Hallock’s diamond in the rough

STILL COMMONLY KNOWN AS the old Margie’s Cafe, this building has been brought back to a clean slate. A group of investors is seeking someone to start a restaurant here.  (Enterprise photo by Anna Jauhola)

Investor group seeking owner-operator to start restaurant

By Anna Jauhola
Another group of investors has purchased a downtown building in Hallock – this time with the goal of attracting an owner-operator to establish a restaurant.
The former Margie’s Cafe building, situated on the edge of the gazebo park, most recently was Zedge beauty salon. But the building sat empty for a year or so. Late this winter, a pipe froze and flooded the building. The building has been repaired to a blank slate and investors hope this entices someone with a passion to start their own restaurant.
Paul Blomquist is spokesperson for the group of investors, and said this is an endeavor to bring another business downtown that is sorely needed. This isn’t a new concept for Blomquist as he was an investor who built the Caribou Grill in the early 2000s.
“The location is pretty important. We’ve seen the collaboration on what’s happening in town,” Blomquist said. “And certainly we miss the Caribou Grill. Having this business downtown will complement what’s already here and will certainly bring an added need that we have been without for some time.”
Blomquist insisted the investors are only a conduit for bringing in a business, and will have nothing to do with the business itself.
“We do have hopes that it’s open at least Wednesday through Saturday,” he added.
Although Hallock has the Eagles Club that serves evening meals, the Cenex and Farmers Store that serve lunch specials, Bully Brew with a sandwich menu, Craft Brewhaus’s pizza and multiple food trucks, a restaurant would still fulfill a specific need in town.
Blomquist said the investment group is currently in the outreach phase. They have had some early interest, but no one who is prepared to take on the project.
“We’d love to find someone local, talented, and this is part of it – putting the message out there through the Enterprise,” he said.
The investors have visited with friends and contacts, but that’s an ongoing process.
“Word of mouth is going to be critical in getting this going. It’s a diamond in the rough – put a little pressure on it and it’ll turn into a shiny one,” Blomquist said.
As indicated, the 24-foot-by-142-foot building is currently a blank slate on the interior, ready for the right person to come in and design a restaurant from scratch. The investors will, however, complete upgrades on the exterior of the building, such as the roof and the front end of the building, both of which need work.
“We feel a clean slate is easier because every restaurant owner seems to have a different opinion from the next. Having an open, blank slate like this, they can dream and they can create,” Blomquist added.
The most the investors would do for the interior is have a creative sketch of a layout drawn up as an example. But that’s it – the actual construction would be up to whoever wants to own and operate a restaurant.
Blomquist said the person or people who take on the challenge of opening a restaurant will work directly with the investment group on “very, very favorable terms” for the purchase.
“We want this to be a food first, bar second focus,” he added. “So we feel we want to encourage any operator to come in with that mindset.”
Anyone interested in learning more can contact Blomquist directly by calling 218-988-2658 or emailing [email protected].