Cloquet Happenings 2021

CLOQUET HAPPENINGS

FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT’S INFAMOUS CONNECTION TO CLOQUET

By Izabel Johnson ijohnson@pinejournal.com

Frank Lloyd Wright, born June 1867, spent over 70 years designing nationally recognized structures that have continued to impact architecture. He spent his life traveling the world — learning, teaching and designing.

So, what led the celebrated architect to select Cloquet as the home for not one, but two of his designs? The answer is simpler than people might think, and it all started with two college students.

In the early 1950s, Cloquet resident and business owner Ray Lindholm was seeking his ideal home somewhere in the local area.

Lindholm founded Lindholm Oil Company in 1939 and set his eyes on a new goal of constructing a home for himself and his wife, Emma.

It was then that his collegeaged daughter, Joyce Mckinney, and her husband, Daryl Mckinney, encouraged him to hire Wright for the project. They had admired Wright’s work while studying at the University of Minnesota and thought he would be a good fit.

The family soon traveled to Wright’s home in Spring Green, Wisconsin, and commissioned his help.

Joyce Mckinney told the Pine Journal in a 2008 interview that

Food Train continues to give

By Izabel Johnson ijohnson@pinejournal.com

A line of cars stretched miles down the street.

Two bags per car, each filled to the brim with various food items — beef, pork, sausage, bread and maybe a cookie or some milk. Around 250 bags were distributed and 200 families fed each week. More than $130,000 in donations.

That’s a snapshot of the Food Train at Cloquet’s B&B Market.

Since its founding in March 2020, the project has only grown, said John Lind, B&B Market co-owner.

What started as a small donation from Lenny Conklin is now a weekly food drive providing meals for families in need throughout the Cloquet area during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The idea started when Conklin wanted to give back to the community after it rallied behind his 9-year-old son Blake’s

battle with leukemia, which began in 2018.

After noticing a “give a penny, take a penny” jar at a local Kwik Trip, Conklin donated money to B&B Market so owners John and Kim Lind could give away approximately 100 pounds of ground beef to community members in need.

“I just said I wanted to do something … that would create some kind of residual effect,” Conklin said, adding that he wanted to incorporate a local business into the project.

After his initial donation, Conklin posted about the cause on social media. Then, he went for a run. Upon returning home, Conklin said his phone was “blowing up” with support and people looking to give.

John Lind uses monetary donations given by community members and businesses to order extra food from the store’s supplier for

the food distributions. The Food Train has now raised $132,137.61.

According to B&B Market employees, community members and businesses also donate food and other products to help fill the bags. The store’s suppliers have also donated.

“I never would have imagined it would turn into what it has,” Conklin said. “It’s just incredible.”

Although it is extra work for the store, John Lind feels the project is worth it.

“A lot of people are needing the help,” he said.

John Lind and his staff, along with any community volunteers, usually begin putting the bags of food together around 11 a.m. every Thursday. Typically, five or six people are required to make the bags, with another employee working in the front of the store.

Wright was willing to design the house plan immediately.

“He was very accessible, and I don’t think terribly busy either,” she said.

Wright often took on smallerscale projects and designed over 400 homes in the U.S. during his life.

“Regard it just as desirable to build a chicken-house as to build a cathedral,” he once told studying architects.

Upon its completion in 1952, the Lindholm House spread approximately 2,300 square feet in what was once a heavily wooded area of Cloquet.

The house dawned the name Mäntylä — Finnish for “house

among the pines” — and remained in Cloquet until 2016, when it was donated by then-owners Peter and Julene Mckinney to the Usonian Preservation in Acme, Pennsylvania.

But, the relationship did not end with the completion of the house. While Ray Lindholm was dreaming of a home, Wright was dreaming of a service station.

Wright had been working on designs for service stations since the 1920s and believed they were a crucial piece in his utopia urban plan known as “Broadacre City.”

“The roadside service station may be, in embryo, the future

“I couldn’t have done it without my employees … and my wife,” John Lind said of the project. One of the biggest challenges with the Food Train, according to John Lind, has been finding enough help with the project on Thursdays.

Recently, students

in Cloquet’s National Honor Society have been volunteering, along with some community members, he said.

“We thought we could ... help with a great cause,” volunteer John Keith said.

Keith began volunteering at the Food Train

with his friend, Durnell Peterson, after seeing posts about the project on social media. They both said it’s been a worthwhile use of their time.

