A St. Paul Coffee Institution Says Goodbye
The Swede Hollow Cafe has poured its final cup after 29 years on East Seventh Street in St. Paul. For nearly three decades, this East Side gathering spot was known for its caramel rolls, its scones, and the kind of neighborly warmth that turns a coffee shop into a community anchor.
The cafe operated inside a 126-year-old building near Swede Hollow Park, a two-story space with a garden fountain and outdoor patio. Ownership changed hands several times over the years, with each new owner inheriting the same beloved recipes. The most recent proprietor, Shirley Yang, took over in the early days of the pandemic and leaned on family to keep the doors open, until a major rent increase made it impossible to continue.
Finn Hollow Brings Finnish Sauna Culture to the Space
The building won't sit empty. Jenny Niemela is opening Finn Hollow, a Finnish-themed coffee shop paired with a sauna-based retreat center, inside the same walls. It's a distinctive concept for the Twin Cities, blending a neighborhood coffee shop with guided sauna and corporate retreats.
Niemela brings real credibility to the idea. She lived in Finland for years and learned sauna culture directly from the experts, and she holds a business degree from the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management. The coffee shop is targeting an October opening, with the sauna side working through permitting now.
Why This Matters for the East Side
Stories like this one say a lot about how Twin Cities neighborhoods evolve. The Swede Hollow block has a long history of reinvention. Decades ago, neighbors restored nearby Victorian homes and worked to bring new life to a struggling stretch of the East Side, and the cafe became part of that comeback.
Now the torch passes to a new kind of gathering space. For longtime residents, that continuity matters. A building that has anchored this corner for over a century is getting a fresh chapter rather than a vacancy, which is a healthy sign for any Minnesota main street. [INTERNAL LINK: relevant Twin Cities community or neighborhood blog post]
And the Swede Hollow story isn't fully over. The team plans to keep its recipes alive through catering and pop-ups around the Twin Cities, so those caramel rolls may still find you at a community event or two.
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