Abby Jacobs, owner of The Swell Co., wrote a letter read aloud at the Pequot Lakes City Council meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 8, asking the city to look for mitigation grants. Customers reach her shop from a Main Street sidewalk that has been a work zone since August.
Her letter sets the calendar for downtown this fall. Help from City Hall has been modest so far. The construction is scheduled to end just as the slower months arrive. That leaves a short stretch between the end of the roadwork and the holidays, and the shops on Main Street need it to make up for the summer.
Where the Project Stands This Week
Front Street reopened to traffic in mid-July, though finishing work was still left at the time. Main Street work started in August. In a Sept. 30 post, the city said crews were finishing underground utility work and would start grading the next week. Curb installation could start as early as Wednesday or Thursday, Oct. 7 or 8. The city said the project was still on schedule even after two weeks of heavy rain.
The engineer's progress report covers work through the week ending Oct. 2. It keeps the substantial completion target at Nov. 6, depending on weather and material availability. Neither that report nor the latest city post gives a start date for paving or for building the mini-roundabout that will replace the old stoplights at Main Street and Patriot Avenue. Treat Nov. 6 as a target, not a promise. Douglas-Kerr Underground of Mora won the work with a $2,706,637 bid in April.
Until the work is done, you have two ways to keep up and one way to get around:
- Weekly construction meetings are open to the public, Wednesdays at 9 a.m. at the Cole Memorial Building.
- City notification posts carry the latest schedule changes, including the Sept. 30 curb update.
- The Bobber Bus is a six-seat golf cart that takes people from one point to another downtown during construction. Call 218-820-7805 to ride.
What the City Has Offered So Far
Administrator-clerk/treasurer Emily Johnson replied to Jacobs' letter. She said she would take it to the council and ask the city's Economic Development Commission to look for creative solutions, grants, or programs. The EDC took it up at its Sept. 15 meeting. According to the minutes, members did not know of any specific mitigation grant program that could help The Swell Co. They agreed to look into League of Minnesota Cities resources, ask administrators in other cities, and report back.
There was one separate program already in place. The EDC offered seven Front Street businesses matching façade grants of up to $1,000. Only one applied: Merritt Jewelers, which asked to repaint the building it shares with Ely's Tobacco. That request was approved for the full $1,000. The council packet for Oct. 5 says the EDC has no other approvals pending under that program. It plans to create a broader downtown façade grant program for 2027.
So far, then, the city's direct support adds up to one $1,000 paint grant on Front Street, an open question about mitigation money, and a façade program that starts next year. Its other help has been the Bobber Bus and a steady message on social media: "Main Street construction may make getting around downtown a little less convenient right now, but businesses on both sides of Main Street are open and would love to see you." None of the minutes or city posts mention a reopening celebration or ribbon cutting.
Who Is Open, Street by Street
Front Street businesses have had their road back since July. Main Street businesses are still waiting. Here is a sample from the city's business directory and the chamber listings. It is not a complete list of every storefront.
| Business | Address | What you'll find | Street status this fall |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Swell Co. | 30984 Government Drive, Unit B, entrance off Main Street | Casual women's apparel, gifts, home goods, jewelry | Main Street work ongoing |
| Wild Daisy | 4484 Main Street | Floral arrangements and gifts | Main Street work ongoing |
| The Celtic Cottage | 4480 Main Street | Irish clothing and gifts | Main Street work ongoing |
| Expressions Shoe Center | 4450 Main Street | Shoes | Main Street work ongoing |
| Thurlow Hardware | 31027 Front Street | Hardware | Reopened mid-July |
| Weise Crafts & Variety | 31043 Front Street | Crafts and variety goods | Reopened mid-July |
| Snarky's Hideout | 31055 Front Street | Food, craft cocktails, mocktails, Snarky's craft beer | Reopened mid-July |
| Merritt Jewelers | 31067 Front Street | Jewelry | Reopened mid-July |
| Joe's Pizza | 31089 Front Street | Pizza | Reopened mid-July |
Wild Daisy's website introduces Lynn Lundgren as the shop's new owner. It doesn't say when the change happened, so someone who hasn't stopped in for a while may meet a new face behind the counter.
