Schlee’s Gourmet Bakery & Bottle Shop opened five months ago in downtown Springfield and is now operating under new ownership.
Ashley Rickenbach, who was initially overseeing day-to-day operations, relocated from Austin, Texas, to Springfield and partnered with Benjamin Galbraith and Matthew and Rachael Hurley to launch Schlee’s. The establishment at 225 S. Sixth St. focuses on high-quality, small quantity drinks and baked goods. It opens at 7 a.m., offering baked goods and artisan coffee, then stays open late with a wide variety of wines sold by the glass or bottle and a rotating daily menu of small plates and charcuterie.
In response to an inquiry from SBJ, Rickenbach provided a written statement clarifying that the Hurleys, who “have been a minority shareholder in Schlee’s since the projects inception in 2024 have now transitioned to full ownership of the company.”
“We are so excited to get more involved with Schlee’s and take it to even greater heights,” said Rachael Hurley in the statement. “This project has been extremely rewarding as we’ve built relationships with customers who appreciate quality over quantity when it comes to their wine, baked goods and coffee. Schlee’s is truly a one-of-a-kind space, especially in downtown Springfield, and we look forward to making it even more special.”
“I’m excited for the Hurley family to take over day-to-day operations at Schlee’s as I move on to other endeavors,” said Rickenbach. “It has been such an honor to serve our customers and introduce something new and exciting to the people of Springfield. I have no doubt that Schlee’s will continue to shake up Springfield’s food and wine scene, and I look forward to helping the Hurleys accomplish that from afar.”
Rickenbach did not respond to follow up questions regarding her future plans.
Would love to see them offer some tapas parings with wine sampling in the evening- this would be a delightful before dinner downtown or after dinner downtown treat- or just something to do of an evening – Especially since downtown lost Ad Astra. Downtown needs to be a destination- a place where we can go to visit several businesses and enjoy the ambiance!
Above should read “wine pairings” – perhaps nightly special pairings of wine, tapas or small charcuterie boards designed to pair with the recomended wines to sample! It could also be coordinated with Maldaner’s, Anvil & Forge, La Piazza, Obed & Isaac’s and others- to encourage “nights out” and support for downtown businesses- dessert wine to follow or appetizer wine and hors d’oeuvres that coordinate for a full dining experience! I would love to see something like this- what fun – they could issue “passports” to visit one place before, one place for the main meal and one place for after dinner. Lovely! _ and it would get folks walking around downtown! Free parking after all!