WaskaVillage Frequently Asked Questions

What is WaskaVillage?

    • WaskaVillage is a “village” of tiny shops. We have one larger building with bathrooms and a central checkout. There are also 10 small buildings connected with sidewalk. The area will be fenced in for safety and allow us to operate efficiently without staff at every building.

Who are we?

    • WaskaVillage was founded in 2021 by Jayme and Patrick Baker of Long Beach, MN. 
    • Jayme was born & raised in Morris. Patrick is originally from the East coast (Maine and New Hampshire) but has lived in Minnesota since 2001. We have four kids: Max, Madison, Cassidy & Brittney. Jayme has worked for Marthaler Automotive since 2012, but her Glenwood roots go back a lot farther than that.
    • Jayme's parents, Jay and Judy Juergensen are also a huge part of WaskaVillage. Judy is a recently “retired” Horizon (Pope County) Public Health Nurse who will spend every minute she can helping us (so not really retired), and we pretty much let her call the shots in return. Jay is all in as long as we keep “Whiskey Weather” shirts in stock in his size. Jay and Judy had their first date at Lakeside at a mutual friend’s wedding.
    • Judy’s parents (Jayme's grandparents) Ray & Carol (Landwehr) Terhaar are originally from Glenwood/Sedan and had their first date at Lakeside as well! They recently celebrated a 69th wedding anniversary, and currently reside in Brooklyn Park.
    • Pat’s mom, Carol Ward, relocated to Glenwood in October from South Carolina and we are so happy to have her here.

Where did you get this idea?

    • It was the spring of 2020, Covid was forcing us all to stay inside and fear our own shadows, and Jayme was really bored. Jayme is an only child. Really bored only children have weird ideas. But in a nutshell, she was trying to figure out a way to shop and social distance. Also, we personally think we have one of the greatest lake communities, and adding a business that can adapt and compliment many of the other GREAT existing businesses we already have in Glenwood can be a huge asset to our community. We also hope we can be a springboard for new businesses down the road, giving them a way to start out without worrying about staff, insurance, point of sale systems; all the things that can be scary if you haven’t done it before (and learn as they go).

Will separate businesses be in each building?

    • Initially, we are filling them all with inventory, but each store will have a theme. For example, the list right now (it changes as we get feedback) is:
      • Boutique,
      • Sweatshirt shop,
      • Candy Store,
      • Men’s shop,
      • Beach shop,
      • Home Décor,
      • Shoe Store,
      • Toys & Games….
    • Down the road, we are very interested in consignment and leasing buildings, but we really want to work the kinks out and get a clear idea of how that looks since this is a pretty unique concept.
    • Keeping WaskaVillage fresh is a huge priority! We want to change based on requests.

Is there a charge to enter?

    • Nope, absolutely no admittance fee.

Will there be refreshments?

    • Our kitchen is open daily from 11am-2pm.
    • We serve ice cream during store hours.
    • We would like to add beer and wine.

Will there be other things to do?

    • Pat has been searching for fun ideas and unique outdoor games. We stock a few samples we will keep out for sure, like giant Jenga, and ladder golf, but we also want to build some unique large-scale games, maybe battleship, or Chess/Checkers.
    • Depending on space we have thought about a few minigolf holes along the fence, and maybe a putting green.
    • We hope to be able to host food trucks, or some live music. We’d LOVE to be able to do fun movie nights outside if the noise situation isn’t disruptive to the neighbors.
    • We have so many ideas, and just want to make a place you can visit when your kids are bored, or you need a last-minute gift, or a light lunch.

When are you open?

    • We are open Monday- Tuesday 10-4pm, Wednesday 10-6pm, Thursday-Saturday 10-4pm, and Sunday 10-3pm.
    • Our hours will change seasonally.

Where do I park?

    • We are putting a row of parking on Pearl Street (the road next to the Grandstay Hotel) as soon as the weather allows. For now, your best place to park in on Minnesota Ave, in front of the main building.

Will you be open year-round?

    • Yes, we plan to be open year-round. Our hours will probably be reduced in the winter, but we would really like to keep as many of the buildings open as we can. Ok, mostly Jayme really wants to make the place into a Christmas Village, but who wouldn’t? Judy has been shopping for giant inflatable snow globes you can stand in to take photos.