ANOKA, Minn. (FOX 9) - Anoka is launching the first "social district" in Minnesota on Wednesday, allowing patrons to buy and drink alcohol in public — but only in designated areas.
The social district will encompass part of Anoka's downtown, including designated sidewalks and parks where people aged 21 and over can drink alcohol. Participating bars include Ambi Wine Bar, MaGillycuddy’s Irish Pub, and 10K Brewing among others.
Canvas Rebel - We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jess Pratt a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Jess, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?
Jess and Ythan Pratt wanted to help reinvigorate their community and they spent three years brainstorming ideas for how they might do so. One day it clicked – we were both personally passionate about wine and we wanted to do something that would build upon the momentum of Anoka, MN’s historic downtown district. As we conducted research for the concept, there was a gap in the wine category in the area and overall the wine category was rapidly growing.
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Charcuterie Board at Ambi Wine Bar in Anoka, Minnesota
Today we’d like to introduce you to Jess and Ythan Pratt. Them and their team share their story with us below:
Jess and Ythan Pratt founded Ambi Wine Bar with a shared vision of contributing to the growth and development of our community. They aimed to offer a one of a kind wine bar experience in Anoka with a warm ambiance. Centered around community partnerships, Ambi Wine Bar pairs the world’s greatest wines with local flavors from Main Street businesses in Anoka including Truffles & Tortes and Lyric Arts Main Street Stage.
When opening their doors in the Spring of 2019, Ambi Wine Bar aimed to maintain the “Classic Anoka” vibe but with a modern twist. More importantly, the wine bar complements Anoka’s existing lineup of local businesses while filling a void in the historic downtown entertainment district – a destination for you to discover wine!
Today their goal remains to help cultivate Anoka’s forward progress, bringing more people into the area and ultimately introduce more people to the town they love. For tourists, Ambi provides respite after a day of shopping the city’s many antique and boutique stores or after a night at the theater. For locals, Ambi Wine Bar is a meet-up space for friends taking part in the city’s many traditions and a front porch for Anoka’s downtown events
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