Salut, Pottery Barn the latest businesses to close on St. Paul's Grand Avenue
SAINT PAUL, Minn. — Another restaurant closure along a Twin Cities dining destination has some business leaders frustrated.
"I'm really sad, I'll miss it," said Heidi Kamrath from Mahtomedi.
In its final week open, customers lined up to say au revoir to Salut on Grand Avenue. The French restaurant opened in 2008 and will close by Jan. 8, Parasole Restaurants Chief Operating Officer Donna Fahs said.
Fahs said the closure came after the desire not to renew another long-term lease. She cited challenges facing the restaurant industry, including less foot traffic on Grand Avenue, and mounting costs associated with labor, food prices, property taxes and more.
Pottery Barn will close in early 2024 too.
"I was shocked. I came in actually to pay my bill, and it's a 40% off closure. I had no idea," shopper Faith Ask said.
The Grand Avenue Business Association said seven out of the 12 current vacancies on Grand Avenue are in buildings owned by the same out-of-state landlord: The State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio, a pension fund.
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"They are not here on the day-in and day-out. So trying to continue to establish and build those relationships with the leaders of that organization for them to understand the impact they are having on the other spaces around it," Realtor and Grand Avenue Business Association board member Brian Wagner said.
STRS owns Salut's building as well as the buildings on three corners of Grand Avenue and Victoria.
"From my perspective, I don't feel like Grand Avenue, the sky is falling," Wagner said.
He said while some businesses have closed, many others have opened. Last year, he said 11 new businesses came to Grand Avenue and there are more exciting plans in the works.
"There's so many great historic businesses here, and people are still seeing it as a place to re-invest because they know that when they come to Grand they are going to do some great business," he said.
Salut's Edina location remains open.
