Old Abe to add more seating and pickleball spectator area this summer

Jeff Kiger, Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Minn.
·2 min read

Apr. 27—ROCHESTER — Abe Sauer plans to give pickleball fans a "clubhouse" of sorts this summer to watch the action on Cook Park's courts by Old Abe Coffee Co.

Sauer, who owns Old Abe Coffee at 832 Seventh St. NW, will soon revamp a former law office at 828 Seventh St. to make it easier for his customers to enjoy Cook Park.

The plan is to add customer seating inside the 828 building and permanent bleacher-like patio seating between the building and the popular Cook Park pickleball courts. The hope is to have the seating built and available for use later this summer, possibly by late June.

"The idea is that you can take a break from pickleball, grab a drink and sit down here with some people, even if you're not playing pickleball. It will be kind of like a clubhouse or maybe the Cook Park yacht club," said Sauer.

All food and drink will still be made at the main Old Abe site. Once remodeled, the adjacent 71-year-old building will serve primarily as more seating for his vegan restaurant,

doughnut shop

and coffee house.

In addition to seating, the "clubhouse" will offer another needed amenity, particularly for pickleball players and fans.

"We do have bathrooms in here," said Sauer while standing in the 828 building. "A big challenge for pickleball players has been bathrooms with the Cook Park bathrooms often being closed. We'll have bathrooms here that we can monitor and control."

While stopping in the 828 spot, people will also have a chance to see Stephanie Kline's Dirtlings house plants on display. Kline, who is known as a local "plant doctor," has based Dirtlings in the building next to Old Abe's. She sells plants and offers workshops about plant care.

The changes fit with Sauer's original vision for the area, when

he parked his coffee cart and opened Old Abe's in 2017

.

"I hope to create a social space for the neighborhood and Cook Park users. Activating Cook Park will be a goal as it's one of Rochester's best-located parks, on the bike path, and canopied in shade," he wrote in 2016. "... I want to create something distinctly geared for the thousands of younger families in Rochester that often get lost in the food and beverage landscape. I also want to create a fun space for Rochester residents that are NOT focused solely on the downtown and immediate area."