Dec. 25—ROCHESTER — Entrepreneurs talk about long hours, staffing woes, building problems, supply chain issues and many more daily difficulties. Unfortunately, many businesses find the negatives eventually outweigh the positives and they end up closing.
About one in five U.S. businesses fail within their first year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The data also shows that the average lifespan of the businesses that do make it past their first anniversary is eight and a half years.
The churn of Rochester businesses opening and shutting down swirls. Here are a few of the businesses that shut their doors for good in 2023: — Pescara: The Nova Restaurant Group closed their popular
Pescara
restaurant at 150 S. Broadway Ave. in late April. Pescara had operated on the street level of the DoubleTree Hotel since 2009.
However, the hotel closed its door to guests in October 2022 to
clear the way for the University of Minnesota to lease floors three to 11 for student housing
for $3.06 million annually from Andy Chafoulias’ Titan Development & Investments, which owns the property. — Fury Motors:
Fury Motors
closed its “premium” late-model used cars and trucks dealership at 1503 U.S. Highway 52 North in early 2023 to consolidate the business with Fury’s South St. Paul location.
Opening the Rochester dealership in 2019 was a full-circle moment for Fury’s founder Red Leonard. Leonard got his start in auto sales in 1953 at Adamson Motors’ Desoto dealership in downtown Rochester. — ABC & Toy Zone: Owners Steve and Rene Nordhus closed down Rochester’s long-time independent toy store,
ABC & Toy Zone,
at the end of May. They sold classic toys and games in Rochester for 30 years. The final location was at 122 17th Ave NW in Rochester’s Miracle Mile Shopping Center.
While Toy Zone closed, Rochester did not end up losing a toy store in the end. Ely, Minnesota-based
Legacy Toys
opened its own “experiential” toy store in October in the former Toy Zone space. — Chez Bojji: After an almost three-year run in the Avalon Building at 301 N. Broadway Ave., Chef Youness and Amber Bojji closed their
restaurant Chez Bojji
in June.
While Chez Bojji closed they are still serving up food for Rochester. Chef Bojii cooks at
507 Pub(lic) House
at 304 First Ave. SW as well as running their own food truck and catering operation — Foodie Paradise. — Fiddlehead Coffee Co.: After six years in Rochester,
Fiddlehead Coffee Co.
closed its two Rochester locations — one in the Avani complex at 1620 West Center St. and one in the Kahler Hotel at 20 Second Ave. SW — as well as a shop in Bloomington. The closure happened in July.
Years of health problems for Fiddlehead co-founder Patrick Phelan contributed to the closing of the coffee shops. Sarah Phelan and her brother-in-law/business partner Patrick Phelan had served coffee, tea, house-made pastries and grab-and-go breakfast and lunch options since 2017. — Nashville Coop:
Nashville Coop,
a spicy chicken sandwich shop, quit cooking at 102 20th Street SE on Sept. 1. Customers could choose between five levels of spiciness ranging from “MN Nice” to “Cluckin’ Hot.”
Marcus Sherels, former Minnesota Vikings defensive back/punt returner, Nick McLaughlin, Twin Cities restaurateur Nabil Ghebre brought the popular Twin Cities spicy chicken brand to Rochester in March 2022. Tyler Cain and Chris Murray were also investors. — Nana Gogo Toybrary: After 15 months of fun and games,
Nana Gogo Toybrary
closed at 2300 Superior Drive Northwest on Nov. 22. The novel toy library business was the brainchild of Pavitra Kumar, who named it after the nicknames of her young twins.
In the closing announcement, Kumar wrote, “Due to heavy financial losses and other unforeseen circumstances, we have made the decision to close. This is the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make. I hope this is not ‘Goodbye,’ but simply ‘So long.'” — Prescott’s: On Nov. 18, Chef Chris Rohe closed
Prescotts, his European-style fine dining restaurant.
It operated at 1201 S. Broadway Ave. in one of Crossroads Shopping Center buildings for 18 years.
Rohe opened Prescott’s in January 2006 in a space previously occupied by Bruegger’s Bagels. “We were very, very busy. After such a long run, I’m ready to retire from the restaurant industry,” said Rohe of the closure. “I’ve been cooking for 37 years. Now is a good opportunity to move on to a new adventure.” — The Well Dining: One of the most unexpected closings of 2023 was the shuttering of Powers Ventures’
The Well Dining
at 255 First Ave. SW in the city-owned Minnesota Biobusiness Center.
It opened in February and closed on Dec. 10. While the family-style restaurant is closed, the Powers family will continue to operate a business in that space. The plan is to reopen as a private event space in early 2024.
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