Mayor Kathleen Backer and The New Ulm Chamber Willkommen committee welcome The Christmas Haus to downtown with a special ribbon cutting.

NEW ULM — The Willkommen Committee of the New Ulm Area Chamber of Commerce celebrated Christmas early with a special ribbon cutting for The Christmas Haus, Thursday.

The Christmas Haus officially opened for business in May and is located at 127 N. Minnesota Street in the same location as the Guten Tag Haus.

Guten Tag Haus owners Cindy and Al Stabenow retired in Jan. 2023. Lindsey Henn agreed to take over the store and opened The Christmas Haus.

Henn said the Stabenows left Guten Tag Haus on a high note and that allowed her new business to start strong.

The Christmas Haus will continue to sell German import items, but will expand into offering Scandinavian items. As the name suggests, Henn promised the store will go “all out” during the Christmas season.

Mayor Kathleen Backer had the honors of cutting the ribbon with assistance from the Henn family.

Backer said New Ulm was fortunate to have people like Henn who invest in the community. Henn previously brought Mn Eis to downtown New Ulm, which recently opened a second location in Sippets Coffee & Bagels.