“It makes us feel good,” Keith shared. After the bags are full,

FOOD: Page 7

Clint Austin / caustin@duluthnews.com

The geometric shapes of the large overhang dominate the sky at the Frank Lloyd Wright gas station in Cloquet.

From left, B&B Market employee Kurt Petersen waits to load milk into a person’s vehicle as volunteer Durnell Peterson loads bags full of food and volunteer John Keith picks up another set of bags during B&B Market’s Food Train Thursday, Jan. 21, in Cloquet.

WRIGHT: Page 7

Premiere Theatres keeps doors open

By Izabel Johnson ijohnson@pinejournal.com

Cloquet locals have likely spent a good chunk of time watching films at Premiere Theatres.

Located along Highway 33 in Cloquet, the theater has consistently been a spot for recreational movie viewing in the area.

However, things have changed for movie theaters due to the COVID19 pandemic, leading Premiere Theatres to take on a different business model, now offering private showings and off-sale concessions in place of being fully open. Owner Rick Stowell said he’s done this to operate in a safe manner and avoid larger groups or mixed households as much as possible.

“Theaters are struggling,” he said.

The private screenings have been popular since their start in January, bringing in an average of one group every day, said Premiere

By Izabel Johnson ijohnson@pinejournal.com

Between the development of scents and the setting of wax, candlemaking is more complicated than people might think and requires quite a bit of space, according to Woodfire Candle Company owner Kristin Hinrichs.

Since 2012, Hinrichs has been making and selling candles out of her home — starting in the kitchen, and even-

Theatres employee Cary Neumann.

“It’s been catching on,” he said. Each private screening session costs a minimum of $100, which goes towards paying theater staff, according to Stowell.

Typically, there will be a charge of less than $10 per person, depending on the concession pack-

age selected.

Occasionally, Stowell said couples will book the theater — paying $50 per person. In that case, he said he gives them all of the concessions they want. Depending on how many people attend, the private screenings have the potential to bring in more than $100, but Stowell said he still

gives all of the money to his staff regardless of how much it is. In fact, the theater may actually be losing money by offering private showings, but Stowell said he does it for the community and his employees.

“We’re not doing it for the theater, we’re doing it for … our staff,” he said.

Two managers work full-time at the theater,

rotating shifts and only working together when bigger groups book a showing.

Stowell owns the building where the business is located, and rents it to other businesses. Because of this, he said Premiere Theatres will never go out of business.

“This theater isn’t going anywhere,” he said.

Stowell also credited state COVID-19 movie theater relief grants for keeping Premiere Theatres afloat.

Neumann has been working at Premiere Theatres since it opened in May 1994. Business levels and movie release dates have been very inconsistent throughout the pandemic, but he said he hopes to see the theater open to the public in the near future.

Premiere Theatres has tried various things throughout the year — curbside concessions, gift card sales, 25% capacity and now private screenings.

Currently, the busi-

ness is not able to show new movies because film companies are not providing movie rights to theaters whose doors are not fully open, but Stowell said he hopes to open to the public March 5, with public showings Friday through Sunday and private showings Monday through Thursday. He added that he is planning to convert to a full seven day schedule May 7.

The March 5 opening date, however, could be pushed back to April or May, according to Stowell, who said it all depends on release dates for new movies.

The date was chosen because a Disney movie, “Raya and the Last Dragon,” is scheduled to drop that day, but Stowell said the release date for the movie could likely change.

He anticipates 2021 to eventually be packed with blockbuster movies once releases become more consistent, he said.

tually taking over three rooms in the basement and two garages.

She decided she needed her own space designated for crafting the candles in December 2020, and she purchased a building in the center of Esko that had formerly been used as a service station.

Located across from Esko’s Winterquist Elementary School, where her son goes to school, Hinrichs said the space

has not only helped with operations, but also has been very convenient.

“We just thought this building was kind of the perfect spot,” she said.

Hinrichs has since remodeled the building to suit her needs, with the majority of the space used for manufacturing, and a small retail section in the front featuring other local businesses.

While Hinrichs said the majority of Woodfire Candle’s sales happen

online, she has really enjoyed getting to know other business owners in the area since the storefront opened in Esko.

“It’s a neat community,” she said while examining a bracelet from Chew Me Jewelry.

A typical work week for Hinrichs runs Monday through Friday from about 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Around the holidays when sales drastically increase, she spends seven days a week making candles.

