Building a Dream House

by SAM WATSON sam@ppulse.com RACHEL LUKAS

When Heather Weasler bought the former church at 611 Je erson St. in Sturgeon Bay, her plan was to turn it into her own realty o ce. But soon, she realized the space couldn’t be hers alone.

“I saw an illustration of Sturgeon Bay in the late 1800s, and this place was there in this drawing,” Weasler said. “I said, ‘I can’t hog this all to myself. It’s the town’s building.’”

Through the years, the former Seventh-Day Adventist church has also been home to a bakery, cuttingboard store and stationery shop, she said, and now, under her leadership, it’s Drömhus, which is Swedish for “dream house.” More speci cally, it’s an eatery and a venue for both private events such as wedding receptions and, more recently, public events such as open-mic performances, improv nights and art workshops.

“I would love it to be a community staple that’s going to be around for a long time,” Weasler said.

“This [building] has been, like, 700 di erent things, but I don’t want it to be anymore. I want it to be this.”

Drömhus is her rst venture into owning an entertainment venue, but she’s far from a newbie in the Door County service industry. Her father grew up in Door County, and her family owned a house in Egg Harbor, which meant that Weasler spent her summers working at places such as Al Johnson’s in Sister Bay and the Landmark Resort in Egg Harbor. Her dream then was to eventually start a business of her own.

She went into real estate before that dream became a reality, but a er spending 12 years as a Daydream Properties realtor, she’s certain that being her own boss is a necessary decision for her. “I can’t work for anyone else anymore, even if it means I will work myself to death,” Weasler said. And she has indeed been working hard. Though her family roots were what drew her back to Door County, that family has since scattered. So she handles most of the behind-the-scenes responsibilities herself, from payroll to social media to making baked goods.

“It is exhausting, but I have the energy for it,” she said. Weasler is still a realtor, too, but even though Drömhus started out as her side hustle, it’s slowly “turning into my main hustle,” she said. “I never realized how much I was going to think about it. I didn’t realize that 99% of the bandwidth in my head would be dedicated to this.”

A er Weasler bought the onetime church, her rst move was to give it a faceli by painting, adding new wooden oors and redoing the bathroom. Most of the remodeling she did was cosmetic because the building’s previous stint as a bakery meant it already had a kitchen.

In terms of aesthetics, Weasler’s goal is for the venue to blend old and new, combining vintage furniture with modern pops of color, local art on the walls and

The “Hallway of Fame” at Drömhus, where Weasler displays bathroom selfies that guests send her.

Roar O the Shore

One of Kewaunee’s biggest events is back this spring to make beer lovers happy: The 15th Roar o the Shore Brewfest is set for Saturday, March 25, at the Kewaunee County Fairgrounds.

The event – hosted by the Dyckesville and Kewaunee Lions

Clubs – features more than 200 beers, 75 wines and eight food vendors from around the region. Tickets are on sale now in person and online. Event proceeds go directly back into local communities. The Lions have made past donations to county treasures such as Bruemmer potted plants. Even the bathroom is decked out. It’s wallpapered with what looks like an ordinary tree pattern, but on closer inspection, the paper reveals campers being abducted by ying saucers. Leading to the bathroom is the “Hallway of Fame,” where Weasler hangs framed bathroom sel es that guests send to her.

Planning a visit? In winter, Drömhus is open Wednesdays –Sundays, 11 am – 1 pm for lunch, then 5-8 pm for dinner. Drömhus also hosts openmic nights every Thursday, 6-9 pm, and improv nights monthly on the first Wednesday, 6-9 pm. Monthly on the third Wednesday, Drömhus collaborates with The Pearl of Door County to present The Healing Power of Words, a spoken-word open-mic series for poets and storytellers.

As with decorating, deciding what to serve has been a creative endeavor, too. The menu now includes Scandinavian-inspired classics such as Swedish meatballs and lingonberry-Brie panini, as well as trendier eats such as charcuterie boards and olive ights. Weasler’s goal is to have a variety of shareable items – and “I wanted to make stu that I wanted to eat,” she said.

In addition to juggling responsibilities behind the scenes at Drömhus, she’s also working to make a bigger name for her business, which hasn’t been an easy task.

“I would love it to be something where the community doesn’t say when they walk in, ‘Oh, I didn’t realize this was here,’” Weasler said. “I hear that every day.”

But she gures the winter is a good time to make her venue and its many o erings known to the community – hence the burst of new events Drömhus is hosting. Without as many tourists, Weasler can take time to connect with local residents.

“I really want people here in Sturgeon Bay to know that I made this place for them rst,” she said.

Park Zoo and Red River Park; to organizations such as the Lakeshore Food Pantry, Special Olympics and Toys for Tots; and to graduating high school students through scholarships.

Learn more at roaro theshore.com

Nature

Nature

In winter...hike the varied terrain and witness spectacular views. In every season, nature is nurtured at Land Trust preserves.

In winter...hike the varied terrain and witness spectacular views. In every season, nature is nurtured at Land Trust preserves.

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