It looks like Costco will finally get to add to their base of six retail stores here in the Twin Cities with a new location in Woodbury – finally! They have been working for years on a 31 acre site in Woodbury near I494 and Tamarack Road. Costco has submitted plans for a 165,000 sf store, including a liquor store, gas station and tire store, for review by the Woodbury City Council in September. No word yet on when they could start construction or open.
Since its first location in Minneapolis in 2012, New Bohemia Wurst & Bier Haus 
has been on a tear to take over the wurst and sausage restaurant niche here. They have opened locations in the Uptown area of Minneapolis, Eagan and Mankato, and now have a deal signed for a location in Roseville at Snelling Avenue and County Road C. And that isn’t enough for this interesting and innovative restaurant group – the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal reports they are also looking for locations in the Southwest metro in Eden Prairie and Bloomington, the East metro in St Paul and Woodbury, and Northeast metro in Blaine and Lino Lakes, as well as outstate Rochester, then onto other states. Brian Ingram, COO, was quoted in the Pioneer Press back in February, stating “We’d like to get 12 stores by the end of the year. We’ve been looking at places like Eden Prairie and Woodbury. We’ll probably open one in Wisconsin as well.”
These are guys who like to think outside of the box. Inside their restaurants, customers sit at long communal tables. The menu includes craft beer and traditional brats, but also smoked Antelope is on their menu, along with alligator, wild boar and yak – ACK!
Total Wine came to the Minnesota market in 2014, opening up four stores in Roseville, Burnsville, Bloomington and Woodbury. Maple Grove followed last year in 2015. Their sixth store is under construction in Chanhassen, and should open in this spring. And now Eagan will see Total Wine coming to the Central Park Commons development. This market has been very successful for Total Wine, despite a rocky start with getting the governmental approvals they needed to get some of their stores opened. The Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal quoted Ed Cooper, Total Wine’s Vice President of Public Affairs, saying “There are others (locations) out there. I don’t know that we have finished building out our capacity in the greater Minneapolis-St. Paul area. Minnesota stores are particularly well performing for us and they reinforce our decision to come to the state.” So stay tuned!