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What’s New in Stillwater?

Published May 17, 2021

Here’s a list of the newest shops, experiences, restaurants, venues, places to stay and events you must see in 2021. We didn’t publish this blog for 2020 so businesses that opened during the pandemic are also included.

From distilleries to rock star karaoke rooms, flower shops to barber shops, sustainable living goods to men’s fashion and new vacation rental homes… downtown Stillwater, Minnesota is coming out of this year with a robust line up of good times for you. We hope can can take a few days off here soon!

Follow us on social media (Instagram, Facebook) or our enewsletter as we’ll continue to announce openings throughout the year.

New Stillwater, MN Businesses in 2020/2021

Food & Drink

  • Green Bridge Coffee Shop – 209 Main St. S. (opened March 2020)
    Located in new joint spot for Mike’s Electric Bikes (also now changed names to Herman Electric Bike Rental). Coffee shop entrance is on Main Street and bike rental entrance is on Water Street.
  • Forge & Foundry Distillery – 223 Main St. N. (opened August 2020)
    Small craft distillery with river view rooftop. Video Tour
  • Rustic Roots Winery – 20168 St Croix Trail N, Scandia, MN 55073 (opened in September 2020)
    North of downtown Stillwater off the St. Croix Scenic Byway. Video Tour
  • CafeZinho – 413 Nelson St. E. (opened April 2021)
    Coffee café and cocktail lounge located in the historical Commander building. If you want a relaxing intimate World feel, Cafézinho is exactly the place you are looking for. A wonderful world café in the St. Croix Valley with mixtures of exotic coffee blends, and colorful cocktails with a warm and inviting lounge atmosphere. Ask about the new VRBO with music recording studio above as well. Video Tour
  • Gloria’s To Go – 320 Chestnut St. E. (opening June 2021)
    Soft-serve real dairy ice cream and quick to-go items on the patio of Leo’s Grill & Malt Shop.
  • Stillwater Proper Distillery & Tasting Room – 227 S. Main St. (opening June 2021)
    Featuring stills, tasting room and craft cocktails from 45th Parallel and a restaurant menu with upscale bar food integrating traditional techniques in preservation and fermentation. Local chefs from Lolo and Lolito will also spotlight cuisine and run the restaurant side.
  • Brix Music Cafe – 423 Main St. S. (opening June 5th 2021)
    New live music venue and restaurant in the Brick Alley building.
  • Train Trax Snack Car – Hikers, bikers, runners, and dog walkers taking advantage of the Brown’s Creek Trail can now take a break for a snack and beverage at the renovated train trolley car resting on tracks between the downtown trailhead and The Zephyr Theatre.
  • Stilly Dogs – (opened May 31, 2021) weekend hot dog cart at the corner of Myrtle & Main Street.
  • Nina’s Coffee – 317 Main St. S. (opened June 28, 2021) classic coffee house in the River Exchange building
  • The Wild Hare – 218 Main St. N. (opening summer 2021)
    Classic nostalgia bar, organic ingredients, scratch made, lots of plant based recipes, jammin 90’s tunes, pinball machines.

REMINDER: just like summer 2020, the City of Stillwater has approved temporary patio areas for some establishments who may not have outdoor dining so look for unique parklets and alleyways to dine in! The Lumberjack and Lolito will be in the alley again and No Neck Tony’s and Ziggy’s will both have outdoor space. Click here a full list of outdoor seating spaces. There will NOT be any spaces directly on Main Street however for safety. Also, note that the open container laws will be applied again, so you can enjoy alcoholic beverages ONLY IN LOWELL PARK! This does not mean you can walk from patio to patio with a beverage. You can order drinks with meal to-go kits and enjoy on the grass in the riverfront park.

