It began with a drive down Main Street

Some months ago, an unnamed higher-up from Duluth Trading Company noticed a vacancy in the heart of historic downtown Red Wing. Then, he had an idea. Why not bring one of Minnesota's most recognizable brands to one of the state's most historic cities?

In July, Duluth Trading Company will open its newest location at 307 Main St. in downtown Red Wing. The move will bring 30 new jobs, a retail store, offices and a call center to Red Wing. To fill those, the company is holding job fairs at Red Wing Ignite. The job fairs, along with on-site interviews, will take place 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. May 18 and 19 and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 20.

On May 9, the Red Wing Housing Redevelopment Authority unanimously approved an $84,000 forgivable loan to pay for necessary environmental remediation to the building, which housed a restaurant that closed several years ago. The $84,000 comes from the Red Wing Port Authority, the city and HRA, but the loan will be managed by the HRA. The loan, which will be completely deferred 10 years and then forgiven, will be paid to Doerflinger Second Century Inc., who purchased the building. Doerflinger will lease the building to Duluth Trading.

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