Operations at the Esko building consist of pouring wax into glass containers, setting the wax — which can take up to 24 hours — mixing scents, filling orders and more.

Hinrichs said the most tedious task is smoothing out the wax after it sets. She has also invested time and money into developing unique products and scents, such as “Tobacco and Honey” and “Warm Flannel.”

“It’s really a science,” she explained.

When asked about her favorite part of the candle-making process, Hinrichs said it’s going home smelling like candles.

The inspiration for Woodfire Candle originated during Hinrichs’ pregnancy with her son, when she found herself wanting more organic products around the house.

Brittany L Olson

Agent/Owner

Because of this, she worked to find natural scents for her candles that can use natural ingredients, drawing inspiration from the Northland environment.

Hinrichs said the majority of sales happen online through their website, but that Woodfire Candle products are sold in a few local stores, such as Duluth Pack and Fitger’s Beer Store. She even makes two custom scents for the Fitger’s shop to pair with their beer products, as well as one custom scent for Duluth Pack.

Woodfire Candle also makes room sprays, oil diffusers, flannels and wax melts.

The company currently employs about six people, but Hinrichs said she is hoping to hire some high school

students to work once the retail portion of the store is open and store hours are extended.

She refers to her husband, Dan, as her “pallet manager,” and her mother, Linda Carlberg, as her first employee.

“I thought it would be a fun opportunity to keep busy in the winter during all this craziness,” employee Olivia Frey said of her decision to work at Woodfire Candle.

Candice Belich has two school-aged children, and said working at Woodfire Candle gives much-needed flexibility in her schedule.

“Esko has been really welcoming,” Hinrichs said. “I’m happy to be here.”

Woodfire Candle’s retail space in Esko is set to open this spring.

Izabel Johnson / ijohnson@pinejournal.com

Cary Neumann prepares private screening concessions for a group of about 25 people from Reach Mentoring in Cloquet on Thursday, Feb. 4. He said groups range from birthday parties to sports teams to families.

Steve Kuchera / skuchera@duluthnews.com

Woodfire Candle Company owner Kristin Hinrichs holds Poppy while talking to a visitor at the firm’s production space in Esko as Olivia Frey (left) and Candice Belich work in the background.

Woodfire Candle Company opens storefront

Business varies for outdoors stores during pandemic

By Izabel Johnson ijohnson@pinejournal.com

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Mike Frisk, owner of Gunrunners firearm shop in Cloquet, experienced the highest sales volume he’s seen since opening the store in 2011, despite gun and ammunition shortages.

“It hasn’t really affected me, other than create a lot more business,” Frisk said.

Frisk runs the shop out of his house, seeing clients by appointment only due to a city ordinance passed prior to the start of the pandemic.

According to Frisk, the only alteration made to his business model as a result of COVID-19 is the requirement that masks be worn inside the shop.

Gun retailers were considered essential businesses during the initial shutdown of stores in Minnesota, so Frisk was never forced to close the shop.

But not all outdoors-

focused businesses have boomed. Stephanie Lafleur, chief operating officer and owner of Minnesota Whitewater Rafting, did not share Frisk’s experience.

Minnesota Whitewater Rafting is based out of Scanlon and typically operates throughout the summer, offering whitewater rafting experiences on the St. Louis River.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Lafleur made the decision not to open for the 2020 season. According to Lafleur, the size of the rafts does not provide adequate space for physical distancing, and masks cannot be worn due to the nature of the activities.

Minnesota Whitewater Rafting is family-owned and operated, and Lafleur said she did not feel comfortable compromising the safety of her family, or that of the public.

“There was such a limbo of knowing right from wrong,” Lafleur

said and added that she feels she made the right decision by temporarily closing, even though it was difficult.

Minnesota Whitewater Rafting is typically a six-figure business, according to Lafleur.

The business offered online gift card sales, but Lafleur said she did not see nearly the same income as past years. While Lafleur’s customers stayed away for the sake of safety, Frisk’s did the opposite.

Frisk believes he experienced a rise in gun sales in 2020 because people were afraid. He said he

saw a dramatic increase in the number of women and first-time buyers patronizing his business.

“They keep selling and selling,” Frisk said of the firearms in his shop.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. has seen a national shortage of guns and ammunition. Frisk’s local shop was no exception.

“There isn’t really much you can do,” Frisk said. “I just hope I can get some ammo in.”

