HIBBING—There’s a new gathering spot coming for people to get together with family, friends, or co-workers on Howard Street in Hibbing.
The Iron House is set to open Thursday at 112 East Howard Street and offers a variety of entertainment for people of all ages.
Owners Rena, her husband Brandon Freeman, and Luke Woeste are planning to introduce their four-level business in stages, with Phase 1 being the main level.
Rena is a Chisholm native and Brandon is originally from Maple Lake, near the Twin Cities. The couple and their two young children moved to the Range from the metro about six years ago, Rena said.
Woeste has owned property here for about 17 years now.
In July the public had an opportunity to tour the business created in a renovated space that once housed Carpet Plaza, following the Hibbing Jubilee parade. Vendors were set up outside the establishment with beverages and food.
“We’ve gotten nothing but support and love from the community,” Rena Freeman, one of the owners said in a recent interview.
The Iron House features food, beverages and a variety of interactive games—something for all ages.
Rena said the food is in partnership with Sunrise Deli in Hibbing, adding she feels there’s no competition between businesses within the community.
“Businesses lift each other up,” she said.
An assortment of 60 to 70 different beverages with a mix of alcoholic and nonalcoholic options are available, and are being served out of cans, Rena noted.
There’s a wall of traditional board, table games near the seating area on the main floor available free of charge.
Access to interactive games are charged by the hour, and there are options for all ages and abilities. The Iron House can accommodate reservations for large groups for special events, parties, and company team building, or you can rent out the whole facility for up to 75 people.
Darts and axe throwing are for ages 12 and up, but there are alternative games for all ages.
The Iron House has four axe throwing lanes outfitted with projected targets, interactive games, and automatic scoring.
There’s also an option to modify the axe lanes with an alternative velcro gaming system that makes it suitable for all ages, and without the sharp tips.
“There’s a lot of games in there, so you can play your traditional target, there’s games similar to Candy Crush on there, duck hunting, finding a puzzle—very interactive,” Rena said of the alternative games played on a velcro board.
The interactive steel tip dart games for 12 and up offer something for all skill levels. Darts at Iron House are particular system called Dartsee, which is imported from Europe and consists of cork dart boards with steel tipped darts. Above the boards is a TV screen that provides the interactive experience.
“You can do the traditional dart board,” Rena said, adding you can also play put, put golf and more.
There are also infinity interactive game tables where people of all ages can play a variety of 50 popular games on a large tabletop screen.
The owners partnered with the City of Hibbing, Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board (IRRRB) to help bring their vision for the property to fruition.
Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation (IRRR) supported the project with a $67,850 Commercial Redevelopment grant to the city of Hibbing that helped pay for interior and exterior demolition, according to a news release from the IRRRB. The total project investment was $492,350.
The owners also were awarded a Business Energy Retrofit (BER) grant and a Downtown Building Rehabilitation (DBR) grant to help make energy efficiency and code compliance upgrades to the building. Energy efficiency improvements were made to the lighting, insulation, windows and doors. Code compliance improvements were related to the electrical, plumbing and mechanical systems, and ADA upgrades.
“The city of Hibbing is excited to see this Howard Street building repurposed and revitalized with a modern-day use,” said Betsy Olivanti, Hibbing community development director is quoted in the IRRRB May newsletter. “We’ve listened to our business community about the challenges they face, and as a result connected The Iron House and others with our regional partners like IRRR and AEOA to help bring downtown buildings back to life. We couldn’t do this without our partners.”
Hours of operation for Iron House are from 4 to 10 p.m. Thursday, 4 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. After 8 p.m. you must be 18.
More details are available online at ironhousemn.com.
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