Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Valukas.
Hi Amy, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My story has definitely not been a straight line. Busias XOXO grew from my love of family, Polish traditions, baking, creativity, and the kind of community I remember growing up with—where the neighborhood store wasn’t just somewhere you shopped. It was somewhere people knew your name, stories were shared, and you felt like you belonged.
When I first dreamed about opening a store, my husband John was my biggest guiding force. He believed in me more than I believed in myself. When I questioned whether I could do it, he was the person reminding me that I could. He didn’t just encourage the dream—he literally helped build it. John was a woodworker, and he handcrafted many of the wooden pieces and displays for my original store.
I finally took the leap and opened that first store. Just one month later, John unexpectedly passed away.
In an instant, the person who had been beside me through the dream was gone. I wasn’t only trying to figure out how to run a new business; I was trying to figure out how to live a life I had never imagined living without him. Eventually, I stepped away, and for a while I wasn’t sure what the future—or even my own story—was supposed to look like.
That’s what makes reopening Busias XOXO in Downtown Racine so incredibly special to me. This isn’t simply a second attempt at opening a store. It represents rebuilding a life after loss and finding the courage to believe in myself the way John always believed in me.
And in a beautiful way, John helped build this store, too.
The wooden pieces he made with his own hands are now throughout Busias XOXO. I see them every day. They’re more than fixtures or displays to me—they’re pieces of him woven into this new chapter. There are little pieces of my family and our story throughout the entire shop, and I think that’s part of what gives Busias its heart.
Today, Busias XOXO is a boutique bakery, artisan marketplace, workshop space and gathering place all wrapped into one. We celebrate my Polish heritage through traditional baked goods and family recipes while also creating fun, unexpected treats and constantly changing themes. My daughter Ally brings her creativity to our custom iced cookies, and our shop gives local artisans a place to share their talents as well.
I never wanted Busias to feel like a typical bakery or retail store. I wanted people to walk through the door and discover something—to find a handmade treasure, taste something that reminds them of their grandmother, take a workshop, laugh with someone they just met, or simply feel like they belong for a little while.
This journey has included grief, uncertainty, mistakes, pivots and plenty of moments when I’ve wondered whether I was doing the right thing. But I’ve learned that sometimes moving forward doesn’t mean leaving the past behind. Sometimes you take the people, traditions and love that shaped you and bring them forward with you.
That’s what I’ve done with Busias XOXO.
It’s family. It’s heritage. It’s creativity and community. It’s resilience. It’s a little bit quirky and unexpected. And most importantly, it’s filled with love.
John believed in this dream before I completely believed in it myself. Reopening those doors was my way of finally saying, “Okay, I believe in it too.”
And I know we’re still writing the story!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. I think one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that you can have an incredible amount of passion for something and still have days when you question absolutely everything.
My greatest challenge has been rebuilding a business while also rebuilding myself. After losing my husband John just one month after opening my original store, there was no separating my personal life from my business journey. Grief doesn’t operate on a schedule, and it certainly doesn’t disappear because you have customers waiting or bills that need to be paid.
Reopening meant learning how to do many of the things John and I once dreamed about doing together, but now doing them without the person who had always been my biggest supporter. There have been moments when that has been incredibly difficult.
Like most small businesses, there have also been financial challenges, slow days, unexpected expenses, ideas that didn’t work, and plenty of learning as we go. Owning a small business can look beautiful from the outside, but behind the scenes there are long hours, sacrifices and a lot of uncertainty. I’ve had days when I wondered whether I should keep going.
I’ve also had to learn that success doesn’t always look the way you originally imagined it would. Sometimes success is a packed workshop or a wonderful sales day. Other times, it’s one customer telling me that something in our store reminded them of their grandmother, an artisan being excited because someone purchased something they created, or simply having the courage to unlock the door again the next morning.
I’m still learning. I’m still adjusting. I’m still figuring out what works and what doesn’t. But I think the challenges have actually helped define what Busias XOXO is becoming.
I used to think strength meant having everything figured out. Now I think sometimes strength is simply saying, “This is hard, but I’m not done yet.”
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I consider myself a creative entrepreneur more than anything else. Busias XOXO is difficult to put into one category—and I actually love that about us. We are a boutique bakery, artisan marketplace, creative workshop space and community gathering place in Downtown Racine.
Our bakery is rooted in my Polish heritage and family traditions, but we aren’t afraid to have fun with them. We make traditional Polish favorites alongside creative small-batch desserts, custom orders and constantly changing themed menus. My daughter Ally is our Cookie Chef, and her beautifully decorated sugar cookies have become one of the things we are especially known for.
Creativity extends far beyond our bakery case. Our shop features the work of more than 25 local artisans, and we host unique workshops ranging from cookie decorating and traditional Polish arts to journaling, mosaics and unexpected creative experiences. I love taking an idea that might seem a little unusual and asking, “How can we Busia this?”
What I am most proud of, though, isn’t any one product. It’s the feeling we’ve created.
I don’t want someone to walk into Busias, buy something and leave without ever looking around. I want them to explore. There are pieces of my family throughout the store, vintage treasures mixed with handmade creations, John’s woodworking, little surprises tucked into corners, and stories behind so many of the things people see. I want customers to feel like they’ve discovered someplace rather than simply shopped someplace.
I think what sets us apart is that we’re not trying to fit into a traditional retail or bakery mold. We’re intentionally a little quirky, nostalgic, creative and constantly evolving. Some ideas work beautifully, some teach us what to do differently next time, but we’re never afraid to try something new.
At the heart of everything I create is connection. Food connects us to our heritage. Handmade items connect us to the person who created them. Workshops connect strangers around a table. Stories connect generations.
Busias XOXO isn’t just about what we sell. It’s about how we make people feel when they’re here.
And if someone walks out our door with a treat in their hand, a smile on their face and a feeling that they were genuinely welcomed, then I feel like we’ve done what we set out to do.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
Resilience. I’ve learned that success isn’t about never struggling—it’s about continuing to show up, adapt, and believe in what you’re building, even when the road looks completely different than you imagined. I’ve learned to bend without breaking and to keep moving forward with purpose, creativity and heart.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.busiasxoxo.com
- Instagram: @busiasxoxo
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/busiasxoxo
