Things to do in the Greater St. Cloud Area | St. Cloud Shines

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“All work and no play” doesn’t sound like much fun.

But how would we know?

Greater St. Cloud has so much to do—day and night, season after season—that we always find reasons to play. Lots of them, so pace yourself.

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#StCloudShines Stories

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Dec 1

A little less than 10 years ago, Tariq Siddique and his wife Shahira - both from Saudi Arabia - opened Greek Cravings in downtown St. Cloud. Since then, there have been rave reviews from first-time gyro eaters, to Mediterranean food lovers, and everything in between. Lunch or dinner - your tastebuds will thank you.

Siddique worked in foodservice for more than 26 years before opening his restaurant in 2012. “We missed this kind of food and wanted to start something different. We had the idea for a while but were looking for the right spot. I’ve always liked the architecture of this building and of all of downtown St. Cloud. When we opened, we felt we could offer something unique and it has been well received ever since. We are thankful.”

Recently, Siddique and his family were gone traveling and they closed their shop for a bit. There were a lot of sad murmurs and questions of them closing around town - but they’re back and things are as delicious as ever.

If you’ve never had Greek food or Mediterranean-style fare, have no fear - the staff at Greek Cravings is both patient and kind with new folks when ordering. No matter what you land on, you can count on flavor and good portions. It’s made fresh when you order and piping hot. Their homemade hummus and pita chips are out of this world and like nothing you can buy at the store - seriously! And their fresh, hot gyros (lamb or chicken!) are topped with a homemade tzatziki sauce that will make your mouth water. If you like things spicy - make sure you add their homemade giardiniera, but let this be your warning that it’s not for the faint of heart.

“We still do the cooking and most of our items are made fresh right here. Our sauces and marinades are homemade recipes and we’re always adding items to our menu. The customers always give us the best compliments and we love seeing people come back and order from us - and tell their friends!”

#StCloudShines
📸 @kwphotos_

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Nov 30

The @pick_it_fence in Sartell is a hidden gem featuring local vendors with creative, beautiful, unique, and handmade items. Before owning the store, Darlene Harding was a vendor herself - then purchased the store in August 2019. Christi Villneauve and Stacie Bartels were made co-owners, as well as vendors, to help with The Pick-It Fence.

Darlene was born in Texas but moved to MN in her teenage years. She has lived here ever since with her husband and 3 children. She worked as a Dental Office Manager for 30+ years and became a vendor to sell gifts and painted furniture. When she retired her ‘side projects’ became her main focus. “Sartell is such a great community, but so many of the residents don’t know about us. In the first year of taking ownership of the shop, we took a hit from COVID and had to close for a couple of months. Since being open again, social media and word of mouth have provided us with a growing customer base - and we want to make sure everyone knows about our unique store!”

Christi moved to the area from Fargo when her husband took a job here in 2000. She works full-time as a CNA Coordinator in addition to helping with things at The Pick-It Fence. “It's inspiring and I'm constantly amazed at all the talent found right here in Central MN. We do what we do because we love it. All of our products are sourced by local people investing their time, skills, and hard-earned money to bring our shoppers beautiful, unique items.”

Stacie was born and raised in Central MN and is now an empty nester with her husband, though planning weddings fo her adult daughters. She has a full-time job in healthcare but calls working at The Pick-It Fence her “fun job.” “What I enjoy about the store is the unique items and handmade products our local vendors bring in weekly. I appreciate our customers supporting local and small businesses.”

The Pick-It Fence features 9 vendors with a diverse assortment of gifts, clothing, home decor, soaps, lotions, candles, and more - truly a little something for everyone. You can find them just off Riverside Drive at 101 7th St N in Sartell. Support local!

#StCloudShines
📸: @kwphotos_

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Nov 27

Happy #SmallBusinessSaturday! Central MN is chockfull of incredible local business, tag your favorites below! During the holiday shopping season, we encourage you to support businesses in our communities! #StCloudShines

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Nov 25

We're brimming with gratitude for all of you and for our shining communities. Happy Thanksgiving! #StCloudShines

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Nov 17

Three kids, three dogs, and three cats… Some call it chaotic, but Bethie Gondeck calls that home. Her love for animals of all ages and health inspired her to start @greyfacerescue in 2015. “I’m a wife and mom of three, but I also have two resident dogs - a 15-year old blind and deaf pug, and an 8-year old pitbull - and one foster dog - a 16-year old Shih Tzu. Plus, three cats. I’ve been rescuing all types of animals since I was a kid… dogs, cats, turtles, birds, ducks - you name it.”