Due to the shortages, Frisk has halted offstreet sales of ammunition so he has enough to

provide gun buyers with two boxes when they purchase a firearm.

According to Frisk, the shortages have led to some price gouging and inflation by other sellers.

“It’s been a crazy year,” Frisk said. “I just don’t see it changing any time soon.”

Neither Frisk or Lafleur depend solely on the sales of their Cloquet area businesses for their income.

Frisk works as a machine operator at USG in Cloquet, while Lafleur owns and operates Caddy Shack Indoor Golf & Pub in Duluth.

Lafleur hopes to reopen Minnesota Whitewater Rafting for the 2021 season. She said the biggest challenges the business will face are rebuilding and recruiting new staff. Before closing, Minnesota Whitewater Rafting employed 45 people, some of whom have found new employment. Frisk does not currently employ anyone at Gunrunners, and while he’s not looking to expand, he said he doesn’t anticipate business slowing down any time soon.

Local businesses get creative during pandemic

By Jamey Malcomb jmalcomb@pinejournal.com

As the coronavirus began gripping the nation last spring and local bars and restaurants were closed to dine-in service, owners were forced to recalibrate ways to serve their customers.

Gordy’s Hi-Hat, Cloquet’s summer institution, delayed its opening from March 19 until April 8 to get ready for the new reality and when they did open, they returned to the restaurant’s roots — carhop service.

Gordy Lundquist’s first restaurant was an A&W shop that opened in 1951 in Duluth and featured servers taking orders and delivering food to customers’ vehicles.

Throughout the summer, lines of cars snaked through the parking lot waiting for their food at their favorite Cloquet burger joint.

Second generation owner Dan Lundquist said 40% of Gordy’s business is take-out, so the staff were well-prepared for the changes.

Over in Carlton, however, Magnolia Cafe had to make some changes to their building to continue serving customers. The cafe has neighboring businesses on either said that make a drivethru impossible.

Yvette Maijala closed

Magnolia for three days to revamp for online and walk-up ordering. Online ordering was easier because her payment system was already set up, but walk-up ordering took a little more time.

Magnolia is in an older building and the windows of the cafe wouldn’t stay open, Maijala said. She talked to Hagen Glass and Paint in Cloquet, but it would have been up to eight weeks to get a new window installed. To solve the problem, Hagen installed a sliding window to insert in the space and give Magnolia customers a way to get a cup of coffee or a sandwich without ordering online or walking into the store.

Over the summer, Pedro’s Grill & Cantina on Cloquet Avenue was faced with limited seating capacity. Owner Erika Aranda was able to scale up her online ordering and delivery side of the business, but after Gov. Tim Walz began allowing outdoor seating in May, Aranda said she felt “left out” because there was nowhere for outdoor seating at Pedro’s.

She contacted Cloquet City Administrator Tim Peterson and found a willing partner in trying to get customers back in her establishment.

Aranda had a fence built on the sidewalk of Cloquet Avenue that still left enough room for pedestrians. The new patio was a hit, with reservations keeping the space filled for much of the summer. What’s more, the new space allowed Aranda to bring back much of the staff that had been laid off during the initial shutdown.

Carmen’s Bar & Restaurant on Big Lake Road already had outdoor seating, but owners Ryan Lindstrom and Zach Zezulka expanded their capacity with a catering tent outside. Instead of covering their existing deck, they set it up in a grassy area on their property.

“The governor said ‘get creative’ so we got creative,” Lindstrom said at the time.

Unfortunately for Pedro’s and Carmen’s, outdoor seating wasn’t a solution for harsh Minnesota winters.

Following the second shutdown in late November, both Pedro’s and Carmen’s tried to leverage their new features. The space constraints on Cloquet Avenue wouldn’t allow Aranda to set up a tent, but she built an ice bar in December to allow people to order a drink while they waited for

their food. Warm temperatures in early January caused the ice bar to collapse, however.

Lindstrom and Zezulka set up their tent over Carmen’s deck in January. Lindstrom said they were using about 10 tanks of propane every

two days to keep the area warm, but it was still a struggle to get customers to use the area any time temperatures dipped below 20 degrees.

After the wind blew the tent down for a second time, the pair decided to take it down for the

winter before it suffered serious damage.

“It’s just not worth setting it up a third time,” Lindstrom said.

“We want to make sure we can use the tent in the spring and summer for catering and hopefully the grad season.”

