OSHKOSH (NBC 26) — Oaks Chocolates has been making and selling candies in Oshkosh for more than 130 years and have kept things remarkably consistent over the years.
Kristy Reinsch is a member of the Oaks family, which has owned the store since it first opened in 1890, and has been involved with making candies since she was a toddler.
Reinch helps make Oaks' famous meltaway bars by hand, dipping the chocolates the same way her family has done since 1890.
She says her family has made some changes to the business over the years, including a move to their current location on Oregon Street in Oshkosh in the 1940s, but Oaks' has still maintained that original flavor.
"Everything has stayed the same," said Kristy Reinsch. "All the recipes are the same from then; all the equipment we use has been the same."
Kathy Stalberger has worked as an associate at Oaks for 13 years. She says the store has been an Oshkosh icon since her grandparents and her great-grandparents were young.
“People just have this nostalgia for the idea of Oaks even," she said. "Our grandmas our great-grandmas used to shop here. Everybody has their favorites, and we still make them. We still make almost everything we used to make back then and then some.”
Despite the store's impressive longevity, Stalberger explains Oaks is not immune to current economic pressures. Inflation and supply chain issues have forced the store to make some adjustments to the way they do business.
“The cost we have definitely noticed," Stalberger said. "Our prices did go up just a little in chocolate to try to counterbalance, but we are also having issues with getting supplies. There are some things that are just not available that we are used to normally having, and they just aren’t here.”
Despite the slight change in prices, the store was very busy and filled with great energy around Valentine's Day and will continue to be filled with energy for many more years to come.
