Graphic from first home page
History
Ruth-Anne's Gourmet Market opened it's doors April 20, 1998 in historic downtown West Bend, Wisconsin. The original owner was Nina Mehring. There were 3 owners between then and the current owners, Frank and Sue Smith. Originally the business was located at 241 North Main Street in Downtown West Bend adjacent to St. Somewhere Cafe, A Coffee House. There was a connecting door between the two businesses to allow customers to move between stores without going outside in inclement weather. Ruth-Anne's moved to 136 North Main Street and opened for business on Saturday,
Original store at 241 N. Main St. June 6, 2009 in a space that had been occupied by Beverly Hills' Town & Country Estate Sales. This site had earlier been the home of The Exclusive Company CDs and music for 25 years. Our new store is larger than the old one and has been decorated in Ruth-Anne's style. We have a connecting door to the business immediately north of Ruth-Anne's, Ooh La La Accessories.
Wine Philosophy
At Ruth-Anne's our philosophy about wine is simple: you have to taste wine
Wall mural from original store to know if you like it. That's why we offer free wine tastings every week of the year, and twice a week from June - October. The tastings are informal, we don't intimidate you with terminology or rules. You taste the wine, and you either like it or you don't. We will explain where it comes from, and include any other information about the wine that we have. We offer unique wines that aren't easy to find locally or even in Wisconsin at times. We currently carry 40+ Wisconsin wines from 16 different wineries across the state, and we're constantly looking for more. They range from dry reds to very sweet whites, and everything in-between. These are unique wines that you won't find in local stores. Ruth-Anne's doesn't ignore the rest of the world, however, as we have wines from all over the US, South America, Europe (east and west), Australia, New Zealand and Africa. If you attend our tastings frequently during the year, you will have the opportunity to taste every one of them.
Donations
Ruth-Anne's Gourmet Market donates to a number of charitable and not-for-profit organizations each year. Below is a partial list of recent donations.
American Red Cross
Chix 4 A Cause
2011 Hartford-Slinger Relay For Life
Noon Kiwanis of West Bend
Kettle Moraine Insurance Professionals
832nd Medical Co (AA) National Guard
The Threshold Incorporated
Badger Middle School Badger Parent Group
Washington County Youth Hockey Association
West Bend Schools Project Graduation
Citizen Advocacy of Washington County
Rotary International -> Interfaith Caregivers of Washington County
Washington County Deputy Sherriffs Association
