WAUPUN — About thirty local business owners and managers attended Envision Greater Fond du Lac’s most recent Business Connection event.
The event was held Tuesday evening in the new addition to Wind & Unwined at 310 E Main St in downtown Waupun.
Jeff Collien, part owner of Wind & Unwined, spoke at the event, thanking everyone for attending and visiting his shop. He has been a downtown business owner in Waupun for twenty years with Club Fitness next door, and only opened Wind & Unwined with his wife and daughter in 2019.
“At the time we only had a tiny little kitchen and served just coffee and wine and simple little sandwiches, and we grew really fast,” Collien said. “The town really patronized us through COVID and it really saved us. I really have to say that it isn’t just a normal place, we really put a lot of time and money into this place, and Waupun really backed us during that time.”
The new addition was completed earlier this year, constructed to appear as an antique midwest downtown. It includes a full bar and lounge area. Behind the counter is also the newly expanded kitchen.
Collien also spoke about the importance of the historic downtown district to the community, evident in the way that the new addition was decorated.
“Downtown is the most important part of a small community,” Collien said. “It’s the heartbeat of a city, and the buildings mean a lot. This is history. These buildings are solid, they’ve been here forever. It represents wholesome family life, being able to go shopping by walking downtown. And we didn’t have that back when we started out here.”
Attendees also heard from Maeghan Michels, representing M3 Insurance who were the event sponsors for 2024. She briefly spoke on the importance of supporting organizations like Envision that support businesses in the region.
The rest of the time was spent socializing among the members. Attendees were given a complimentary beverage and a wide spread of appetisers were available.
The event was notably attended by City Administrator Kathy Schlieve and Waupun Township Supervisor Jon Venhuizen.
The next Envision Business Connections event will be held November 12 at Ledgevest Financial in Fond du Lac.
