From the barrooms to the mayor's office, the thought came to people at different times and in different ways, but most agreed: Something interesting seemed to be brewing in St. Paul's Lowertown area.
But a vibrant downtown scene? Really?
Mayor Chris Coleman declared it so Tuesday during a news event announcing formation of the Lowertown Entertainment District, a non-profit group now dedicated to promoting happenings in the neighborhood at the eastern edge of downtown.
For the mayor, a turning point in Lowertown's evolution into an entertainment hub came two months ago, he said, when he attended a jazz festival at Mears Park and then crossed E. 6th Street to help tend bar at the new Barrio tequila bar.
The city always knew it had a beautiful park, Coleman said. Now, it had a thriving entertainment scene, too, he said.
Dawn Ledin, owner of Station 4, a live-music venue a block from Mears Park, saw some potential for excitement two years ago when Rumours & Innuendo, a gay bar, opened next door. "Ooh," Ledin recalled thinking then. "There's going to be more down here."
At the Hat Trick Lounge, the area's oldest venue, Larry Englund, who books acts there, said he, like the mayor, saw the addition of Barrio as a nightlife game-changer. By being next door to the Bulldog, he said, Barrio helped build a "critical mass" of bars, restaurants and clubs in the area.
While the formal rollout of the district came Tuesday, collaborative efforts such as shuttle rides to Minnesota Wild and RollerGirls tilts have been occurring for months.
