Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation supported the project with an $18,900 Commercial Redevelopment grant which helped pay for interior demolition of the old HVAC and plumbing systems. Total project investment was $470,500.

Miners National Bank purchased the vacant main street building in 2018 when Wells Fargo ceased operations there. Established in 1903, the independent family-owned community bank is currently managed by Jonathan Hoel, President, and Sarah Teasck, Executive Vice President.

Additionally, the Miners Bank now owns and operates the coffee shop, mortgage center and conference space. The salon is owned and operated by Sarah Adamski, a long-time Eveleth small business owner who relocated her salon to the plaza building. The New York Life Office is owned by Meghan Green and Kerry Mathews.

“What began as a desire to refurbish an old building became our family’s goal to create a community gathering space through a coffee shop,” said Jerry Hoel, retired president and owner of Miners National Bank. “Support from the people of Eveleth and neighboring cities has been overwhelmingly strong.”

Coffee on Main opened for business on June 1, employs six people and is open Monday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Hot, iced and blended coffees and teas are available as well as fresh baked goods delivered daily from Mary’s Morsels located on Grant Avenue in Eveleth.

Beverage house specialties include peanut butter & coconut latte, butterscotch latte, blackberry white chocolate mocha, coconut cream pie latte and raspberry latte. Blended drinks include frappes such as mocha and chai frappes, frozen hot chocolate, vanilla bean orange cream and fruit smoothies.

Read the full Coffee on Main menu.

Grand Opening

A grand opening celebration for Coffee on Main is set for Friday, July 2 at 10 a.m. The festivities will include a ribbon cutting, giveaways, cake and coffee.

Visit Coffee on Main on Facebook.

"Thanks to $250,000 in funds from the Taconite Area Community Relief program, we disbursed loans to 17 area small businesses and nonprofits,” said Howard Hedstrom, Cook County Grand Marais EDA president. “Recognizing that taking on more debt after over a year of interrupted operations was not something most businesses could afford, the EDA designed the program so that 50% of the loan amount is forgivable if applicants keep their loan payments current, provide quarterly financials and show an increase in revenues or payroll. Cook County businesses are extremely grateful for this assistance."

Pictured in collage: 

Top Row: Basecamp Bungalows, Cascade Vacation Rentals and Coldwater Foundation

Middle Row: Fika Coffee, Gunflint Mercantile and Jeweler of the North Shore

Bottom Row: Joy Enterprises, Lutsen Recreation and Sivertson Gallery

Arrowhead Grown is developing videos that highlight local farmers markets. The videos will be used on social media and online to attract regional residents and tourists during the 2021 market season and beyond. Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation supported the project with a Culture & Tourism grant through taxes paid by Minnesota’s mining industry.

The agency’s service area is home to 11 farmers markets. Several have completed videos, while others are in production and will soon be released.

• Aitkin: Saturdays 9 a.m. – 1 p.m., Thursdays 5 – 8 p.m. Watch video.
• Aurora: July 31, Aug. 14 & 28, Sept. 11 & 18, 10 a.m. – noon.
• Cook: Saturdays 8 a.m. – noon.
• Crosby: Saturdays 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
• Ely: Tuesdays 5 – 7 p.m. Watch video.
• Finland: Thursdays 5 – 6:30 p.m.
• Grand Rapids: Wednesdays & Saturdays 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. Watch video.
• Hibbing: Tuesdays 2 – 5 p.m., Saturdays 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
• Virginia: Thursdays 2:30 – 6 p.m.
• Tower: Fridays 4 – 6 p.m.
• Two Harbors: Saturdays 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.

“Farmers markets create an affordable way for local growers to generate product sales and revenue,” said Marlise Riffel, Virginia Market manager. “The markets enable small farms to stay in business and sustain jobs without incurring high costs that go along with distribution through a middleman.”

Area farmers and artisans sell locally grown fruits, vegetables, eggs, meats, canned goods and wild rice, along with homemade roasted nuts, coffee, baked goods, bug repellant, crafts, soaps and personal care products.

