The Parkway Market & Coffeehouse has the right formula

“We are like a natural foods store that also has pop rocks and some of these weird things that no other natural foods store would have,” says Caleb Lauritsen-Norby of The Parkway Market & Coffeehouse of Lanesboro, Minn., “But that mix works,” he states.

Caleb and his partner Blake Lauritsen-Norby purchased the business a couple years ago and opened The Parkway Market & Coffeehouse on January 1, 2017, in the quaint corner building located at 201 Parkway Ave. N. in Lanesboro’s main downtown intersection.  Caleb manages the grocery store as well as a separate online business. 

Caleb grew up near Montevideo, Minn., graduated high school and then attended Gustavus Adolphus College.  He lived in the twin cities for a few years where he worked in tourism, marketing for some of the major tourist attractions such as Mall of America and Valleyfair.

“I had friends in the tourism community up in the twin cities — friends who were always telling me I would love Lanesboro,” states Caleb.  About five years went by and finally he and Blake visited Lanesboro a few years ago.

“We started looking at real estate the next day,” he says.  The couple purchased a farm place outside of Whalan, Minn., thinking it would be a summer-time and weekend retreat. 

“But it didn’t take long for us to figure out that moving full-time is what we wanted to do,” he explains. 

When asked why he wanted to own and manage a grocery store Caleb replied “I had no experience in the grocery business — so maybe that’s been a good thing for figuring out how to make a tiny little store like this work in a tiny little town like Lanesboro,” and it seems he has found a formula that draws customers into the store just to see what they will find next.

“We have to appeal to three different audiences that don’t necessarily overlap a lot — the core natural foods group, which is our main shoppers, the tourists, and then there are other folks that might just need an onion in the middle of dinner and it’s 7 p.m. and we can really save them a lot of time if they can come down here and grab what they need and be back home in five minutes,” explains Caleb. 

“This store is very much a natural foods focus for our local customer base and also in some ways a general convenience store but then I fill in that with things that appeal to tourists like the nostalgic candies here that you don’t see every day or the mix and match craft sodas,” he adds. 

“It seems like just about every week that goes by I start seeing another new face of someone who says, ‘I thought this store was only for tourists,’ or, ‘I wasn’t sure what was here,’” notes Caleb.  “They come in and they think, ‘oh wow, I can get my bananas and my butter and bread here any day of the week,’ and we are here and we are open and we are convenient,” states Caleb.

“I’m kind of a green grocer at heart,” says Caleb, and knows that it would be difficult for people in Lanesboro to get fresh produce during the winter months if not for the produce they provide.  Customers can always find fresh and interesting produce at The Parkway Market & Coffeehouse. 

With a coffee bar installed by a previous owner, Caleb says, “It’s something I’m a big fan of and I’m very particular about,” further explaining, “one of the big driving reasons for us to take over the store was making sure that Lanesboro still had a place you could get good coffee all year round,” which he is very proud of.

“I’m confident now that we have the best cup of coffee in the county, at least, and I think most of our customers would agree with that,” he states.

With quality equipment and quality products, Caleb has introduced customers to the coffee bar and full espresso bar, using fresh roasted coffee beans from Kickapoo Coffee in Viroqua, Wis., who roasts coffee beans for The Parkway Market & Coffeehouse each week, and fresh milk from Kappers Big Red Barn in Chatfield, Minn., among other fresh ingredients.

Some of the drinks offered include a variety of lattes (including chai latte), cappuccino, truffle mocha, frappes and hot chocolate.

The Parkway Market & Coffeehouse also offers tea, either by the cup or in bulk by the ounce.  Caleb works with a direct importer from San Francisco so they get good quality tea.

With over 100 vendors, you can imagine there is a very diverse inventory at The Parkway Market & Coffeehouse.  “We are just so small I have to put a little bit of thought into everything that goes on the shelf but my only rule is that it just has to be something I like because if it doesn’t sell I eat it and we try something different,” says Caleb. 

The variety of items available in the store in so vast it is hard to generalize what you can find there.  Fresh bakery items, fresh dairy products, produce and other staples can be picked up anytime. The freezer section holds different meats, pizzas, and so much more, including lobster tails at last check.

Tin,foil, baggies, napkins, and other household items line the shelves, as well as last minute food items you may need such as pasta, salad dressing and cereal.  Personal hygiene items such as toothpaste, shampoo and soap are available to customers who find themselves running low. 

Having a commercial kitchen the store can also offer freshly made sandwiches, salads in the summer and other fresh food options. 

There has been great support by the people of Lanesboro and the surrounding area according to Caleb.  “Our core business is our local customers who live in Lanesboro or live close by,” he says, adding, “they might not do all their shopping here…but they will fill a cart and get most of their food for the week here,” he states.

Along with running the grocery store Caleb also spends time working on their online business, planetbrick.com.  “We sell Lego parts online — they go all over the world,” he comments.  “We have the best selection of Lego parts in the country,” adds Caleb, so having space upstairs in the building for the online business works very well.  Employees are cross-trained on both businesses to help in any way needed.  The income from planetbrick.com helps tremendously, states Caleb. 

The Parkway Market & Coffeehouse is open 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. seven days a week for the convenience of their customers. For more information phone (507) 467-2500 or visit Facebook.com/ParkwayMarketAndCoffeehouse.