Jed Carlson / jcarlson@superiortelegram.com

Mike Frisk puts an AR-15 on a stand on a display case at his shop, Gunrunners, in the basement of his Cloquet home Friday, Jan. 15.

Ava Gist, 12, enjoys a cookies-and-cream shake with a pizza burger on the 2020 opening day at Gordy’s Hi-Hat in Cloquet. The Cloquet institution revived carhop service in order to continue serving customers during the pandemicrelated shutdown last spring.

Senior Living

Despite pandemic, county sees several new businesses

By Jamey Malcomb jamalcomb @pinejournal.com

The COVID-19 pandemic posed a monumental challenge to even the most seasoned business owners in Carlton County, but was even more daunting to those looking to open businesses in 2020’s unprecedented environment.

Despite the challenges, Cloquet and Carlton County saw a variety of new businesses open or change hands over the past year. From salons to restaurants to even a new day care in Esko, business owners braved the wild waters of the pandemic in order to provide unique and needed services.

Many of the businesses received an outpouring of support as they tried to gain a foothold in a difficult situation for any new business. Some people offered donations to help keep the businesses afloat during the shutdown and a local church partnered with another to provide a needed service in Esko.

Here is a recap of some of the businesses that opened during an extraordinary time.

Crowned Salon, Cloquet

Sarah Faust technically opened Crowned

Salon in Cloquet’s West End in October 2019, but spent most of the next seven months closed.

One morning a few weeks after opening, she arrived to find the store flooded by a burst pipe. After a brief closure, Faust was able to return to work, but it wasn’t long before the coronavirus forced Crowned to close for more than two months.

When Faust returned, her clients were masked, and she was conducting temperature checks before they entered the store.

During the closure, though, Faust’s clients did everything they could to support the fledgling business. Some purchased gift cards and products while other Cloquet businesses, like Bearaboo Coffee Escape, offered Faust gift cards to keep her properly caffeinated during the shutdown.

When Crowned reopened, Faust added stylist Mandy Weaver and customers were eager to return.

Even after a second COVID-related shutdown of more than a month last fall, Faust said customers stayed loyal and Crowned has been so busy they are currently unable to take

new customers. The salon is booked through the beginning of April. Sweetly Kismet Candy Store, Carlton

As restrictions loosened on businesses and the area prepared for a different sort of Fourth of July holiday, John and Ashley Parrott of Wright opened their destination sweets shop, Sweetly Kismet Candy Store.

The pair started construction on the store in January 2020 before the pandemic took hold, but they were forced to open in decidedly different circumstances. Still, Ashley Parrott estimated the store — visible from I-35 at Highway 210 — saw more than 2,000 customers during the opening weekend June 26-28.

The Parrotts are no strangers to adversity, though. In 2018, their home was ravaged by a fire, leaving the kitchen severely damaged and smoke damage throughout the home. The family was home, but John, Ashley and their three children were not injured.

As they recovered from the fire and worked staggering hours at the store to prepare it for opening — often working

The Sweetly Kismet Candy Store was intentionally positioned away from Highway 210 in Carlton so it could be seen by motorists on I-35. From the interstate, a 40-foot banner advertises the shop on its roof.

File photos / Pine Journal

Crowned Salon owner Sarah Faust opened the shop in October in Cloquet’s West End district and despite enduring multiple COVID-related closures, customers have remained loyal and the salon is booked through the beginning of April.

BUSINESS

From Page 4

past midnight before going home — the Parrotts relied on their faith as a pillar in their lives.

“So when it came to this it was just something we relied heavily on God for,” Ashley Parrott said. “He’s taken care of us through every other situation we’ve been presented with and we really had to have faith that this was going to happen and it’s worked out beautifully.”

Sweetly Kismet finished its first season at the end of 2020, but the Parrotts plan to reopen in early April 2021.

Growing With Love Childcare Center, Esko

Opening a day care center is a tricky proposition in any environment, but when compounded with a pandemic the task becomes monumental.

Amanda Groth did just that, transforming the basement of Northwood United Methodist Church in Esko into a child care center for up to 68 children — including eight infants and 10 toddlers.

The center is a partnership between Groth and the church to address a need in Carlton County. A 2020 survey showed the area seriously lacking in available child care. An estimated 240 infants and toddlers — about 31% of the total infant and toddler population in the county — need care but do not have a spot at a child care center or family provider.

