AN ECHO JOURNAL & BRAINERD DISPATCH PUBLICATION
BUSINESS TRADITIONS ROLL OF HONOR 2017
FEATURED BUSINESSES: IDEAL BOARDING KENNELS • GANLEY’S RESTAURANT REED’S MARKET • GSS RIVERSIDE VILLAS JIM’S ELECTRIC • KATHY’S CUSTOM SEWING
Economic outlook for 2017 By Renee Richardson Brainerd Dispatch Managing Editor Momentum from 2016 is carrying into the new year with multiple projects in the lakes area promising to bring in additional jobs, create new shopping and eating destinations and build on a wave of economic development flowing into the new year. Among proposed projects is a 4,000-squarefoot, sit-down restaurant, which could be constructed on wooded land just south of Frandsen Bank and Trust near the intersection with Highway 371 and Excelsior Road in Baxter. This land, called the Fruth property, is the last undeveloped land on the highly coveted Highway 371 and Highway 210 corner. Panera is what has come up as an unconfirmed but anticipated name behind the new restaurant. The sit-down restaurant
was described to Baxter officials as a high-turnover eatery. A 3,000-squarefoot retail store is proposed next door, potentially a Sleep Number store. Wayzata-based HJ Development recently confirmed the entire list of stores planned for its retail center to be constructed on 8.87 acres between Costco and J.C. Penney Co. in Baxter. Dick’s Sporting Goods will be joined by previously announced tenants - T.J. Maxx, ULTA Beauty and PetSmart. All have signed leases for the 90,000-square-foot project and expect construction to be completed by the fall of 2017. Tenants T.J. Maxx, ULTA Beauty and PetSmart plan to open in the fall with Dick’s Sporting Goods expected to open in the spring of 2018. In addition, HJ Development confirmed plans to build a 7,000-square-foot
retail strip center nearby on the southwest corner of Highway 371 and Glory Road - by Wal-Mart and across the street from Olive Garden. Construction of that building is also expected to start in the spring of 2017. This past summer, Oppidan - owner of the retail space that is home to Gander Mountain in Baxter - released a new proposal to construct two new buildings in the parking lot facing Highway 371 in front of Gander Mountain. The proposal called for a coffee shop, dental office and retail and restaurant space. A couple of names were dropped regarding tenants, including Aspen Dental and Caribou Coffee. Names of the possible restaurants were not disclosed. The plan is for two retail centers, one with 9,000 square feet and one with 6,000 square feet. One building would
include three tenants of two restaurants bordering a single retail store. The southerly most building would house Aspen Dental and the Caribou coffee shop with a drive-through window on the south end. In addition, Oppidan stated there are plans to redevelop the Gander Mountain site as well in the near future. Expectations were for construction in 2017. Brewery options expanded throughout the lakes area with redevelopments such as Roundhouse Brewery at the Northern Pacific Center in Brainerd and the current construction of the Jack Pine Brewery in Baxter, along with the construction of the Dennis Drummond Wine Company south of Brainerd. Ground was broken for the wine company and work on the site to include a bistro and event center began in the summer of 2016.
The Wells Fargo Bank building by Menards in Baxter was torn down to make room for two planned retail sites as part of the Northwoods Crossing development. Plans call for two restaurants without drive-thrus (with 40 seats each), a 25-seat restaurant with a drivethru and a 20-seat coffee shop with a drive-thru. There were remodels such as Cub Foods in Baxter and redevelopment of existing sites like the new Royal Tire in Brainerd. The landmark Bonanza was torn down and a new Riverwood Bank is now in its place in Baxter. Mattress Firm built and opened in Baxter in 2016, and the Tim Hortons eatery opened in Brainerd in its push to expand its footprint in Minnesota. A number of restaurants either opened in 2016 or moved closer to doing so from The Local 218 on Mill Avenue in Brainerd
to 612 Station Bar & Grill in downtown Brainerd to work currently on Burritos California Mexican Grill, which is remodeling the former Daylight Donuts shop on Washington Street in Brainerd. Lakes area entrepreneur Cathy Hughes, who has had stores in Baxter, Brainerd, Nisswa and Pequot Lakes, recently opened the specialty store Bette Mae’s in the Westgate Mall in Brainerd/Baxter. Hughes said this opening has been her strongest in 15 years. Hughes expanded to open Sweet Beans Coffee next to Bette Mae’s. Construction wasn’t limited to the Brainerd and Baxter area with projects like Dollar General in Pillager. Renee Richardson, managing editor, may be reached at 218-855-5852 or renee.richardson@brainerddispatch. com. Follow on Twitter at www. twitter.com/DispatchBizBuzz.