in reopening this place.”
If you go
Hans’ Bakery
3465 Shoreline Drive, Navarre
763.421.4200