Groth met Northwood Pastor Brian Cornell at a town hall in January 2020 to develop solutions to the child care shortage in Carlton County. The pair

exchanged information, and by May the church approved a partnership to host Growing With Love. Groth had approximately four months to prepare the church and get all the required approvals to open Growing with Love.

Groth opened the child care center Oct. 5 and currently has 31 children enrolled. Even better for her and her students, they haven’t dealt with any pandemic related closures since opening.

Washington Avenue Laundromat and Car Wash, Cloquet

The Washington Avenue Laundromat and Car Wash in Cloquet didn’t open during the pandemic, but long time owners Paul and Jan Myers decided to retire in 2020, creating an opportunity for Tony and Ashley Anderson.

Tony Anderson— a plumber with AM Mechanical Plumbing and Heating in Duluth — had performed some maintenance work a couple years earlier and the Myerses mentioned they would be looking to sell the business when they retired.

Ashley Anderson works for Essentia Health in Duluth, but she and her husband were looking for a business opportunity closer to home in Carlton County.

The Washington Avenue Laundromat seemed a perfect fit because Tony Anderson’s family has a history of owning laundry and dry cleaning businesses. His grandparents, Charles and Donna Anderson, owned a pair of dry cleaning stores in Duluth in the 1950s.

Even when adding in the attached self-serve car wash, Tony Anderson has the experience to maintain the business

better than most people.

The Andersons weren’t looking to make any major changes, but hoped to make some to give the interior of the store a makeover.

Mike’s Cafe and Pizzeria, Esko Mike Prachar operated Mike’s Western Cafe for 38 years, but the pandemic spelled doom for the Lincoln Park institution.

Prachar said he and his daughter, Andrea King, tried to do takeout for a short time, but the restaurant was not set up for delivery. What’s more, with just 12 booths, operating at 50% capacity simply wasn’t profitable, so Mike’s Western Cafe never reopened.

Prachar wasn’t ready to retire and had heard Eskomo Pies owner Pete Radosevich was looking to sell. He took the opportunity to lease the space and keep a sitdown restaurant in his hometown of Esko.

Even better, with Radosevich still owning the building and operating his law office next door, he was able to help train Prachar and King, and remains available to help out if they need it, Prachar said.

Mike’s Cafe and Pizzeria was blitzed with take-out and delivery orders this fall and had not yet opened the dining room when Gov. Tim Walz’s second shutdown order began last fall. When restaurants were allowed to reopen, the pizza parlor welcomed customers back for dine-in service.

The restaurant opened with a limited capacity Jan. 20 and has added some old favorites from Mike’s Western Cafe to their menu of pizzas, burgers and sandwiches.

Mike Prachar (left) and his daughter, Andrea King, opened Mike’s Cafe and Pizzeria in November in Esko after Eskomo Pies closed in late October. Until March, the pair owned and operated Mike’s Western Cafe in Duluth.

Ashley and Tony Anderson recently purchased and took over operation of the Washington Avenue Laundry and Car Wash in Cloquet.

File photos / Pine Journal

Amanda Groth worked nearly 12 hours a day for most of the summer to help get Northwood United Methodist Church in Esko ready to host her Growing With Love Childcare Center.

Mary Lahti 349-1996 fishing4walleye@hotmail.com

Rachel Betts Larson 591-9652 rachellarson239@gmail.com

Natalie Magnuson 269-1640 nmagf@msn.com

Jody Mattinen 348-0279 jodymattinen@yahoo.com

Emily Miketin 1-218-460-9177 emily@adolphsonre.com

Tom Muehlberger 349-3344 tom@adolphsonre.com

Leslie Nooyen 391-1818 lnooyen4@gmail.com

Tom Nooyen 590-1056 tomleslienooyen@gmail.com

Scott Pavelski 1-715-869-0929 scott.pavelski@gmail.com

Marina Peterson 940-5010 Marinap.realtor@gmail.com

Adam Paulson 626-5913 apaulson92@yahoo.com

Teresa Solomon 391-7613 teresasolomon16@yahoo.com

Greg Tesdahl 940-0449 Gregjtesdahl@gmail.com

Matt Tusken 952-255-9858 matttusken@gmail.com

Melissa Wiita 940- 6633 dreamhouseduluth@yahoo.com

WRIGHT

From Page 1

distribution center,” Wright wrote in his biography.

Unfortunately, none of his designs for the stations had come to fruition, and Wright was nearing the end of his career.

So, when he learned the Lindholm family owned an oil company, he jumped at the opportunity to see one of his station designs come to life.

