FOND DU LAC – December closed out 2025 in Fond du Lac with scores of business news.
From recent business openings to past closings and stores to look forward to in the future, here are the top seven local stories you may have missed in December.
Commons at Forest Plaza announces lease agreements
The most-read story in December was a highly anticipated lease announcement of five stores that will occupy Commons at Forest Plaza in the former Home Depot property at 844 W. Johnson St.
These stores are Ross, Burlington, Ulta, Five Below and Boot Barn. The announcement came about two years after redevelopment plans for the 8.65-acre site surfaced in 2023. The building has seen minor construction already since fall.
Edith’s Bridal sold and is relocating
After Edith’s Bridal owners Tom and Cathy Deitte announced their retirement this summer, the business sold in December to Dave and Vicki Schmidt, who are in the process of relocating the business to 36 N. Main St.
Dave Schmidt had long been connected to Edith’s and felt its legacy should continue, he said in a news release from Downtown Fond du Lac Partnership.
The new location is being renovated, and the owners plan to rename it Edith’s Formal Wear when it fully moves in January.
Fond du Lac’s 2025 People of the Year stepped up for community needs
Readers took interest in Fond du Lac’s 2025 People of the Year list, which features those who showed up for their community and its people.
From a combination of reader and staff nominations, the list includes local food pantries and organizations that met Fond du Lac’s biggest needs, as well as Sara Krueger-Zuengler with Ebony Vision’s lending library, Jodie Slager from American Legion Post 75, Sandy Ritchie from The Diner and more.
Fond du Lac said goodbye to several businesses in 2025
While 2025 was finishing its run, one story that captured reader attention was a look back at the businesses that closed during the year.
This includes chains like Joann and KFC, as well as local stores like Wood’s Floral, Arbor Acres and The Hive that finished out one era to continue on in another form.
Howie Zanto shares experience as a small business owner
The latest local career feature, inspired by the holiday shopping season, follows Howie Zanto’s experience as a small business owner running Living Light Studio since 1977.
The store features stained glass, jewelry, his own artwork and other gifts, and as he looks forward to retirement, Zanto shared how the business grew over almost 50 years, as well as his hopes for its future under a new owner.
Swing Zone opens as baseball training complex
A new business that celebrated its grand opening in December was Swing Zone, an indoor baseball and softball hitting and training complex for individuals and teams.
Nine local families came together to create a welcoming and positive environment that will foster skill development, teamwork and mental growth in the area’s youth, featuring individual lanes that can be rented for fielding, hitting and pitching, as well as an open turf area that can be rented for practices and other activities.
Kmart preceded Home Depot in Fond du Lac
After the announcement for new life at the Home Depot property, the top “Remember When …” story of December looked at the history of the site. A Kmart originally occupied the lot as the first store in the new Forest Plaza across from Forest Mall in 1979, joined by Sears, Osco Drug, Pick ‘n Save Warehouse Foods and more.
Kmart featured clothing, food, toys, cookware, home goods, home improvement supplies, an automotive service center and more until it closed in 2002 among about 300 overall locations. Home Depot quickly moved in and opened with a “board-cutting” ceremony in June 2003, but it closed in 2008 and remained vacant ever since.
Daphne Lemke is the Streetwise reporter for the Fond du Lac Reporter. Contact her at dlemke@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Fond du Lac Reporter: Latest on former Home Depot site topped Fond du Lac news in December
Reporting by Daphne Lemke, Fond du Lac Reporter / Fond du Lac Reporter
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
