Red Wing Barrell House
Jamie and Mike Bombardier purchased Red Wing Barrel House property in May of 2021. In October their tenant moved out and they opened at the end of November the same year. When you walk into this establishment today you are immersed in Jamie's vision. They are in the business of hospitality. “I started serving cocktails when I was 19. I was going to the University of Minnesota when my parents retired in Las Vegas. I soon moved to Las Vegas and I already had a background in serving cocktails. It made sense to stay in the industry and so I took a job in a nightclub and the rest was history! I worked for the Flamingo Hilton for six years and trained all of the cocktail servers at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in 1995. I had some of the best training available to me in Las Vegas. After all, Las Vegas is the Entertainment Capital of the World and is the best city for a hospitality job. It's all about service, you know, taking care of everybody. It has now been 37 years since I've been in this business. I love this industry so much and I can't imagine ever doing anything else”.
Jamie moved back to Minnesota in 2014 and soon after became an empty nester, when Mike encouraged her to fulfill a vision of her own business, and “nurture something else.” Jamie was always on the lookout for the right property. When they found the Barrel House she thought, “I just love the fact that this was so old… that it was the first established bar in Minnesota and the history there. I wish I could turn into a time traveler and go back and see the Barrel House from the beginning. When I found the property then Covid hit. I watched and waited, so when everything kind of eased up, we're like yep, let's just do it, let's pull the trigger, let's purchase the Barrel House!”
When you first walk into the Barrel House you’ll see a large black and white photograph framed. It is one of the earliest photos taken and was also Jamie’s favorite photo of many they found in the basement when they first looked at buying the building. “This photo gives you a sense of what it might have been like back then. You can see decorative wooden wreaths in the photo which are right here in the front of the bar. We gladly saved the photographs because that's another little piece of history.” This attention to detail shines through in everything Jamie and Mike do. It’s their brand of hospitality that creates the experience patrons come back for.
Asking Jamie to describe the experience she wants their guests to have she said, “Welcoming, comfortable, cozy, friendly, clean and an atmosphere for adults to relax. It's a great place for a date night. We feature live music every weekend. We serve only 21 and over. We have a bar atmosphere but we also serve really great food." Couples traveling to Red Wing and staying at the St. James Hotel, for a weekend getaway can stroll over to the Barrel House for a relaxing, classy, and customer-focused experience.
Jamie and Mike have found Red Wing to be very community oriented and look forward to getting more involved with different opportunities, as their business starts to get more established.
It was a pleasure spending time with Jamie and Mike and getting to know them and their business. You will definitely want to find a date on your busy schedule to make your way to the Barrel House. Invite your friends! Have a date night! You can follow them at Red Wing Barrel House on Facebook where you will find current band schedules and promotions.