“Basically, Wright convinced my

grandfather to let him do the project,”

Lindholm’s grandson Mike Mckinney told the Pine Journal in 2009.

Wright based the design on some of his previous plans, with some minor modifications made in light of local fire codes. He wanted it to be a step up from other service stations, and equipped it with a 32-foot copper canopy and a lounge for guests to wait while their vehicles were repaired. It cost around $75,000 to design and build, as compared to

the usual $25,000, but Joyce Mckinney told the Duluth News Tribune that her father didn’t flinch at the price.

In the end, the design was unique and attention-grabbing, but not practical, according to former manager Donald Lynch.

“It’s unfortunate that Frank Lloyd Wright didn’t know anything about service stations when he designed it,” Lynch told the Duluth News Tribune in 1982, citing a cramped sales office and inaccessible bathrooms.

Wright designed both

the Lindholm house and service station without ever visiting the area. He used topographic maps to chart out his plans, and sent his apprentice Robert Pond to oversee the service station’s construction.

Even though Wright never stepped foot in Cloquet, it appears the Lindholm and Mckinney families had ongoing communication with the architect.

In addition to visiting his Wisconsin home, the family also traveled to Arizona to see Wright, who designed a second home for the

FOOD

From Page 1

full, John Lind and his crew load them into the back of vans stationed in B&B’s parking lot. They usually begin distribution around 1 p.m.

As drivers pull into B&B Market, workers load a maximum of two bags into each car. They go until the bags are gone.

On a recent Thursday, John Lind said they gave away 260 bags in about 50 minutes.

“When it’s gone, it’s gone,” he added.

Not all of the cars get bags of food, and sometimes they have to turn people away.

“We just do what we can do,” John Lind said. The line of cars typically stretches approximately two miles along Big Lake Road in Cloquet, and starts forming as early as 11:30 a.m.

B&B Market employee

Irene Carlson said it’s clear how much the community needs the Food Train based on how many cars line up each week.

Due to complications with traffic early on, B&B Market stationed a sign instructing cars where to park along the road as they wait. The market’s parking lot also has two functioning exits, allowing for traffic to move smoothly in

and out of the lot.

The effort saw a spike in donations around the holidays, but now it is leveling off. Kim Lind said the project has used $128,143.50 of its current funds.

John Lind said he is not sure how much longer they will be able to continue with the Food Train, but said he is grateful for what has been given.

“We wouldn’t be able to do this without the community,” he said.

To volunteer with the Food Train or learn how to donate, message B&B Market’s Facebook page or call the store at 218879-3555.

family, but it was never constructed. While many described Wright as an egomaniac, Joyce Mckinney told the Duluth News Tribune that he was “sweet.” The family kept a photograph of Wright taken by Daryl Mckinney, in which he is pictured holding his glasses in one hand, looking to the side.

Joyce Mckinney told the News Tribune that Wright hated the photograph and had torn up the original, saying that it made him look old. Fortunately,

she had made another copy, which the family still has today.

The R.W. Lindholm Station held its grand opening in 1958. Wright died five months later, having completed his final career goal.

While it is no longer owned by the original family, the station has come to be known as the Frank Lloyd Wright Gas Station and was registered through the National Register of Historical Places in 1985.

In 2008, then-mayor Bruce Ahlgren declared Aug. 7 as Frank Lloyd Wright Day in Cloquet.

Photos by Tyler Schank / tschank@duluthnews.com

A line of cars stretches down the street as people wait to receive bags of food from B&B Market’s free Food Train Thursday, Jan. 21, in Cloquet.

Photo courtesy of Polymath Park

The Lindholm House pictured in its new Pennsylvania location.

Clint Austin / caustin@duluthnews.com

Signs designed by the architect can be seen in the garage area of the Frank Lloyd Wright gas station in Cloquet.

Photo courtesy of Polymath Park

The interior of Mäntylä closely resembles how it was originally built for Ray and Emma Lindholm of Cloquet in the 1950s. The Frank Lloyd Wright-designed house was dismantled and reassembled at Polymath Park in Pennsylvania, where it is now open to the public.

Clint Austin / caustin@duluthnews.com

The Frank Lloyd Wright gas station in Cloquet.

Volunteer and member of Cloquet High School’s National Honor Society Spencer Strand carries bags full of donated groceries to a vehicle Thursday, Jan. 21, during B&B Market’s Food Train.