‘All about Christmas’ and more

Todd Fenske and Lorie Zelle, owners of All about Christmas LLC, a seasonal and specialty wholesale/retail gift and craft shoppe, located l½ miles south of Waldo along State 57, extend an invitation for an evening of creativity.

“Invite some of your friends, relatives or co-workers to our shoppe to fashion your own fresh evergreen wreath to deck your homes for the holidays,” Fenske said.

“We offer wreath-making classes – either one-on-one or for small groups.”

A major entity of All About Christmas LLC, open seven days per week from Nov. 1 until Christmas and then by appointment, is making fresh evergreen wreaths for fundraisers.

All about Christmas LLC offers a variety of fresh evergreen wreaths, decorated with a traditional red velvet bow and pinecones. Wreaths are available in 24-inch, 36-inch, 48-inch and 60-inch sizes.

Other specialty evergreen items sold for fundraisers include: old-fashioned kissing balls, wall trees, door swags, mantle springs, candle rings, mailbox swags, crosses and candy canes.

“We also mail order wreaths throughout the country,” Fenske said.

A courtyard outside of All about Christmas LLC features a display of doors decorated with wreaths and other specialty evergreen items. The courtyard takes on a special charm in the evenings, with its soft white lighting.

The business offers a variety of Christmas items, such as: evergreen and artificial centerpieces in a wide variety of themes; Christmas tree ornaments; potpourri; candles; Santas; snowmen; straw animals; embroidered and engraved items; spices; dips and spreads, and one-of-a-kind gifts.

LaVerne Voesch designs fresh evergreen centerpieces. She formerly worked for her brother Gary Winkelhorst, who owns Windmill Gardens in Cedar Grove. Fenske commended Voesch for her creativity.

Although the business’s name is All about Christmas, it has additional entities. One of these is an embroidery service. Zelle does the embroidering.

Fenske has worked for 24 years at Bemis Manufacturing Co. in Sheboygan Falls. He does seat assembly on the job and also operates a 12-head embroidery machine.

All about Christmas offers embroidery for business attire, sport teams, club events, hobbies, polo shirts, T-shirts, sweatshirts, jackets, caps and tote bags.

“No minimum order is required,” Fenske said. “And we have thousands of stock designs.”

Still another facet of the business is laser engraving for businesses, organizations, weddings, graduations and other special events.

“We engrave on glass, acrylic, wood, plaques, leather and more,” Fenske said. “We engrave personalized nametags, desk plates, box-stall plates, ID tags, photo album covers, glass and wood gifts.

“There is no minimum order required, and we give quantity discounts.”

Another entity of the business is known as All about Repairs & Wash. “We wash and repair horse blankets and sheets,” Fenske said.

And All about Christmas sells Crafts by B. I., an alias for Gary Reiss of Plymouth. Reis makes bird houses that are attached to various garden tools, such as hoes or pitch forks.

Fenske took time out to reflect upon the growth of All about Christmas LLC. He began the business in Kiel on May 20, 1995. Its name at that time was The Main Stem. The business offered the sale of Christmas and gift items and included a petting zoo.

“I wanted to have my own business,” Fenske said. “My parents run a business.”

His parents Donna and Roy Fenske own Roy’s Tree Lot in Kohler. Fenske’s brothers Shanon and Chad Fenske operate the business with his parents.

“I am the creative one. So I branched off,” Fenske said.

In 1997, he purchased the building at the present location of All about Christmas and moved the business there. The facility formerly served as a migrant camp for the Krier Preserving Co., that was located in Random Lake and Belgium.

Fenske said running All about Christmas LLC is therapy for him. “I enjoy the customers, and many of the people working here are family members and friends.

“I love Christmas,” he added. “I like to create out-of-the ordinary things, like specialty centerpieces, that people want.”

Meanwhile, Zelle, who has a background in business and customer service, met Fenske at Bemis Manufacturing Co, where she worked from 1995-2005. She soon became involved in his wreath-making business.

Then, in 2004, “My business was getting too big, and Lorie was thinking of going into a business of some type, so I asked her to join me,” Fenske said.

Zelle, a Sheboygan Falls resident, who works part-time as a baker at Kwik-Trip in Sheboygan, agreed to become a co-owner.

Her husband Bob and daughter Alison help out at All about Christmas during wreath-making time.

“I would like to thank Bob for the salesman he has become for All about Christmas and Alison for the countless hours she has given to make our wreath fundraiser go smoothly,” Zelle said.

Zelle finds co-owning All about Christmas to be rewarding. “I have always loved Christmas,” she said. “Now I get to think about Christmas all year long. This business is creative, relaxing and fun.”

Note: To schedule a wreath-making class or for further information about All about Christmas LLC, phone 528-7300.