If you haven’t been to Lanesboro since early this year, you may not have had a chance to hit up Paddle on Coffee and Makers Emporium. That’s a shame because it’s an awesome space. On paper, its beautifully designed interior creates a warm and inviting atmosphere. Owners, Ryan and Allie Palmer are a couple of “bean-heads” and they source really high quality coffee, from growth to roast to extraction; the food is provided by the Driftless Trading Post so it’s all farm-to-table within 50 miles of Lanesboro. It’s got great coffee, great food and the space is great. Tick, tick, tick.

But Ryan and Allie want to do more than just make great coffee and great food. Their goal is to create a space for the community to gather. That is at the heart of their mission to be a place for the community and that shows in how they conduct their business. They host regular gatherings of community groups based on interests. Poets meet the second Thursday of the month, fiber artists meet every Wednesday. Parents of young kids can’t get enough of Toddler Tuesdays, and transplants like your humble, neighborhood author, can meet Saturday mornings. This commitment to the community goes even further - If you would like to reserve and rent their amazingly redesigned backroom for a private party, that’s available!

And if that wasn’t enough, Paddle On is unofficially the spot for Christmas Cheer! The Palmers are pulling out all the stops to make sure you and your whole family have a place to feel the Christmas spirit. Live music is being planned on both the 9th and 16th of December (details below). In a colab to end all collabs, they teamed up with Leafy Legacy farms for a Tea Party on the 30th, (Reservations required). If you have kiddos, be sure to swing by Paddle On on New Years Eve as they celebrate not once, but thrice in conjunction with New Year celebrations across the globe. Ring in the New Year with Cape Verde (at 7 PM), Iceland (at 8 PM) or Brazil (at 9 PM) and then the kiddos can still get to bed at a reasonable hour.