After fires, Grand Marais couple aim to bolster downtown with development

DULUTH — A development that includes an event center, lodging and a restaurant in downtown Grand Marais is expected to fill a void left after a devastating fire destroyed three popular businesses there in 2020.

The owners of the nearby Mayhew Inn hope to build a 14,000-square-foot structure on the former site of a destination restaurant and two gift shops. Sitting within yards of Lake Superior, the two-story development would also include a lounge, rooftop deck and bar and two shops, altogether filling about 30,000 square feet.

With no downtown event space and the loss of several businesses, "it's so needed," said Linda Jurek, executive director of Visit Cook County.

Developers Joel and Amy Saint John said that because of the lack of indoor event space, they often need to turn away weddings at their boutique Mayhew Inn. And between Lutsen and Grand Marais, at least a half-dozen restaurants and retail shops either burned or closed in recent years.

"When visitors come up, there are just all these empty holes in downtown," Joel Saint John said. "We're just trying to bring new, fresh life back to it."

At a City Council meeting last week, Grand Marais Mayor Tracy Benson and council members discussed parking and the effect large events could have on nearby businesses, but ultimately approved a land-use permit for the project to proceed. The city's planning and zoning commission has already approved the project.

The vacant lots left by the fire on Wisconsin Street border Sven and Ole's Pizza.

The lots have been used for food trucks, including the Crooked Spoon's seasonal food truck and one for Sydney's Frozen Custard, also lost to a fire in 2023.

Nathan and Sara Hingos' Crooked Spoon was among the destroyed businesses. The couple later opened a food truck.

A couple of downtown business owners told the City Council they were concerned about the proposed look of the building. Drury Lane Books owner Kelly Kager said the exterior appears modern in renderings, with not enough detail to get a true sense of what it will look like.

"It does not appear to fit with the aesthetic that we have downtown, and I think that's a big part of what makes Grand Marais so attractive," she said in an interview.

She doesn't dispute the need for development but wants to ensure that plans fit with the town's character, where downtown's eclectic businesses are built of brick and wood, said the owner of the 22-year-old bookstore.

Other business owners had concerns about parking.

Joel Saint John said early renderings don't indicate how the exterior will look, and they do plan to use a mix of brick, steel and wood with large windows. The look will be timeless, he said, and fit in with other commercial buildings downtown.

With city approval, the Saint Johns will move ahead with more detailed plans. They declined to give a cost estimate for the project.

The owners have worked hard to buy the vacant lots and one for parking, Jurek said, while listening to community feedback and scaling plans down to two stories from three.

The building must comply with 30-foot height limits given to downtown structures.

Ten short-term vacation rentals and parking for those units are part of the plan. The event center will likely fit up to 100 people, and the restaurant will have room for 80.

The Saint Johns hope to break ground in September and open around 18 months later.