Shops

  • Toxy Free – 317 Main St. S. (opened January 2020)
    Biodegradable & Beautiful: A lifestyle company providing you the safest products for the most stylish life with a toxin-free home, office, bath & kitchen. Video Tour
  • Apricot Lane – 112 Main St. S. (opened March 2020)
    Women’s boutique that carries a selection of clothing, accessories, and gifts. Our clothing is on-trend, affordable, and ever-changing to ensure you walk away with something one of a kind. Video Tour
  • Rust & Rose Boutique – 5525 Memorial Avenue N, OPH (opened May 2020)
    Offers everything from vintage to vogue, rustic to modern. Thirteen different vendors on two levels of shopping space filled with home décor, artwork, jewelry, gifts, handmade soaps, new and unique clothing, and much more!
  • Whatnot Boutique – 229 Chestnut Street (opened November 2020)
    Was a pop-up shop during the holiday season and now it’s here to stay on Chestnut Street! You’ll love the affordable fashion collection in this boutique who prides themselves on “Real Clothes. For Real Women”.
  • Lakebound Clothing – 216 Main St. S. (opened March 2021)
    You will find fashionable, comfortable, quality clothing here that you will want to live in. Find Stillwater and St. Croix River merchandise including the popular vinyl decals great for traveler souvenirs, too!
  • Sara’s Self-Service Dog Wash & Pet Beds – 117 N. Main St. (opened March 2021)
  • Lake & Company – 214 Main St. S. (opened May 1, 2021)
    Socially conscious magazine and shop of outdoor adventure and lifestyle gear. Video Tour
  • Garcon – 317 Main St. S. (opened May 1, 2021) Expansion into men’s fashion clothing at Enchante. Video Tour
  • Studio Louise Flowers – 210 Main St. S. (opened June 24, 2021) Beautiful plants and flowers for your everyday and extraordinary events. Flower bar and workshops, too! Video Tour
  • Carpe Noctem Candle Co – 226 S. Main St. (opened June 1, 2021) Retail candle shop on the main level, candle making experience on the second level.
  • Brick + Linen – 114 N Main. (opening early summer 2021)
    Interior Design Studio with retail space as well
  • Joseph Wolf Merchantile – 204 N. Main St. (opened fall 2020)
    Rotating pop-up local merchants and food trucks
  • Sota Clothing Company – 410 Main St. (opening June 1st, 2021) A Minnesota lifestyle clothing brand. We sell t-shirts, sweatshirts, snapbacks, drinkware, and other local gifts. Video Tour

Experiences

  • Loop Trail and Lift Bridge – (opened June 2020)
    Final section of the St. Croix River Crossing Loop Trail is completed with access to the renovated historic lift bridge converted from highway to multi-use trail and entrance concourse right on chestnut street downtown.
  • Prohibition Barbers – 124 2nd St. S. (opened March 2020)
    Traditional barber shop with hot towel shaves and master barber cuts
  • The Hive House – 204 N. Main St. (opened May 7th, 2021) Modern in-home photography studio
  • Shala Yoga Studio – 116 Chestnut Street E. (opened in May 7, 2021)
  • Rivertown Tours – Guided historic walking tours (opened October 2020)
  • Rent Saint Croix– Personal watercraft (Seado Brand) rental available to be delivered to the St. Croix River.

Places to Stay

New Events

New Services

New Offerings at Existing Businesses:

  • New Rockstar Room at Stillwater Escape Company is now open and can fit up to 25 people for private rental karaoke.
  • Lift Bridge Co-Work now offers an additional location just blocks from their current space for rental of private offices. Here’s a video tour of The Victorian.
  • Cooks of Crocus Hill is adding a “Culinary Clearance Outlet” to this location – sale & discontinued items, vendor samples, scratch & dent items and used cooking school cooking equipment that we will no longer be in use. When it is deemed safe, they will also increase our tasting and sampling areas for packaged foods, dips and entertaining spreads.
  • Oak Glen Golf Course now offers Finn Scooters on their course. View video of these personal golf machines allowing you to play the course quicker.
  • Local Luxury Med Spa – Located inside Hotel Crosby offering on-site lazer, skin and massage services with a new company providing services as of August 2020.
  • O’Brien’s Wine & Spirits – New owner of previous City Sliquors downtown convenient liquor store.
  • Just for Me Spa – New LED light lounge for skin therapy.

New Venues

  • Lora Hotel (indoor/outdoor additional venue TBD)

Moved locations:

Look who renovated during COVID breaks!

