Frequent visitors to Grand Marais will have noticed that this tiny harbor town has seen some changes in recent years. This year will be no different as our guests will quickly realize. From new buildings going up, old buildings going down, and buildings repurposing (temporarily). We previously mentioned one change, the closing of Gunflint Mercantile and the opening of the Lady Superior NA Bottle Shop, but here are the rest of the big changes in Grand Marais that you will see this summer.
Goodbye, Old City Hall!
Beaver House Bait Shop is the temporary location for the municipal liquor store.
One of the big changes in Grand Marais that many visitors will notice, and want to know about, is the old City Hall building has been torn down. Over the summer it will be replaced with a new, much-improved building. While visitors may not have ever had a reason to go into the old City Hall portion, they may have utilized the public bathrooms along the side of the building, posed in front of the Seagull mural, or been a customer of the municipal liquor store.
Now, visitors will find temporary public bathrooms in the downtown area. The liquor store has temporarily moved into the Beaver House Bait Shop (pictured). Worry not! While the Beaver House Bait Shop will be closed for the 2024 summer season, it will reopen once the new municipal liquor store is completed. In the meantime, those needing bait can visit the Holiday gas station. For those wanting to purchase liquor, head to the bait shop.
Hello, Crosby Bakery!
The new Crosby Bakery storefront in downtown Grand Marais.
Another big change in Grand Marais is the much-anticipated Crosby Bakery building! Construction on the building started last summer and will open its doors to the public this summer. The building, located in the once-empty-lot between Blue Water Cafe and Sivertson’s Gallery on Wisconsin Street, will house the beloved local bakery.
Previously operated out of a small kitchen in the back of the Betsy Bowen studio, this space gives owner Hanna Crosby more space to bake and a public storefront for those wanting to swing in and purchase some pastries or a loaf of sourdough bread. In years past, visitors to Grand Marais could only get Hanna’s baked goods at the Cook County Whole Foods Co-Op.
New North House Folk School Welcome Center and Store
Perhaps the first big change in Grand Marais that visitors will see is the new North House Folk School building (pictured above). Last year, we covered the move of the old Yellow House from its downtown location to an empty lot in town. Since then, the lot has been filled with a new building that will house the welcome center and store for the folk school.
This is one change you simply cannot miss as you will see it from the hill as you drive into Grand Marais on Highway 61. Stop in and check out the new store! Then head on into Grand Marais to check on the progress of the new City Hall building and see what fresh baked goods Crosby Bakery has available that day. The rest of Grand Marais remains the same for the summer of 2024.