Editor’s note: Sue Schmitt and I started our businesses at nearly the same time, and over the years we shared the ups and downs that come with building something from the ground up. My kids grew up on Sue’s cookies and she always knew exactly what they were up to, asking about them every time I walked through her door or when we met for our yearly breakfast at Orem’s Diner. This story is both deeply personal and deeply Wilton, and I’m grateful to share it with our community. — Heather Borden Herve, GOOD Morning Wilton Editor
For almost 13 years, The Painted Cookie has been one of Wilton’s favorite local shops. Owner and Wilton resident Susan Schmitt created custom-decorated cookies for everything from bridal showers and kids’ birthday party favors to corporate logo-embossed treats and holiday-themed delights.
Now, an unexpected health crisis has forced Sue to step back from the bakery she built and loved, and her family has made the hard decision to close The Painted Cookie to allow Sue the time and space to heal.
The abrupt change has also brought financial challenges for her family, and the woman who spent more than a decade making life sweeter for the community is now the one in need of its support.
Sue’s shop was about far more than what came out of the oven. It was a place where people lingered, shared stories and felt welcome.
“Sue loved to talk with everyone,” her husband Matt Schmitt told GMW. Customers told her about their kids, and she marveled about watching those kids grow up over the years, when she saw them out and about in Wilton or when they came into the shop. “She’d say how they’d grown from this big —” Matt put his hand low, then raised it high “— to this.”
Sue devoted her life to The Painted Cookie. Orders were non-stop and late night baking and icing sessions were the norm. While she never pretended to love every part of the work, she loved what mattered most: the creativity, the designs, and the joy her cookies brought to people.
But that joy ran deeper than what the cookies looked like. “It wasn’t just that they were beautiful,” her husband explained. “They were safe.” Everything she made was nut and allergen-free, which for many people for whom food allergies are severely life threatening, her treats were not only beautiful but worry-free.
“One woman came from New Jersey. She told Sue that everywhere else she had to tell her children, ‘No.’ But at The Painted Cookie, they could have whatever they wanted. “She said, ‘That’s a great blessing,’” he recalled — and Sue felt it that way too.
Growing up here, Sue has always loved Wilton — a town, her husband says, “that was also very good to her.” And now, as Sue faces serious challenges that have forced her to step away from the shop, that same sense of community has surrounded their family.
“She’s a very good woman — a great mom, rock steady,” he said. “That’s the hardest thing about this. She was always mom… and now it’s a whole new world you have to get used to.”
Friends have helped the family launch a GoFundMe campaign to help support Sue and the Schmitts with living and medical expenses as she focuses on healing.
Part of navigating this difficult transition means selling the business — something Sue would be happiest seeing stay in Wilton, ideally with someone familiar to the community. Anyone interested in learning more about the business opportunity or to find out about equipment that might be available for purchase can reach out to family friend Robyn Reeves via email.