  • The Lowell Inn is restoring the left exterior of the building to its original 1927 look offering a renovated Mt. Vernon conference room with bright new windows and private Myrtle street patio. They’ve also renovated a few the historic hotel rooms to replace jacuzzis with new bathrooms (don’t worry two suites still have jacuzzi tubs) and new carpet. The lobby had the carpet replaced and a beautiful historic window exposed now as well. Video Tour
  • The Ann Bean Mansion bed and breakfast installed ultraviolet air filters to improve air quality for guests and launched a new website.
  • James Mulvey Inn also has a new website.
  • The Tilted Tiki took advantage of restaurant shutdowns by updating all of their furniture including blue shell booths, new tropical accent carpet, more lit palm trees and tiki details as well as two large LED aquarium screens. View a few clips of the space on this Instagram Reel.
  • Stillwater Olive Oil Co. put in new flooring at their shop.
  • Quickfire Pizza has new owners and they updated the layout in their restaurant to create a dedicated bar area and more open feel.
  • The Freight House refinished all the floors and major updates in the kitchen, including a smoker for a variety of new menu features. This will allow us to add smoked meats ranging from Chicken Wings to Manhattan Pastrami, Pork Carnitas and Chicken Tinga. We are delighted to welcome Rick Van Doeren to our team as Culinary Director. As the former Executive Chef of Murrary’s Steakhouse, he led our team as Chef in the 90’s. Instagram Reel.
  • Brian’s Bar & Grill 3rd floor private event space was renovated this summer. Take a 360 tour here.
  • Charlie’s Irish Pub & Restaurant expanded their pub area to include the entire old hotel entry space. The pub is now three times the size and has a beautiful glass-enclosed large patio with river views and more space for listening to live music.
  • Water Street Inn completed a major expansion at the end of 2019 adding 20 new rooms, a new entrance lobby, river view conference rooms and a rooftop restaurant, Papa’s. Video Tour

Seasonal Business Re-Opening Dates

Visit this blog for details on when seasonal attractions open.

Businesses that closed this year:

JJ Nails, Tin Bins, Riverway Gifts, When Pigs Flew Resale & New, Simply Chic, Johnson Jewelers, Riverway Antiques, Foodies on Foot, Cherry Berry, St. Croix Valley Segway, Stillwater Segway, The Idea Pad.

There’s more…Stillwater welcomed the following NEW businesses in the last four years so new visitors have even more to discover!

Thank you to the Pioneer Press newspaper for this wonderful article: “With the Lift Bridge Closed, Stillwater’s Main Street is Booming!” and KSTP for this TV spot: “Developers Drop $30 Million on Downtown Stillwater” and Star Tribune Magazine for 5 Hottest Small Town Destinations in Minnesota.  Exciting things are happening here…please excuse our dust!

NEW PLACES TO STAY
Hotel Crosby – Boutique hotel with large suites, restaurant and rooftop salt water hot-tub on the north end of Main St. (Opened November 2018)
Lora Hotel – Boutique hotel and restaurant in historic brewery block on the south end of Main St. (Opened June 2018)
Water Street Inn – Renovation to expand 20 more rooms, a rooftop restaurant and new entrance with clock tower. (opened Nov 2019)
20+ new vacation home or downtown loft rentals in the area – check out the latest ones added: Durant House, Downtown Loft Getaway, Main Street Retreat, A Spacious Place, Dutchtown Retreat, Dutchtown Retreat, Long Lake Estate, Meadowlark Cottage, and Private Home on Bike Trail.

NEW SHOPS
Smith + Trade Merchantile – Minnesota & St. Croix Valley artisans & classes.
Kenzington Boutique – Clothing, home decor & gifts. Inside the historic grand garage building.
Shop in the City – Clothing & gift store inside Shops at 317 Main (moved across the hall to where Luya Shoes was.
Minnesota Made – Local apparel design – moved from pop up shop on north hill shop to permanent store front downtown.
Magnolias – Women’s clothing to size 3X and wool applique & classes.

Enchante – Same fabulous women’s fashion boutique moved from Chestnut St. to Main Street.
Uncommon Cents – Coin Collectors Shop moved to new location on Main.
T-Shirt Factory – Moved locations to 232 S. Main.
Galeria Saro – Art gallery relocated from the Grand Garage to 213 Main St.
Images of the Past – Moved from Main Street around the corner to 222 Commercial St.
Let There Be Light Antiques – Moving around the corner and will be by appointment only.
Scandinavian North – New name, same great imports from Sweden, Norway, Iceland, and Finland.

NEW EXPERIENCES

Just for Me Spa new offerings: Himalayan Salt Cave Sanctuary and Serenity Lounge and Ancient Healing Mineral Pool.

Stillwater Escape Room – Team puzzle solving experience in JX Event Venue with 3 different rooms to choose from for your group – Connolly’s Office, The Cave and coming soon.

