As far as I know, the HideAway Coffeehouse and Wine Bar is still the only eating and drinking establishment in downtown Northfield to offer sidewalk dining, including serving wine and beer.
I stopped by to chat with co-owner Jim Spaulding earlier today and I asked him why others had not tried it. The ordinance has been on the books since 2008. He didn’t know and neither do I.
See all the sidewalk dining-related blog posts going back to 2006.
Timely post, Griff -I didn’t realize this. I was just commenting to my husband about how nice it would be to dine al fresco now that the weather is getting warmer. Guess this is another discovery for the new Northfielders…limited outdoor dining!
Rebecca, there are several Northfield eating and drinking establishments that have outdoor dining with tables and chairs, serving alcohol, but not SIDEWALK dining. Downtown ones that come to mind: The Tavern, Chapati, The Cow, Froggy Bottoms, B & L’s Pizza.
Others: Ole Store Restaurant, Northfield Golf Club’s Spring Creek Grille, George’s Vineyard.
Am I missing others?
I would say the current configuration of Division Street makes me grateful not everyone is doing it. Sidewalk dining brings a lot of livelihood to the street — but I’ll admit that I’ve been occasionally annoyed having to go around the Hideaway’s flowery little divider, especially when there are other obstructions on the sidewalk. That’s not to say they should stop doing it, but I certainly hope wider sidewalks can be accommodated in any future design of Division Street downtown. Near as I can tell, we could add at least three feet of space with no impact on driving space if we could just teach people how to park ;).
I’d heard a rumor the Ole Store was going to build a deck this season, but there are no signs of anything yet. The previous coffeeshop incarnation did have small tables out on their front stoop area, but nothing like that now.
I wish more establishments had outdoor seating & dining. Now that our offices (Coldwell Banker South Metro http://www.CBSouthMetro.com are downtown, I love to see people sitting and dining outside. It is fun to walk up and down Division street and stop to visit with diners, street musicians, break dancers and so much more. Not only does outdoor dining allow folks to dine in the open air it brings out a greater sense of community.
In the summer & fall I would love to see Division St. shut down to vehicular traffic a couple nights a month. Shops could bring their wares out into an open air market, diner could eat outisde, local performers could showcase their talents in the streets, the farmers market could be open and the list goes on and on.