The Blue Heron sweetens downtown Winneconne
Winneconne – Downtown Winneconne got a little bit sweeter when Lori Hecker opened The Blue Heron gift and coffee shop and ice cream parlor at 144 W. Main St.
Her corner shop is filled with gifts, home decor pieces, candles, accessories and good things to eat and drink. It’s actually the combination of two other shops – The Blue Heron when it was on the other side of the village, and Main Street Sweets.
Hecker purchased the 1900-era building on West Main and combined the concept of the original Blue Heron, which her cousin Patty Angel once operated, and the sweet shop Angel’s daughter, Meghan Robbert, once operated.
“I just loved Patty’s shop. She was so helpful if you were rearranging your house. My whole house was The Blue Heron,” Hecker said.
The old Blue Heron was the perfect place to purchase home decor items and pick up a last minute gift, Hecker said.
She hopes to live up to that and add her own personal flair. Her shop has a Pottery Barn feel to it, Hecker said.
Hecker, the mother of three, has had a life-long love of home redecorating. It’s what led her to open her shop.
The shop should appeal to people of many different tastes, Hecker said. Winneconne is a “hoppin'” place in the summertime with the visitors who have lake homes, fishermen and women, and swimmers at Marble Park just down the street.
Tami Barikmo, one of the owners of Fresh Spa, just across from The Blue Heron, said Hecker’s shop is a welcome addition to the village’s downtown.
