Sweet shop to open in St. Joe

As Sliced pizza shop closes, Jolie Olie’s Sweet Shoppe is set to move in.

The new sweet shoppe is joining other small businesses such as The Local Blend coffee house and Jupiter Moon ice cream shop to offer sweet treats to the residents of St. Joe. After operating as a fully online and call-in catering sweet shop, Jolie Olie’s is officially opening a storefront.

Jo Woods is the owner of the new sweet shoppe. Before she decided to follow her dream of opening a sweet shoppe, she worked in the medical field and at St. Cloud Technical and Community College. She bought the storefront in the middle of December soon after Sliced pizza closed its doors. Since then, she has been planning and working on renovations to get Jolie Olie’s open for business.

“I think that Jolie Olie’s will appeal to the whole demographic of St. Joe because we are going to have something that appeals to everyone. We will have so many different options to choose from and many options will also have a gluten free, keto friendly or dairy free alternative. I want everyone to be able to find something that they like when they stop in,” Woods said.

Working at St. Cloud Technical and Community College allowed Woods to make connections with students, one of whom will be working with her once the shop opens where she will gain experience to expand herself in the culinary world.

“Baking and sweet treats has always been my passion. Before this, baking was always just my expensive hobby. I am now able to make that a career and I am loving every minute of it,” Woods said.

The sweet shoppe will offer a wide variety of baked goods, including but not limited to waffles, scones, cakes, cookies, parfaits and cupcakes. Customers will be able to take part in baking classes and after hour events at the sweet shoppe.

“I really want to give people a fresh and cute space to take a break in their day and just enjoy a donut if they want. We are going to put in a standing bar for people who want to have a treat but not stay all day,” Woods said.

Many students walk downtown when going out for pizza or just to shop. St. Joe is known for its small town feel with a multitude of small businesses for people to shop local at. The town of St. Joe even has an Instagram page to make announcements about the small businesses.

“I think once Jolie Olie’s opens, it will get a good amount of business. I think college kids are always looking for something new to try and this would be a fun little place to go to with your friends, especially since it is within walking distance from St. Ben’s,” CSB first-year Mikayla Burns said.

According to Woods, the opening date is still pending as they are waiting on health inspections and renovations, but they hope to open by March 9.