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O&H Danish Bakery announced today that its anticipated new location at the corner of Four Mile Road and Douglas Ave. in Racine will open to the public on Wednesday, July 21.
In preparation for the transition, the O&H Danish Bakery store located at 1841 Douglas Ave. will close to the public on July 17.
In the meantime, guests can look forward to a unique customer experience inspired by the bakery’s Danish heritage and its long-term commitment to the Racine area where the Olesen family put down their roots.
“My grandfather broke the norm for a Danish Bakery in Racine and made Douglas Ave. the place where we first planted our roots 72 years ago,” noted Eric Olesen, third generation co-owner of O&H Danish Bakery. “Our growth and ability to make great bakery to this day is due to the history of support our neighbors, customers and friends, provided us for years and years on Douglas Ave."
“We’re thrilled to be continuing our investment with an all-new store experience. Just like our bakery is scratch made, we’ve decided to make this store unique by incorporating both our history and authentic Danish heritage into this new store design that we think our customers will love. We can’t wait to open our doors on July 21.”
New store gets back to roots
When the store opens, visitors will not only have access to the many delicious Danish inspired creations for which O&H has become known; they will also be treated to a store that embodies pieces of the famly’s Norse heritage.
For instance, the focal point of the new store will be a 14 by 17 food wooden installation. The work depicts Yggdrasil (pronounced eegh-dra-sil) – the Norse tree of life – an enormous ash tree which resides at the center of the universe. Within its branches and roots all worlds that exist reside.
In addition to the tree, the check-out counter has been built to represent a runestone, a tradition used by Vikings to memorialize great stories or sagas from history.
According to Olesen, the story of the Norse tree resembles the company’s roots on Douglas Ave., where the bakery opened its first storefront. Now, with multiple locations in Southeast Wisconsin, product availability in Trader Joe’s and nationwide delivery, the center of the O&H universe still resides on Douglas Avenue.
For more on the history of O&H Danish Bakery, listen to our FoodCrush Podcast with Eric Olesen.
As a passionate champion of the local dining scene, Lori has reimagined the restaurant critic's role into that of a trusted dining concierge, guiding food lovers to delightful culinary discoveries and memorable experiences.
Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with every dish. Lori is the author of two books: the "Wisconsin Field to Fork" cookbook and "Milwaukee Food". Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. In 2024, Lori was honored with a "Top 20 Women in Hospitality to Watch" award by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association.
When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or planning for TV and radio spots, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.
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