Snarky's Hideout is the newest name on Front Street. Joe and Melissa Klatt own Snarky Loon Brewing in Jenkins, and the Hideout is their second location. They describe it as a bar and restaurant with a full liquor menu. According to its own page, it opened on April 8. The Klatts have also talked about adding a quieter, jazz-focused speakeasy space, possibly as early as October. That was still a plan as of the September profile, so check before you go looking for it. Hours have changed too. A May business brief said the Hideout was open Thursday through Sunday "at this time," and its own page now says seven days a week.
The Calendar That Follows the Barricades
The first big downtown event after the finish target falls on the very next day.
Saturday, Nov. 7: Annual Hunting Opener Shopping Block Party
Community Action of Pequot Lakes lists the block party on the day after the Nov. 6 completion target. The listing has a time conflict. The header says 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., but the description says "from 10am until noon." If you plan to come late in the day, call the listed contact, Tara, at 612-578-8595 first. If the weather holds, this could be the first Saturday in months when Main Street shoppers walk on a finished street. If it doesn't, the party is still set for the day after the target.
Saturday, Dec. 12: 15th Annual Santa's Bobbin Into Town
The 15th annual Santa's Bobbin Into Town runs from 3 to 7 p.m. The contact is Abby, at 605-530-1973. That gives downtown five weeks between the end of construction and its biggest holiday event. That five-week stretch falls in the slower months.
Before either of those, October in Pequot Lakes and Pine River
- Wednesday, Oct. 7, 4 to 7 p.m. Northern Lakes Fire District's first Fire Prevention Week open house, at Station 1 in Pequot Lakes.
- Saturday, Oct. 10, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fall Fest at Blessed Horizons, 1820 40th Street in Pine River, with vendors, hayrides, s'mores, a corn pit, a photo booth, and a petting zoo. Entry is $5.
- Monday, Oct. 12, 6 to 9 p.m. The Pine River Chamber's Go Pine River / Distinguished Service Banquet.
- Thursday, Oct. 15, 7 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 18, 2 p.m. Pequot Lakes Community Theatre performs Blithe Spirit.
- Saturday, Oct. 17, 4 p.m. Truck & Treat at Waste Partners, 2928 Minnesota 371 in Pine River. Food shelf donations are encouraged.
- Sunday, Oct. 25, 2 to 4 p.m. The Pequot Lakes Ideal Fire Department's Trunk or Treat, 34358 Butternut Point Road.
- Saturday, Oct. 31, 10 a.m. to noon. The 8th Annual Pequot Lakes Trick or Treat Event at North Trailside Park, 31078 Government Drive. Participating businesses hand out candy and royalty hosts a bonfire. Pine River's chamber also lists a Halloween trick-or-treat that day, but with no time or location yet.
Pine River's events continue after Pequot Lakes' downtown work ends. Ham and Turkey Bingo is on Nov. 15 at 6:30 p.m. The Parade of Lights, with fireworks, refreshments, and a bonfire, is on Saturday, Dec. 5. The chamber page doesn't list a real start time yet.
Proof That a Downtown Event Can Outgrow Its Venue
Pequot Lakes saw this happen in September. Snarky Loon had held an Oktoberfest at its brewery in Jenkins for five years. "This last year, we were almost bursting at the seams with people," Joe Klatt said, as quoted in a Pine and Lakes report, so he worked with the city's festival committee, which was looking for a fall festival. The first Okbobberfest took place on Sept. 26 at South Trailside Park. Snarky Loon, Cuyuna Brewing in Crosby, Big Axe Brewing in Nisswa, and Rendezvous Brewing in Hackensack all poured.
Bigger investments are coming, but on a longer schedule than this fall. In late August, the city broke ground on the 69-room Bobber Inn & Suites in the Patriot Development west of Highway 371 and the 82-unit Lofts of Pequot Lakes. Both are planned for 2027. The hotel is aiming for the end of June 2027, and its developer hopes to open by the May fishing opener. Those guests and tenants won't arrive until next year. The Main Street shops have to get through this winter first, and for them the dates that matter most are Nov. 7 and Dec. 12.
At Larson Group, we've kept up with the Main Street project the same way many of our Pequot Lakes neighbors have, one city update at a time. If you have questions about how downtown's next chapter affects your own plans in the Pequot Lakes area, we're glad to talk them through with you. Work With Us.