Bethie is originally from Andover but grew up spending time on a family farm in Sauk Rapids. “My uncle who lived on our family farm in Sauk Rapids needed to transition into an assisted living home and we didn't know what to do with his dog who had been living on the farm for 13 years - the dog was never leashed or had been in a kennel. If his dog would have gone to the shelter I know he wouldn’t have done well - so I told my boyfriend at the time (now husband) that we need to buy a house now so Barnabee can come live with us. After that, I looked up senior rescues to see what resources we had and it was slim pickings… it was an idea and passion combined that I ran with.” In addition to the rescuing work, Grey Face also has an indoor dog park opening this December for dogs to enjoy a warm, indoor place to run.

Although playing and snuggling with dogs and cats is a pretty great way to spend a day - funding is a huge struggle. “Senior animals - especially those who haven't received proper veterinary care prior to arriving - are much more costly than a younger dog, so we do our best to invest as much as possible into their veterinary care. It takes a lot of work to keep us up and running.

Central MN has been a big part of the success of Grey Face. “We have a lot of local partners. Many breweries have been very kind to us, and there are a number of groomers who support us, and Advanced Care Pet Hospital is a partner vet clinic. If someone is looking to support us, we’re always looking for foster homes, volunteers, and donations… even sharing a social post helps us so much. We love our community and are so thankful for all they do!”

#StCloudShines
📸: @kwphotos_

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Oct 30

Waite Park is home to the newest brewery in town, @backshedbrewing! They opened in August of this year after starting their construction in April, though the story Scott shared with us, we found out it’s been years in the making…

“The conversations to start Back Shed Brewing started about 4-5 years ago. We took our first step when we bought a pilot system and our brewer, Chris, started making practice batches in our back shed. We wanted to start a brewery because we wanted to create a space for people to come together and enjoy locally brewed beer. We knew we had an awesome space with a lot of potential to do just that.”

The Back Shed Brewing family considers Central MN their family; they were born and raised here, and continue to plant their businesses and families here. “Our family business, @craftsdirect, has been a part of the business community of Central MN for over 30 years and the support we receive is amazing! Knowing how supportive the business community has been at Crafts Direct gave us the confidence to move forward with opening Back Shed Brewing. Also, the local brewing community has really helped us when we have had questions. It is fantastic to have people so close by to rely on when you need help. The support of our community has been outstanding! The enthusiasm has exceeded our expectations.”

Back Shed Brewing has a beautiful space with so much to offer. They have a large taproom, event space, and a great patio. “We offer plenty of space for people to come and connect with each other. With the amount of space we have, we can offer a variety of fun events that the community can participate in.”

The people of central MN are so supportive by coming to Back Shed and having a beer with family and friends. Not only have they supported us during our opening months, but they have also helped to support all the musicians, food trucks, and special events we have at the brewery. The more local businesses we can support at the brewery, the more we all help our entire community grow.”

#StCloudShines
📸 @kwphotos_

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Oct 26

The Pickled Loon in downtown St. Cloud opened in December 2013. Rhiannon, Michael, Mike, and Buddy are from all over Minnesota and Wisconsin but came to St. Cloud to study at SCSU. After graduating and a decade of experience working at other downtown establishments, these four friends decided their next chapter was opening a place of their own.

“After finishing college we were all working at area bars, but didn’t feel like there was room for us to grow - so we decided this was going to be our future! We always try our best to give everyone a fun and awesome experience every time they are here - whether it’s for food or just for a needed night out.”

The menu at The Pickled Loon has a little something for everyone - and we mean EVERYONE. “We make the majority of our food items from scratch and have tried to create some fun vegetarian items that can also be made vegan upon request.” You can quench your thirst, too. “We work very hard to keep up on our seasonal drink menu. We also have 12 craft beer tap lines that are constantly changing so there’s always something new and fun when you stop in. We try to carry as much local beer, wine, and spirits when we can!”

Many are surprised to learn there’s a second floor to The Pickled Loon - The Nest. And on evenings and weekends, it’s a great place to unwind and enjoy some music. “We have karaoke every Thursday starting at 10 (after the kitchen closes) and a resident video DJ on Fridays and Saturdays. We’ve also been known to have some pretty talented musicians come through and play either on our main stage upstairs or an acoustic set downstairs during dinner time. Due to COVID, live music hasn’t started back up quite yet but we are looking into starting that back up if the right show comes along!”

Although COVID has been the biggest challenge The Pickled Loon has faced yet, they praise the community for the support. “ The best thing about us is our customers. Everyone that comes in is like family to us; they are what make us come to work every day and the reason we enjoy what we do."

#StCloudShines @visitstcloud @visitdowntownstc @scsualumni
📸: @kwphotos_

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Oct 25

"The startup action in central Minnesota might be overshadowed by its southern metro sibling now, but the growing amount of innovation in the region is setting the stage for a renaissance; an entrepreneurial belt cinched around the midsection of the state, holding it all together."

A great article from @techdotmn featuring the wondering startup community here, in partnership with Great North Ventures! Full article #LinkedInBio