Arrowhead Grown is an "eat-local-campaign" organized by the Northland Food Network that promotes the production and consumption of local food in northeastern Minnesota. According to Arrowhead Grown, farmers’ markets enhance the quality of life in our communities by strengthening agricultural economic development, fostering social gathering, and providing access to fresh locally grown foods.

“The videos are intended to drive online traffic to our websites and social media pages,” said Riffel. “The videos can make the instant connection between our local farmers markets and potential customers.”

The videos were created by Iron Range resident Jenna Ballinger of Forge North Creative. Project funding partners include The Rutabaga Project, Iron Range Tourism Bureau and Blandin Foundation. For Culture & Tourism grant information email Danae Beaudette or call her at 218-735-3022.

Review dates and times and learn more about our region’s farmers markets

The city of Silver Bay used a $1,747 Application Fund grant to hire a professional grant writer who successfully secured a $341,800 grant from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources State Park Road Account (SPRA) to make improvements to East Lakeview Drive. Construction is anticipated to begin in 2022.

East Lakeview is a gravel access road to Black Beach Park and Campground which draws thousands of visitors each year. The 15-acre municipal campground opened in June 2020 and offers 49 campsites for recreational vehicles. Black Beach is 31.6 acres with 3,500 feet of shoreline. It is known for its black hue and diamond like sparkling sand that was created by the natural sediment transport of past taconite mine tailings. There is no other beach or shoreline like it on Lake Superior. The road has become heavily utilized due to increased tourism, and Silver Bay businesses have benefited from the added traffic.

The total project investment for the road improvement is $1.8 million and will add parking, bike lanes and safer pedestrian crossings and will control dust in the area for the Black Beach Campground and Northshore Mining.

“City staff typically prepare and submit grants for various municipal projects,” said Lana Fralich, Silver Bay city administrator. “However, the State Park Road Account required engineering expertise. Due to the scope and complexity of transportation projects, we needed a grant writer with engineering and road construction expertise who could submit the application on our behalf within a tight timeline.”

The city used its Application Fund grant from Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation to hire Bolton & Menk to complete the grant application. Bolton & Menk designed the road renovation, prepared cost estimates and has experience with transportation projects.

“The road is city-owned, and the DNR grant will help cover a significant portion of the project costs,” said Fralich. “The city also applied for a grant from MNDOT’s Local Road Improvement Program. Notice of that grant is pending and could further help to cover costs. The project is going to have a major positive impact on our community and visitors to Black Beach Park and Campground.”

Black Beach’s location in Silver Bay centrally places it between Duluth, Grand Marias and the Iron Range. Nearby amenities include the Silver Bay Marina, Silver Bay Golf Course, and the new North Shore Adventure Park (pictured at left), an aerial ropes course and zip line. There is an abundance of biking, hiking, ATV and snowmobile trails, as well as four state parks including Gooseberry Falls, Split Rock Lighthouse, Tettegouche and Temperance River.

Communities in need of assistance with the costs of preparing and applying for state, federal or philanthropic grants that can produce economic growth may email Whitney Ridlon or call her at 218-735-3004. Learn more about the Iron range Resources & Rehabilitation Application Fund grant.

Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation provides financial assistance to communities that invest in their foundational, business and social assets to ensure quality of life in northeastern Minnesota. The agency's FY22 grant guidelines and grant cycle dates for the following programs are now available.

• Application Fund. 
• Business Energy Retrofit.
• Broadband Infrastructure. 
• Commercial Redevelopment. 
• Community Infrastructure. 
• Culture & Tourism. 
• Development Infrastructure. 
• Development Partnership.
• Downtown Building Rehabilitation.
• Downtown Streetscapes.
• Drilling Incentive.
• Mineland Reclamation.
• Regional Trails.
• Residential Redevelopment. 
• Iron Range School Collaboration: Bricks & Mortar. 
• Iron Range School Collaboration: Innovative Academic Programming. 
• Workforce Development. 

View the grant guidelines.

View the grant cycle dates document.

The agency's grants office utilizes an online grants management system called FLUXX. The portal provides access to everything you need in administering a grant from the agency, including application submission, expense reimbursements, reporting and accessing previously awarded grants.

Learn more about FLUXX.