News and Current Affairs
Northern Waters Restaurant will close Dec. 31
Just two years after opening, the Northern Waters Restaurant at Mount Royal Shopping Center will close. A news release from owners Eric and Lynn Goerdt indicates the business has been sold and a new restaurant will replace it in early 2018. (more…)
Hermantown coffee shop changes hands, rebrands
In a swift transition of ownership, the two-year-old Pelican Coffee closed Nov. 12 and the new Yellow Bike Coffee opened Nov. 13. There wasn’t a day without caffeination at 5094 Miller Trunk Highway in Hermantown. (more…)
Boutique hotel opening in Lincoln Park
A small and stylish boutique hotel — the first of its kind in Duluth — is set to open this spring in the Lincoln Park craft district.
The husband and wife team of Andy Matson and Chelsy Whittington plan to open the three-suite hotel on the second floor of a historic building they recently purchased at 1923 W. Superior Street. The new accommodations will be called the Hotel Pikku, which means small or odd in Finnish.
Matson and Whittington said travelers who want to experience a trendy, centrally-located neighborhood away from typical Duluth tourist areas will stay at the Pikku Hotel. Clients or patrons of other Lincoln Park businesses are also potential lodgers. The cozy, completely renovated rooms with kitchenettes will rent for between $100 and $150 a night. (more…)
A peek at what Bent Paddle’s new taproom will look like
Bent Paddle Brewing Company plans to relocate its taproom to a larger, revitalized space in the former Enger & Olson Furniture store building at 1832 W. Michigan St. This new location is directly adjacent to its main production brewery and current taproom in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. (more…)
How tall trees feed themselves
A faculty member at the University of Minnesota Duluth’s Biology Department has conducted research on tall trees that has been published in Nature Plants and will be highlighted in the journal Nature. Assistant Professor Jessica Savage has been teaching at UMD for about a year and is the lead author of a paper detailing the process tall trees use to transport sugar or feed themselves.
The article, “Maintenance of Carbohydrate Transport in Tall Trees,” was published today on nature.com. An online subscription is required to fully nerd out and read the work, but a 277-word abstract is available for free. (more…)
New brewer takes the stern at Voyageur in Grand Marais
Voyageur Brewing Company recently hired Stuart Long to head up its 20-barrel operation on historic Highway 61 in Grand Marais. The new brewer hails from Southern California and intends to make a few changes at Voyageur, which he hopes will usher in a new era of growth for the company. (more…)
As Duluth’s image improves, economic cup half empty/full
Duluth is the only metropolitan statistical area in Minnesota to see its gross domestic product decline in 2015 and 2016. That’s the subject of a story by Greta Kaul, data reporter for MinnPost.
But the news isn’t nearly as dire as it might sound. (more…)
Hoops Brewing named a top new brewery by critic John Holl
Craft Beer & Brewing magazine published a list of five “Top New Breweries” this month. Hoops Brewing of Duluth made the list, which was compiled by the magazine’s senior editor, John Holl. (more…)
Up North Lit
The Duluth area saw the launch of a new online literary journal in 2017. Up North Lit debuted in June with its Summer issue and has also published a Fall 2017 issue. (more…)
PDD Quiz: November 2017
The year 2017 barrels ever onward and another month is nearly behind us. A lot of stuff happened in November, but how much of it do you remember? Step up to the quiz and test your knowledge.
The next PDD Quiz, on local holiday traditions, will be published on Dec. 10. Please send question ideas to Alison Moffat at [email protected] by Dec. 7. (more…)
R.I.P. MP: Morgan Park School preliminary demolition underway
Demolition of outbuildings on the Morgan Park School site began this week. Developer Aaron Schweiger plans to construct several 12-plex apartment buildings on the property. It will be called Morgan Park Estates. (more…)
Missing Person: Todd Sarkala
Update: The Duluth Police Department reports Todd Sarkela has been located and is safe.
The Duluth Police Department is seeking the public’s help in locating Todd Sarkela. He is a 55-year-old white male described as 5-foot 9-inches tall, 120 lbs., with hazel eyes and sandy hair. He was reported missing on Nov. 19. His family last had contact with him on Nov. 16.
Bob Monahan launches Downtown Duluth hostel project
Red Herring Lounge owner Bob Monahan stands outside the former Garon Brothers jewelry store at 217 W. First St. Monahan plans to renovate the building and open a 46-bed hostel.
Visitors to Duluth can soon add a hostel to the growing number of lodging options available in the Twin Ports. Nightclub owner Bob Monahan and an undisclosed partner purchased the former Garon Brothers Jewelry store at 217 W. First St. and plan to open a 46-bed hostel in the space next spring. (more…)
Duluth’s Hailey Sault on Outside’s “Best Places to Work” list
Outside Magazine’s list of the 100 best places to work included Duluth Marketing Agency Hailey Sault at the #15 spot. The agency is located in the recently renovated top floor of the Dewitt Seitz building in Canal Park.
