Downtown bakery ready to open its doors

June 12, 2020

With COVID-19 restrictions lifted on businesses and traffic picking up downtown, a family-owned bakery on Phillips Avenue is opening its doors to customers.

Twisted Sisters Sweetz moved into its retail space earlier this year but postponed its grand opening from March 28 to Saturday because of the pandemic.

Owners Nikki Wallenberg, her sister, Dana Johnson, and their mother, Valorie Johnson, have been filling special orders for the signature decorated cookies, cakes and other baked goods that they’ve been making since 2013, but now they’ll also fill the bakery cases with their treats.

What will customers find?

“Definitely decorated cookies,” Wallenberg said. “Cupcakes every day, and then we’re going to be rolling out our cookie sandwiches. We’ll have monkey bread some days. We’re actually even thinking about doing our fruit pizza. We’ll definitely have cake slices and different flavors of that. And then I’m also going to start doing some old-school, traditional type of desserts, like stuff you would see back in the day that you don’t see very much anymore … cookies like my grandma used to make.”

Each week, there will be a “chef’s special treat,” allowing Wallenberg the freedom to say, “I feel like doing this this week.”

While many of the treats will be loaded with butter and sugar, there will be gluten-free, sugar-free, dairy-free or vegan options too.

Cold beverages will be stocked in a retro-looking Coca-Cola cooler, including Dunkin’s cold coffee.

The women have been spending the past few days wrapping up their remodeling of the former Smallcakes Cupcakery & Creamery space at 317 S. Phillips Ave. They’ve given it a ’50s theme, including Valorie’s paintings on the wall of a jukebox and jitterbug dancers.

The majority of the business will be carryout because there’s only room for a few people to sit on the bench that’s built into the wall below the front windows. Someday, it would be nice to have a table and chairs outside, Wallenberg said.

The grand opening hours will be 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday. The family will be giving out samples, and they’re encouraging customers to come dressed in ’50s outfits for a chance to win a $50 gift certificate.

Regular hours will be 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and noon to 4 or 5 p.m. Sunday, depending on traffic. Wallenberg said she envisions expanding hours as business picks up even more downtown.

New downtown bakery starts selling sweets

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Downtown bakery ready to open its doors

Starting Saturday, the bakery cases at Twisted Sisters Sweetz will be filled with decorated cookies, cupcakes and more.

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