Tradehome Shoes wants to build a new headquarters and distribution center in Cottage Grove, Minnesota. The plan would turn a vacant 13-acre site at the northeast corner of Jamaica Avenue and 100th Street into a 165,000-square-foot building. It’s one of the more notable business expansions proposed in the Twin Cities east metro this fall.
What Tradehome Shoes Is Proposing
The building splits into:
- 142,000 square feet of warehouse space
- 23,000 square feet of offices
Loading areas would sit on the east side, with a patio on the north end. The exterior calls for precast concrete panels, glass and rust-colored metal paneling.
City staff told the planning commission that all code standards for architectural materials have been met and that the design fits the surrounding business park. Two access points are planned off Jamaica Avenue, one for trucks and one for general traffic. The company is also exploring a shared entrance with the existing 100th Street access on the neighboring Airgas property to help trucks move through the site.
A Hometown Company Choosing to Stay
Tradehome Shoes was founded in 1921 by Al Mains and Cecil Ginsberg and had 130 stores as of 2024. Its Twin Cities locations include Cottage Grove, Woodbury, Roseville, Bloomington, Eden Prairie and Hopkins. The company currently operates at 8300 97th Street in Cottage Grove.
When a company outgrows its building, leaving the city is always on the table. Tradehome is choosing to stay. Up to 82 people would work at the new location across two shifts, with about 58 on the peak day shift. Since this is a relocation within Cottage Grove, expect many of those positions to be existing staff moving to the new building rather than all new hires.
How the City of Cottage Grove Is Involved
The Cottage Grove Economic Development Authority has an agreement to buy the site from its current owner, WAG Farms. The EDA would then transfer the property to THS Overtime LLC, a Tradehome Shoes entity. That structure gives the city a direct role in making the project happen.
On September 28, the Cottage Grove Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval of the site plan. One commissioner called the project a sensible plan in a good location. The City Council is tentatively scheduled to consider it on October 21, and residents who want to weigh in can follow the agenda on the city’s website.
What It Means for Cottage Grove and the East Metro
Projects like this shape how a city grows. A company headquarters filling a long-vacant parcel signals that Cottage Grove’s business park is drawing real investment, not just warehouses passing through. Weekday workers on site can also mean more traffic for nearby restaurants and service businesses.
For anyone tracking growth in Washington County, this is worth watching alongside other east metro development. For more local coverage, see [INTERNAL LINK: Cottage Grove neighborhood guide or recent east metro development post].
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