Our Story
The St. Croix Social Club is currently just a concept, developed by Shari Mogren.
Daughter of Stillwater, and current resident, Shari has revered the river town, and the great outdoors since birth. Shari’s earliest memories involve melting the bottoms of her purple Sorel boots, propped up by a campfire while winter camping in Ely with her family. She has always had a great appreciation for family and friends connecting over a campfire.
Shari’s biggest source of inspiration came from visiting the Humbolt Bay Social Club near Arcata, CA on a cross-country road trip with her husband Andy in the summer of 2018. The HBSC had the best vibe: low-key and family-friendly, and the warm memories of their brief visit stuck with them. While sipping beers on a date to Afton Alps in December 2019, Andy and Shari mused why a ski-in, ski-out type of restaurant was not yet a thing on the St. Croix (or anywhere, really, except a ski hill). The Gateway State Trails created the perfect opportunity for this type of venue, where you could glide up on cross country skis in the winter, or bike up in the summer months. Later in early 2020 on a (pre-Covid) walk down to grab breakfast at the Oasis Cafe, they spied the perfect location for the Social Club: the derelict Shoddy Mills property.
Prototype of the Social Club :) aka the #stcroixsocialclubhouse
Shari has approached the city of Stillwater with the idea to turn the Shoddy Mill property into the St. Croix Social Club. As of late 2020, this is where the conversation stands. The St. Croix Social Club would be a family-friendly, outdoor dining/bar experience on the banks of the St. Croix River. The Social Club is perfect for our post-Covid world: it is an elevated, apres-ski type experience for the whole family to celebrate the outdoors year-round. Guests can socially distance and enjoy a locally-sourced, gourmet picnic basket or meal from one of our food trucks. Sip a hot toddy while reclining on Adirondack chairs or heated cement benches, roast s'mores with their kids around the fire pits. Play a round of horse shoes or just enjoy the view of downtown Stillwater and the St. Croix River from the sweeping boardwalk patio that we’re envisioning. In Minneapolis, Sea Salt Eatery at Minnehaha Falls and Bread and Pickle at the Lake Harriet Bandshell serve as community hubs. We believe the St. Croix Social Club could draw a similar following, with people biking from St. Paul to Stillwater to enjoy a taco and cocktail while overlooking the river.
We are exploring crowd sourcing for our A-Frame Cabana Cabins which would be rentable or membership owned, private a-frame cabins overlooking the St. Croix River. The cabins align with our goal to have the Social Club function as a year-round venue celebrating the outdoors.
