NORWOOD YOUNG AMERICA, Minn. - What's the best part about a home decor and gift store, filled to the brim with everything from antique to modern finds?
It has a cafe, so you don't have to leave if your stomach starts to growl.
The Mill House Cafe and Coffeehouse allows visitors to not rush their shopping experience at a renovated, former feed mill in Norwood Young America.
Owner Sue Samuelson's menu includes breakfast plus hot and cold sandwiches ranging from $5.95 to $7.95. It has wraps, salads, homemade soup, pizza, extras -like buffalo wings and bruschetta -and homemade desserts.
"It's healthy and tasty," Samuelson said. "I know it's good because the plates come back empty."
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Also offered are hot and cold drinks, including espresso and signature drinks, plus a wine list.
Seating for 27 is made ofpolished wood or granite table tops, nestled among jewelry, greeting cards, chocolates and wall art.
Seating is near one of four fireplaces built by Samuelson's husband, Pat, that heat the old mill. Customers may eat outside on a deck or patio overlooking Young America Lake when the weather allows.
The cafe is in what was the mill's warehouse. The ceiling above the cafe is made from reclaimed wood from a barn in South Dakota.An opening in the ceiling gives diners a glimpse of the items for sale upstairs and original signs from the mill attached to the inside of the steel roof.
Their most popular sandwich, Bill's Mill, is named after a former manager of the mill from the 1930s. Samuelson and three employees say they've seen Bill's ghost. Other spirits have also been spotted.
"He's such a strong presence in the mill- we better honor him," she said.
Samuelson knew she wanted a cafe when she bought the mill. With more than 13,000 square feet of retail space, her vision is that the old mill will be a destination spot. Visits can run about three hours.
Inside is a full-service floral shop, The Flower Mill, owned by Samuelson's long-time friend, Karen Hallquist. The shop specializes in wedding and sympathy expressions.
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Samuelson runs The Mill House, the cafe and The Pub.The Pub, open Saturday nights, serves beer, wine and the full cafe menu while patrons enjoy live music from Minnesota artists. Performances begin at 8 p.m. Artist schedules are announced on The Mill House's Facebook page. With tables Pat made from barn wood, The Pub seats 45 and may be rented for private parties. It's used for overflow seating from the cafe during the rest of the week.
The mill also has a retail stone and custom rustic furniture shop. Pat, a stone mason by trade, is making a line of furniture from barn wood that Samuelson helps him design.
The couple bought the old mill in 2003, after living across the street from it for years while it sat vacant.
"It was our neighborhood," Samuelson said.
Originally built in 1865 as a saw and grist mill, it was most recently known as the Bachmann Feed Mill. The Samuelsons sold their collection agency to run it.
With help from staff, they cleaned every nook and cranny and took care to preserve the mill's history as they remodeled.
"'You've got to see this place,' that's what they say," said Samuelson. "...I like it because we get company every day."
