Wadena bakery may soon reopen

Downtown Wadena as viewed from Jefferson Street and Colfax Avenue.

By Karen Tolkkinen

May 11, 2023 at 9:42 AM

WADENA — A bakery that closed down last year may soon reopen, the Wadena City Council learned at its May 9 meeting.

The bakery last operated as Leeseberg's Sweet Treats, which indicated on its Facebook page last summer that it was having trouble finding workers. Its last social media post was Aug. 5, when it announced that it would be closed until further notice "due to short staffing."

Dean Uselman, Wadena economic development and planning and zoning director, told the council that new buyers have a signed purchase agreement and preliminary approval for financing.

Now they need to go through licensing, inspections and title work, he said.

“We’re hoping to close on that by the middle of June or sooner,” he said. "It's exciting."

Wadena also has another bakery: Oma's Restaurant & Bakery.

Uselman said there is also interest in opening a hydroponic greenhouse in town.

By Karen Tolkkinen

Reporter Karen Tolkkinen grew up in Plymouth, Minnesota, graduated from the University of Minnesota with a journalism degree in 1994. Driven by curiosity and a desire to learn about the United States, Karen Tolkkinen has covered local news from Idaho to New Hampshire to Alabama and landing at the Echo Press in Alexandria in 2017.