• Gusto Graphics (in the old Red Owl Building off of Main Street) closed early in the year 2006. It was purchased by Brian Lemke and moved to Annandale. • LaVon Maurer of South Haven opened LaLa’s, a South Haven Bar and Grill, March 11. Formerly the Railway, LaLa’s is located on the corner of the block, on Main Street in South Haven, just down the block and across the street from the South Haven Post Office. • Cubs Food Shack on Main Street (old Knaus building) closed the end of March. The business was co-owned by Leo Wirth and Jamie Cobb. • Kimball Bargain Buys opened up at the end of May. Formerly Anthony’s Lawn Statues of Kimball, it is located along Hwy. 55. Kimball Bargain Buys held its grand opening July 28-29. • The Coffee Cabin at 170 Central Ave. in Watkins opened June 5, offering a variety of hot and cold coffee and tea drinks and Cold Spring Bakery rolls. The coffee shop, owned and operated by Nikki Donnay of Eden Valley, is located on Main Street in the former Family Inn and next to the vacant lot that used to be the site of JT’s Tavern (formerly One More Bar and Grill, TC’s and Billy Bones). • Kirk and Donna Nelson of South Haven took over the former Roper’s Tavern in Kingston. Calling it the Kick Start Bar & Grill, it opened for business July 1. Roper’s had closed in June 2005. • Frederick A. Metcalf American Legion 261’s new full-service food, beverage and events facility opened for business with new hours July 7. The Legion Post, located at 201 South Main Street, Kimball, expanded its facilities and updated its interior and exterior last year. • Bella’s Coffee Shop opened July 15 in the old Cub’s Food Shack building at 41 Main Street (between Knaus Sausage House and Bill & Toni’s). Co-owners are Becky Kastanek and Stella Hurrle – who by combining their first names, came up with the name Bella’s. The coffee shop offers espresso, lattes, cappuccino, mocha, regular and decaffeinated coffees, flavored coffees, Chai tea, regular and flavored teas. They also have homemade soups, sandwiches, and a mixture of homemade and ready-made pastries, along with gift items that are locally crafted. • Donald Millner, his wife Mary, and son Jonathan planted grapevines in the vineyard they established on Highway 15, north of Kingston. They planted three-fourths of an acre of test varieties bred to withstand the coldest Minnesota winter. The Millners plan to plant 5 acres of grapes in 2007, and then another acre or more each year up to a total of 10-12 acres. The rest of the 40-acre parcel will be used for the winery, tasting room and event center, to be built in the next few years. • Lost Radio Entertainment, a multi-faceted entertainment company, was established in Luxemburg. Owned by Paul and Julie Campbell, it includes a recording studio, production facilities, and DJ and karaoke entertainment. The recording studio features an isolation booth for voice-overs and dubbing and has state-of-the-art sound mixing equipment. • A group gathered on a chilly afternoon in early October to officially break ground for Triple R Bar & Grill. Located on Maus Drive, between Bumper to Bumper and American Family Insurance, the establishment plans to open January or February 2007. Named for her son, Randy Reinert, Deb Reinert has been the moving force behind the new business in town. They plan to be open seven days a week and smoke-free. • Son of the Butcher Bar & Grill opened for business on Main Street in November in the building that was formerly Bill & Toni’s (which closed earlier in 2006). Matt Knaus is owner/operator.
