What makes Eagan, MN a great place to be?
You can’t beat this location in the Twin Cities. I tell out-of-towners that we are 15 minutes from anything you’d ever want: transportation, healthcare, entertainment; the list goes on. Even though this is a booming suburb, it really does have a sense of hometown pride and community and is very inclusive of the surrounding suburbs as well.
Is there anything particular about your community that you love being a part of?
We are passionate about being in the heart of Eagan and representing the HEART of Eagan. We waive our conference room rental fees during the day to nonprofits and close at 5pm in order for our space to be used in the evenings. We give donations and come alongside many organizations that already have a strong presence in our region. We are partnered with Common Ground, a non-profit that is all about bringing people together to find hope. That allows us to host evening recovery support groups, a bible study, and other community education and support events: Mental Health 101, Haiti disaster relief, Speed Dating, Motorcycle Blessing, etc. We care about the foster care system and host Foster Minnesota’s monthly support groups. We also host a quarterly Memorial Blood Drive that has consistently donated 100 units, potentially saving around 300 lives. We have featured a number of local artists in our boutique, many of whom give back to the community as well.
What brought you to Eagan?
My family moved to Eagan in 2001 for work and have lived in a few different towns in Dakota County since then. We attended church and worked in Eagan since moving here. I am a chaplain with the Eagan Police Department and have felt the greatest sense of compassion and belonging here.
When you set out to start your brick-and-mortar business, what was at the heart of your mission?
We wanted to be a home away from home for locals as well as people passing through, a different kind of meeting space, boutique, and coffee haus. We intentionally laid out our space with conference rooms and lots of conversation-friendly seating. We try to keep the temperature just right, our prices reasonable, and music quiet enough that you never have trouble hearing. We want this to be the place to find that unique gift for any occasion or yourself, so we have baby and children’s items, household, apparel and accessories, as well as lots and lots of gifts. We try to have something in every price range (we have $30-$350 purses) and most of our gifts range from $7-$35.
What is your most popular drink?
We have a secret menu (found online) that is full of THE BEST flavor combinations, which people love, but our Cafe Miel and Smoothies (try Pina Colada) are probably what we’re best known for. Our menu is full of light food options and the Renate Kasebrote, a toasted open faced German sandwich, is hands down our signature dish.
Where did you get the name of your business?
Vendella is our daughter’s name. It is of Swedish origin (Marcy’s origin) and means “Beautiful Adventure” with roots in the Vendel era in Scandinavia. It is said Ven-dell-uh.
Why is Vendella a fun place to work and socialize?
When we hire baristas at Vendella, we feel like we can teach anyone how to make great coffee. We care more about how they express their love of people. We have found our employees appreciate that we offer flexible schedules, a family atmosphere where you feel cared for, and lots of laughter.