The Lumberjack Axe Throwing Bar – We opened The Lumberjack to create a place where visitors can learn about Stillwater’s rich history and locals can find a home.

Mike’s Electric Bikes – Both fat tire or cruiser style electric bike rental a block from the lift bridge.
Big River E-Bike & Kayak Rental – Downtown rental of both regular and electric bikes, located behind Hotel Crosby.
DIRO Outdoors – Bike rental downtown at self-rental station and snowshoe rental packages.
Comfort Cruiser Electric Bike Rental – Park at Gateway Trailside food truck and ride into downtown.

St. Croix Crossing Bridge & Loop Trail – The new bridge opened in August 2017 and the historic lift bridge closed to vehicle traffic as it undergoes renovations to welcome pedestrians and bikes as part of the St. Croix Loop Trail. Three-quarters of the trail is complete, so you can enjoy biking or walking from downtown Stillwater south over the new bridge to Wisconsin. The final section is delayed until spring 2020. See our new bike trails maps.

Stillwater Zephyre Theatre – Live performance theater downtown Stillwater.
GullyWubbles – Walk-in arts & crafts, gift boutique and birthday parties for kids.
Madline Horseback Riding – Trail rides just outside downtown in the woods and fields of the valley.
LensFlare History Tour App – View what places downtown looked like in history while standing in front of the building.
Thor’s Hard Cider Tasting Room – Locally produced hard cider at Aamodt’s Apple Farm.
Lift Bridge Brewery – Create a new line of hard seltzer.s

NEW RESTAURANTS & PUBS & COFFEE SHOPS

Coffee Paw Cafe – Previously Chilkoot Cafe, new owners and menu.
Sara’s Tipsy Pies – Opened a retail location for her famous State Fair sweet or savory pies.
Mon Petit Cheri – Bakery from Minneapolis
Lolito – New owners and fresh re-brand with new spanish inspired menu and lots of tequila. Same owners as LOLO American Kitchen, In the Pearl & The Thief’s location.
MN Nice Cream – Nostalgic dessert experience with a twist. Home of edible glitter.
Matchstick Restaurant – Inside Hotel Crosby.
Feller Restaurant & The Long Goodbye Bar and MADE Coffee – Located inside Lora hotel.

Brian’s Bar & Grill – New owners and remodeled when long time Stillwater Brine’s family retired.
Brick & Bourbon – Restaurant with rooftop.
The Velveteen Speakeasy – Underground at JX Event Venue.
Oasis Cafe – Remodeled to now include full bar and outdoor patio – See article.
LOLO American Kitchen – Expanded a new upper level lounge open weekends only- See 360 tour here.

NEW SALONS & SPA
Salon Mintee – New partnership with Make Up by Mindie & Hair By Theresa. Located in the historic Grand Garage next to Essential Esthetics and She Fancy Salon.
Uptown Curl – A curly hair focused salon on Main Street.
JBelissima Hair Salon – Intimate downtown hair and make-up salon.
Stillwater Skin – Medical spa in new location now closer to downtown.

NEW WEDDING BUSINESSES
Amazzing Race by Reunion – Custom races and riddles for bachelorette parties or groups.
Champagne Press – Wedding invitations.

NEW 360 TOURS OF KEY VENUES
Tour Stillwater meeting, wedding and event venues right from your desk – More new 360 tours added!
Lift Bridge Cowork – Co-work space for self-employed or remote working professionals above the bakery on Main Street.
JX Event Venue has two new break out room spaces – Connolly Conference Room and the Bourbon Room. They are also now managing the Stillwater Library Rooftop space via One23 Events.
Rivertown Inn has a new executive conference room in the private carriage house.
Lolito has a new 2nd floor space for private rental called Carlito.
Charlie’s Irish Pub – Created a glass enclosed large patio area to enjoy year-round.

360 Tours of Venues in Stillwater

Visit www.DiscoverStillwater.com for a complete list of boutiques, restaurants, and unique things to do! Curious what was new in 2015, 2016, 2017 , 2018, 2019 – type ‘what’s new’ in our home page search bar. There is always something new and old to discover in historic Stillwater! We hope to see you travel here soon! Psst…hotels book up, so plan now.
#OnlyinMN #StayanExtraDay #Travel #DiscoverStillwater

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