RIVER FALLS — Ground has been broken on a new stop along the Kinnickinnic River as Creamery at Cedar, a three-floor multi-purpose building, is expected to open in the summer of 2027. The building will include a brewery and taproom, kitchen, event space and short-term rental rooms overlooking the river. The property will honor the historic site of the creamery co-op at which it will be constructed.

The building will be located right next to The Garage Bikes+Brews on Cedar Street. That is no coincidence, as the team from the bike shop and bar are a part of the new plans.

Stephanie and Matt Johnson, along with their son Jacob Johnson and his wife Jacqueline, have teamed up with Mike and Ksenia Fuller, Pat and Sam Johnson and Paul Steiner to make up the ownership group.

“This is a bigger project than just The Garage Bikes+Brews,” Jacob said. “It’s a big project. There’s a lot more people involved.”

“The idea for the building is that it continues to be a space that people walk to, bike to because it’s on the path, showcases the Kinnickinnic River,” Stephanie said. “We’re planning to also showcase the history of the actual land. Historically, the creamery co-op was there.”

Stephanie and Matt both grew up in River Falls, graduating high school as part of four generations of family in the area. Jacob and Jacqueline also went to school in River Falls, so the community means a lot to the family.

“It’s home. We grew up here. It’s a small town, but yet it’s closely connected with the metro area,” Stephanie said. “Us providing a legacy in something that when we’re long gone, will continue on. That’s really a big piece of what we’re aiming to do. It’s really exciting doing it with our family.”

The first floor of the property will host The Tandem, a space with a kitchen, brewery and taproom. The full kitchen will be operated by Alinda Suárez and Oscar Hernández of Taqueria Los Paisanos.

“The first floor is going to be kind of the expansion for The Garage Bikes+Brews. It’s going to be called The Tandem. It’s going to have a spot for brewing, taproom, there’s going to be a kitchen,” Jacob said. “We knew the taproom part had to be part of the plan. The rest kind of grew to what we really felt the community needed.”

The Garage Bikes+Brews opened in 2020 and has since grown into a popular stop for people from the city, the area and beyond. That growth was a part of why the family was interested in expansion.

“This has adapted and changed and molded to really fit what the community needed,” Jacob said. “It’s kind of outgrown the space.”

Two years ago, they started to look into plans for what was next. Matt discovered the property across the street from The Garage that was owned by family friends, and the rest was history.

“This is almost a seasonally confined space. There’s large music events, gatherings, all kinds of stuff outside. In the winter time, it really is confined,” Jacob said. “Trying to come up with the best idea that allows us to expand or grow this business. The bike shop is growing, It’s competing with the brewery space.”

Ellis Johnson, Jacob’s brother, recently took the lead full-time as the brewer, and has been renting space up the road as a Band-Aid fix to the need for space. This new 15,700 square foot space will serve as his new playground.

The second floor is an event space that can seat up to 225. It can host a wide range of events from weddings to retirement parties to grad parties, to corporate events. There will be a bar as well as a catering kitchen.

“It’s set up well for weddings, but we anticipate lots of other events,” Jacob said.

The top floor will hold four Airbnb-style rentals. Two will be two-bedroom spots with hot tubs and patios overlooking the river. There will also be two more studio rooms. The Johnson family hopes the rooms can bring more people to the city and fill a gap of need for short-term rentals. The rooms would be advertised to those at the second floor events but could also be rented by families visiting their college students or others that just want a nice weekend checking out the river.

“We also think that we could do some play-and-stay packages that would complement with The Garage. If you want to rent a bicycle, we’re going to have bicycle storage in the apartments,” Matt said.

The history of the creamery is playing a role in the design and the name of the building. Stephanie’s grandfather Marvin Killian hauled milk to that creamery, and Mark has a connection of his own.

“My dad Duane Johnson remembers getting buttermilk from the creamery to feed his pigs at the farm just west of town,” Mark said.

The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation awarded a $250,000 grant to the project. The city is also involved in separate projects to revitalize waterfront access in the area that will benefit The Creamery.

Updates on the construction and eventual opening will be posted on the business’ social media pages. The Johnson family thanked Paul and Luke Steiner and their family at Steiner Plumbing and Electric for their help during the construction process.