Monday, February 27, 2012
Gator’s Liquor owner Jon Mast predicted in high school that he'd be the owner of a liquor store someday.
On Jon Mast’s last day of high school at Hill-Murray, he remembers filling out a questionnaire that asked where he’d be in 10 years—what his profession would be, whom he’d be married to and how many kids he’d have. His predictions were right on all counts, down to his kids’ genders—one boy and one girl. In 2007, at age 25, Mast made his plan to become a liquor store owner reality when he opened Gator’s Liquor in a space at 1409 Helmo Ave. that had been vacated by another liquor store. We talked with Mast about his work, and why he was drawn to the business. Oakdale Patch: How did you get into the liquor business? Mast: In college I had a job at a liquor store and I worked part time there. It became full time and I kind of learned the ropes…
44.969159
-92.955578
Gator's Liquor
1409 Helmo Ave N, Saint Paul, MN
/articles/oakdale-liquor-store-owner-predicted-his-future-business-in-high-school
1752270
/locations/6462135
Friday, February 3, 2012
Oakdale's Dunn Bros opened in 2008, but in the four years since, it's acquired a steady following and become ingrained in the community.
Husband and wife Carol Trombley and Tom Nacey started Oakdale’s Dunn Bros Coffee shop in October of 2008. Trombley ran the shop until January of last year, when she started working as an attorney at the Mayo Clinic. Now you’ll find Nacey in the shop most days. Oakdale Patch: How did you get into the business? Tom Nacey: We got in because basically I had been bugging Carol for a long time that we should open our own business. We both had been in corporate America and were not real excited about the prospects of staying in corporate America. Oakdale Patch: How did you decide on a coffee shop versus another kind of business? Nacey: We both love coffee, and we like the philosophy of Dunn Bros as far as just being involved in the community and …
Friday, January 13, 2012
The pair started Furlong's Liquor on family land when they were in their twenties. The shop sits on land that once was a dairy farm.
Twenty-five years ago, brothers Dan and Terry Furlong—then in their twenties—opened a liquor store on family land along Century Avenue. The two still work side-by-side at Furlong's Liquor and they plan to celebrate crossing the quarter-of-a-century mark this spring. We talked with co-owner Terry Furlong about the business, industry and their involvement in the community. Oakdale Patch: How did you get started in the business? Terry Furlong: This is my grandpa’s farm. It was a dairy farm and back in the ‘40s when pasteurization came in, they kind of got rid of all of the small little dairy companies. So he owned land all the way past Castle grade school. There’s Furlong Park behind us—he donated land for the park. My father passed away …
45.017934
-92.984775
Furlong's Liquor
4777 Geneva Ave N, Oakdale, MN
/articles/furlong-brothers-mark-25-years-in-business-together
1751828
/locations/6178209
Thursday, December 22, 2011
A Century Floral co-owner shares the strangest request they've ever fulfilled.
Century Floral and Gifts is owned by brother and sister Tony and Tricia Kauck and their mom Liz Kauck. The Kaucks have owned the small shop along Century Avenue just north of 10th Street for the past six years. The shop’s been around since 1987. Oakdale Patch: How old were you when you first got involved in the floral business? Tricia Kauck: I took classes in high school and did competitions in floral when they still had a floral class. I started my junior year and I’ve just been doing it ever since. Oakdale Patch: How were you involved in the industry before buying this shop? Kauck: I actually worked in another flower shop and the previous owner that owned this shop sold it and came and worked for me part time. She got it back and came to…
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
... and no, his name’s not Walt.
Watson Fong, owner of Walt's Wine & Spirits, got into the liquor store business four years ago with the purchase of an existing store in Shoreview. Then, in 2010, he opened a second shop in Oakdale, which is located in the shopping center northeast of 10th Street and Helmo Avenue. He said his customers are sometimes surprised to learn the shop is named after a 4-year-old boy, a decision Fong made quickly when he decided his Shoreview liquor store needed to be re-branded. Oakdale Patch: First off, who is Walt? Watson Fong: People thought it’s me because I’m always here, but it’s my son. I named it after my son Walter. He’s 4 years old. Oakdale Patch: Do people call you Walt all the time? Fong: Yeah, I say, ‘Don’t worry.’ I don’t mind. As …
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
The owner of Oakdale's Blue Ribbon Bait & Tackle holds the state record for catching the largest tiger musky.
Josh Stevenson bought Blue Ribbon Bait & Tackle in 2004, just after he finished his undergraduate degree at the University of Minnesota, but he started working at the shop long before that. Stevenson—who also works as a fishing guide—holds the record for catching the state’s largest tiger musky in Lake Elmo at age 22. The fish weighed 34 pounds, 12 ounces and was 52 inches long. Fishing legends like Dick “The Griz” Grzywinski, a mentor to Stevenson, still frequent the shop. In addition to running the shop and guiding, Stevenson sets up and rents out ice houses on Lake Jane. Oakdale Patch: When did you first start working at the shop? Josh Stevenson: They tried to hire me when I was 13, and my mom allowed me to work here on my 14th birthday…
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Guess what he hates to drink?
Espresso Donut Co.’s manager Ben Miller no longer owns the business, but he’s still the face of the coffee and doughnut shop just north of 10th Street and Helmo Avenue. Miller went to school for law enforcement, and had worked for Target Corporation for 13 years in asset protection and logistics before making a major career shift into the coffee business about two years ago. The shop has recently extended its hours, and they’re starting to offer musical entertainment some Saturday nights. Watch its Facebook page for live music dates and times. Oakdale Patch Editor Patty Busse talked with Miller about his background and life at the shop. Oakdale Patch: When you first took over as manager of the shop, what changes did you make? Ben Miller: …
Tiffany Tevlin
6:52 am on Monday, February 27, 2012
I moved a little further away and there is another liquor store closer to me but, I still only go to Gator's when I need to go to the liquor store. Everyone is so friendly and it feels like a family owned business, you can tell the difference in any business that you visit whether it is a family owned or more of a commercial business. The family owned seem more friendly. I would always rather … more ›