man outside building
I know what you're thinking, probably the same thing I was thinking when I pulled up to the address on West Seventh that Matt Kenevan sent me: really?
But if there's one thing I've learned, it's to never underestimate Matt Kenevan. The founder of The Growler Magazine and Beer Dabbler has had just as rough a pandemic as any of us. Ceasing publication on his beerist magazine and having to relaunch his beer fests in a Covid world has not been easy.
And yet, instead of sitting back and nursing wounds, Kenevan and his team rallied for those who were in worse positions: splitting wood at his home to donate to restaurant patio fire pits and homeless encampments, and making food drops to neighborhoods in need.
So what I know about Kenevan is, he's a guy with vision. Which means, when I pull up outside an old and busted building, I can't wait to hear the story.
stransk's liquor store sign
Kenevan and his team have been working since spring to find a spot for their next venture: Dabbler Depot, a liquor store with benefits. To have a liquor store in St. Paul is no easy task, there are lots of regulations and laws about distance and saturation, which means you almost have to find an old existing one in order to create a new one.
And so they found the abandoned Stransky's, not too far from the old Growler offices, right across the street from the Mississippi Market and in Summit Brewing's neighborhood.
"This has been one of the hardest things I've done, making this happen," Kenevan told me as we walked into the space, which is much more solid-looking on the inside than the outside, tbh.
Dabbler Depot is going to be a full beer, wine, and liquor store, but more. There will also be a coffee shop with a pickup window on the southeast side of the building, and a permanent food truck built into the southwest side of the building, which will also have an outdoor patio. "We've been doing business in the West 7th neighborhood for over 10 years. We didn't want our neighbors to think we were just bringing more liquor to the block, we wanted to make this a place where they can come grab coffee and something to eat, too."
Most unexpectedly or maybe expectedly, there will be a content studio in the back of the space. Video, podcasting, creative workshopping, can all happen within reach of bottles. "It's for anyone who needs it, brand reps who come to town, people who want to engage on a different level with what we're all drinking, locals brewers or distillers who want to create things in support of their goods, there are a ton of opportunities." One might wonder if The Growler is coming back in another form? Kenevan had no answer on that.
Don't expect this store to be an everything-for-everyone type of shop, this team has deep knowledge of the beverage industry and is focusing on customer service and education so that they can share an expertly curated selection of what's on the market. The entire selection of beers will be refrigerated to keep it as fresh as possible, which means perhaps one of the biggest coolers in retail? It's a new game for them and Kenevan's not about recreating the status quo, "Can't tell you how many times we've had contractors question our plans with well, that's not how we do it or but don't you want it like this? ... no. We have had this opportunity to reset and rethink how things should be done. No way this project would have ever happened without the time we were forced to take during the pandemic. We don't want to go backwards and do what's already been done, we want to do something new and better."
There are things about the plans for this place that they weren't ready to share, so know that more details are coming. Work is about to be started on the building, and they're hoping to be done by May. Just in time for the Craft Brewer's Conference, which comes to Minneapolis in 2022 for the first time. There's content there.
