In Business: The Yard In Pequot Lakes Caters To Coffee And Sports Lovers Alike

A new business recently opened its doors in Pequot Lakes that is combining two unique focuses, coffee and baseball.

In Minnesota, the winter weather seems to shorten baseball and softball teams’ seasons every year. A new business in Pequot Lakes is hoping to change that.

“Every team in the area, their only place to practice in the winter is on a basketball court, and that’s basketball season. So they’re already fighting for hours there, so we wanted a place where this is theirs,” said The Yard owner Kent Johnson.

The Yard and Grounds Crew Coffee opened earlier this year on Mother’s Day and combines an indoor baseball and softball training facility and a coffee shop.

The idea for The Yard and Grounds Crew Coffee came when the owners, the Johnsons, moved from Omaha, Nebraska to the Pequot Lakes area around three years ago and there were not any year-round baseball training facilities.

“When you go down to the Twin Cities there’s a facility like this every 20 miles. To finally get one up in the Brainerd Lakes Area and to have one in Pequot here is huge for the baseball community for sure,” said Brian Voigt, CLC head baseball coach and The Yard camp instructor.

The Johnsons decided to add a coffee shop to the training facility because they wanted to make it a place where parents would enjoy coming to, and staying at, while their children are practicing.

“My wife was tired of drinking soda fountain pop and stale pretzels at all of them and there’s nothing for the moms and dads there,” added Johnson. “So we wanted to kind of have so that the moms and dads were wanting to bring their kids so they had an option for them, too.”

The Yard is more than just a business – it is a place where kids of all ages can come and be active, no matter the weather outside.

“I think the impact is huge. I just think it’s going to be real beneficial to the community and just in baseball in general and softball. It’s a great area for baseball and softball. This just adds to it,” added Voigt. “One more avenue to get going.”