Perks mentioned include: Jigsaw puzzle area, dogs, beer and bingo.
According to the stats, PR and Marketing firms made up nearly a quarter of the list, and common traits of companies on the list were “letting Fido sleep under your desk, having plenty of games, and having offices that are close to plenty of adventure.”
Wunderbar: a new place to eat, stay and play in Grand Marais
In late October, as many businesses in the remote community of Grand Marais were shuttering for the season, Wunderbar Eatery and Glampground was quietly making its debut.
Wunderbar occupies the former Harbor Light supper club, which has been closed for about five years. The building at 1615 Highway 61 W. dates back to 1930. (more…)
Restaurant named Sound will replace the Blind Pig
Chef Patrick Scott Moore is the front person behind a new restaurant in Duluth called Sound, which will open during the first week of January. The location is 132 E. Superior St. in the former Duluth City Hall, a spot previously occupied by the Blind Pig gastro pub and ale house. The space is being leased from Just Take Action, the entity that developed the Blind Pig and its predecessor, Tycoons Alehouse. (more…)
Duluth 2017 General Election Results
With 34 of 34 precincts reporting.
Duluth At-large City Councilor
Top two candidates are elected
Zack Filipovich – 8,749 | 31.48%
Barbara Russ – 6,568 | 23.63%
Janet Kennedy – 6,053 | 21.78%
Rich Updegrove – 5,899 | 21.13%
Write in – 522 | 1.88% (more…)
Regional book industry shifts as Book World stores close
If you live or vacation in Ashland or Marquette you know Book World. Or, perhaps the proper phrasing is that you will have known it. The whole chain of stores is closing in a few weeks.
The Book World chain was always amazing to me — a hybrid of gift shop, humidor, and book/magazine store, in small towns, creating access to book culture where it might not otherwise be available. Literary magazines unavailable on the shelf in Duluth could be found in Ashland, Bemidji and other places.
I understand this website is Perfect Duluth Day, not “Perfect Lake Superior Region Day,” but if nothing else, think about this. Book World owned 45 storefronts and was the third-largest book chain in the country. Book culture is precarious, and we should do all we can to support it in Duluth.
UW-Superior drops Halloween axe on 25 academic programs
The University of Wisconsin-Superior issued a news release this morning announcing it has “suspended several academic programs in an effort to positively affect student success and position itself to continue to remain responsive to regional needs.”
The news release mentioned no program by name. The Duluth News Tribune reports the programs to be dropped include “journalism, multiple science majors, theatre, art history and more — meaning no new students will be admitted into multiple majors, minors and one graduate program.” (more…)
R.I.P. How Sweet it is Cakes
Eileen and Bob Brown are closing How Sweet it is Cakes on Wednesday after more than 20 years in business.
“This has been the most difficult and painful decisions of our lives. Words cannot express our pain and sorrow,” Eileen Brown wrote on the How Sweet it is Cakes Facebook page today.
“There are a number of circumstances that have led up to this decision including but not limited to a significant decline in sales since we’ve moved to our new location, increased cost of product and labor, my and my husband’s health as well as numerous factors that we won’t detail here.” (more…)
Castle Danger Brewery expands with new packaging hall
Since opening in 2011, Castle Danger Brewery has grown to become the ninth-largest brewery by production in the state. Next month, a new 8,400-square-foot packaging hall will expand its capacity to deliver customers even more “Dangerously Good Ales.” (more…)
PDD Quiz: October 2017
Winter returned in earnest this month. How much do you remember of those halcyon days before the snow returned? Take the quiz and test your smarts!
The next PDD Quiz, on the topic of local shipwrecks, will be published on Sunday, Nov. 12. Send question suggestions to Alison Moffat at [email protected] by Nov. 9. (more…)
Duluth’s Frozen Wiener Storm of 2017
Photo by Shawn Thompson
The city of Duluth is advising the public that locations in Canal Park may not be accessible due to windy conditions and high waves causing water to flood some areas. The Marine Iron Parking lot located closest to the canal, some segments of Canal Park Drive and Harbor Drive have standing water. The city has put up barricades where the areas are not passable. (more…)
High Bridge Comedy expands Duluth-area stand-up offerings
From left: Chad Gallo, Joe Mosier, Danielle Thralow, Alex Meyers and Scott Zank
Stand-up comedy is not one of the more glamorous forms of entertainment in Duluth. A group of comedians called High Bridge Comedy is trying to change that. (more…)