Aaron Vanderwall told the Sun Patriot he could picture himself "maybe slinging beers at a brew pub in retirement," but never owning one. Then Waconia Brewing Co. went up for sale, and he and Kelly Vanderwall bought the business at 255 West Main Street. They had been regulars for years.
That sale follows a pattern in downtown Waconia this year. Places that could have gone dark mostly changed owners or moved down the block. The people taking over already had ties to them: a returning brewer, a pastry chef from the next building over, restaurant owners who live in Carver County. Main Street is still filling back in this fall. In the meantime, most of the dated fall events in Waconia are at the wineries and orchards outside downtown.
The brewery that closed, sold, and is getting ready again
Waconia Brewing Co. opened in 2014 and became a central meeting place on Main Street. Its founders closed it on January 31, 2026, while they kept looking for a buyer, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune.
The Vanderwalls moved to Waconia in 2021. They first came out from Plymouth in 2018 for the Carver County Fair. Kelly Vanderwall said the DeLange family first approached them in January, and the couple said no thanks at first. Then they decided they couldn't pass it up. The new owners aren't starting from scratch. Dru DeLange is back as head brewer, several part-time staff are returning, and the plan keeps the Waconia Brewing Company name. Trivia nights and the Don't Worry Be Hoppy fun run are expected to return, and the taproom will add non-alcoholic drinks.
The paperwork has moved forward. The City Council's July 20, 2026 agenda listed Waconia Brewing Company for a sidewalk café license, along with liquor and taproom license resolutions. The owners' own target for reopening was "probably by Nickle Dickle Day," which fell on September 19. As of early October, the brewery's website still says "We're brewing up something new!" and promises the site and beer "soon." Check the brewery's own channels before you plan a Friday around a pint there.
The bakery that moved off Main, and the candy shop that moved in
The second handoff happened inside one family's businesses. Greg and Bria James moved Bakery On Main to 125 West First Street and renamed it Bakery Off Main. It now runs out of Bode Gray's, which serves pizza and Italian at night and works as a bakery, breakfast and lunch spot during the day. James told the Sun Patriot the new space is bigger and gets used all day instead of only at dinner. It also sets up cross-promotion with the speakeasy downstairs, The Brass Hat.
The menu now goes past pastries and cookies to hot breakfast, sandwiches, salads and soups, for dining in or taking out. The baker is ScotLynn Sievers, a Waconia native. She ran a home cottage bakery called Sievers Sweets and was pastry chef at Bode Gray's and at the Green Fox Grille at Island View Golf Club.
Crystal Jensen took the old bakery space at 136 West Main Street for Coney's Candies, an old-fashioned candy store and soda shop. The building also gives a storefront to her gourmet cotton candy business, Candie Clouds. The name refers to Coney Island of the West on Lake Waconia, a couple of blocks from Main Street. The City Council approved a façade improvement and startup grant for the build-out. Waconia City Lifestyle covered the shop in June 2026 and described Swedish candy, ice cream and "dirty" sodas. Customer reviews show Coney's open by late July.
One block over, Uproot Cafe at 44 W 1st Street serves specialty coffee, refreshers, smoothies and fresh-baked goods, with an order-ahead menu. The Waconia Chamber welcomed it in its August 2026 newsletter.
The restaurant still marked "coming soon"
The biggest addition is still on the way. Olive & Elm is going into the Wilford, the 92-unit apartment building between Olive and Elm streets at 140 South Elm Street. The restaurant space is on the Olive side at Second Street. Plans call for 130 to 140 seats inside and room for about 50 more on the patio.
The owners are brothers Pete and Phil Hoff, who have run NOLO's Kitchen & Bar in Minneapolis' North Loop for nine years. Phil lives in Chaska and Pete in Victoria. Pete Hoff told the Sun Patriot that many people this far out aren't willing to drive downtown for dinner, so they're bringing the restaurant to them. He pointed to how the North Loop grew into a dining district once more housing arrived. He expects something similar "on a more modest level" in Waconia, and wants dishes with names "that my grandmother can pronounce."
The Wilford's own site forecast a late summer 2026 opening. The Business Journal reported the project in May. As of October 4, the restaurant's website still says "coming soon." It lists lunch and dinner daily, weekend brunch and catering, and has an employment application up.
Where things stand this week
- Open: Bakery Off Main at Bode Gray's, 125 W First St
- Open: Coney's Candies, 136 W Main St
- Open: Uproot Cafe, 44 W 1st St
- New owners, reopening not yet confirmed: Waconia Brewing Co., 255 W Main St
- Still "coming soon": Olive & Elm at the Wilford, 140 S Elm St
Getting downtown also involves a road project. Carver County's Highway 10 resurfacing runs from Highway 5 to about a quarter mile west of Highway 43. It started in mid-August and is scheduled through the end of October 2026. The work adds ADA curb ramps, trail and sidewalk connections, and raised medians. Segments 1 and 3 are open with permanent striping. Curb and pedestrian ramp work continues on segment 2, and the county says access to local businesses will stay open.
The fall calendar, outside downtown
Main Street is still refilling, and most dated fall events are on the roads out of town. Here they are in order, all with 2026 dates.
October
- Oct. 7, 4–8 p.m.: Hope in Style, a fall fashion show and market at Schram Vineyards, 8785 Airport Road.
- Oct. 7–9, 14–16 and 21–23, 4–9 p.m.: Fall Fire Wine evenings at Sovereign Estate Winery, 9950 North Shore Road.
- Oct. 8–18: The Chamber's Scarecrow Tour at participating businesses around Waconia.
- Oct. 17, 1–8 p.m.: Empanadas Del Sur food truck at Schram.
- Oct. 24, 11 a.m.–10 p.m.: Sovereign's Bonfire Chili Fest. Traveled Ground plays until 3, Deep Roots until 6, then the bonfire is lit and 73 Paces plays 7 to 10. No outside food or drinks are allowed.
- Oct. 29, 6–8 p.m.: Grater Good Class: Spooky Cheeses at Schram.
November
- Nov. 4 and 5, 4–8 p.m.: Locally Crafted Sip & Shop at Schram.
- Nov. 7, 9 a.m.–4 p.m.: D.E.A.R., Divas Enjoying Awesome Retail, at participating Waconia shops.
- Nov. 14 through Dec. 31: Old Fashioned Christmas pop-up at Bonfire & Barrel at Schram.
- Nov. 21, 4–9 p.m.: The Spirit of Winter opens at Sovereign, with more than 20 acres of lights.
- Nov. 27, 6–6:30 p.m.: Tree Lighting in City Square Park, 51 S Pine St.
- Nov. 28, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.: Homespun Holiday shopping around town.
Two things run on a weekly schedule. Deardorff Orchards has its 2026 apple season on Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 6. It shares 8280 Parley Lake Road with Parley Lake Winery, which books live music most weekends in October and holds Peace at Parley on several Saturday mornings at 10:30. Sovereign also runs an Autumn Weekday Lunch Special, Tuesday through Friday from noon to 3, through November 20.
Schram is a good place for a beer while Main Street waits. The standalone Schram Haus Brewery in Chaska closed December 28, 2025, and its beer moved to the Waconia winery, where Bonfire & Barrel now pours it. When Waconia Brewing reopens, Waconia will have two places pouring local beer again: one on Airport Road and one on Main Street.
If you own a home within walking distance of Main Street, the brewery reopening, Coney's Candies and Olive & Elm's eventual opening all change what buyers will see on a stroll downtown. Greg Winegarden Group tracks these openings block by block and can tell you how they factor into your home's value today. Request Your Free Home Valuation.
