From bait shop to burger joint: Beaver House Grill plans take shape in Grand Marais

Beaver flicks, burgers, and “Dam Good Juice” will be a few of the items sold at the Beaver House Grill, a new restaurant opening in Grand Marais in the coming years.

Owners Kaylee and Immanuel Thompson purchased the Beaver House building from Kaylee’s father, Tyson Cronberg, earlier this year and will soon begin renovations to transform the building from a bait shop into a restaurant and gift shop.

“We both love the Beaver House. The Beaver House is an iconic building, and we’ve been thinking about it for years,” Kaylee said.

She said, “So when it was time for us to decide what should we do with it, we knew that we needed to kind of evolve with the times and try to make it so it’s something that more people can enjoy.”

Starting later this winter, Immanuel, who is a general contractor, will begin renovation work on the interior and exterior of the Beaver House building. The project will be broken into two phases, with the Thompsons planning to open a gift shop in the front section of the building during the summer of 2026. Phase two will include the restaurant with an anticipated opening the following year, in summer 2027.

Beaver House | Photo by Kalli Hawkins

The restaurant in the beginning will be a “fast-casual-like burger joint,” said Immanuel. Then, the Thompsons plan to expand the restaurant’s menu in the following years.

“People come back to places that produce good food. So we would like to get known as a place and a destination in town where people want to come and bring them joy,” Immanuel said.

Situated on the corner of Broadway Avenue and Wisconsin Street, the Beaver House has been a fixture in downtown Grand Marais since the 1960s, when the Cronberg family started the business.

Having grown up in the Beaver House, where she spent countless hours helping the family business by bagging leeches and worms, Kaylee said she hopes to weave the business’s long-held legacy into the atmosphere and menu of the new Beaver House Grill.

“We definitely want to incorporate the history into it,” Kaylee said.

The menu will feature items like the Beaver Burger, the North Shore Burger, and more. The gift shop will also include beaver flicks, one of the Beaver House’s main staples, invented by Kaylee’s uncle.

“We’re going to keep it the Beaver House and the murals and try to keep the history intact as best we can,” Kaylee said.

Another item included on the menu will be “Dam Good Juice.” Immanuel’s family owns an apple orchard in central Minnesota, and they are working on the licensing to sell the family-crafted juice in the new Beaver House Grill. “I think it’s going to be a very good product. I think people will love it, because it’s 100% natural. It’s all organic,” he said.

As the Thompsons undertake interior and exterior construction projects, a portion of their work is supported by a recently approved Cook County/Grand Marais Economic Development Authority (EDA) business development grant. In September, the EDA approved a $10,693 grant to support renovations of the building.

The grant will allow the Thompsons to install windows on the south-facing facade of the building and other upgrades, such as a new door and flooring. Over the past couple of years, the Beaver House has undergone minor renovations after the City of Grand Marais leased the space as a temporary liquor store while the new city hall was being constructed.

Rendering of the Beaver House interior

Two of the exterior projects yet to be finalized are the fate of the large walleye, created by artist Jim Korf, and the mural on the south side of the building, painted by Lyle Saethre.

Before any action is taken, the Thompsons said they want to hear from the community about how to use, repurpose, or preserve those historical pieces.

“So we’re going to actually ask the community a lot of questions and see what their feedback is before we make an ultimate decision on those,” Immanuel said.

Kaylee said, “So, regardless, we want to keep the history. We’re not going to just get rid of that kind of stuff.”

With the building having been in her family for more than 80 years and long valued by the community, Kaylee said that taking over the business in a new way feels especially meaningful to her.

“I grew up with that sense of community, and to see how special the Beaver House is to the community,” Kaylee said. “I think that definitely influenced me in wanting to keep it alive.”

WTIP’s Kalli Hawkins spoke with Beaver House Grill owners Kaylee and Immanuel Thompson about their plans for the new business and what it means to continue a family legacy. The audio from the interview is below.

Listen to archived WTIP ‘Moments in Time’ about the Beaver House here.

Kalli Hawkins December 11, 2025