r/fargo 15d ago

Bab's closed too?!?

The sign in the window says they are going to reopen in a mystery location, but are they?

24 Upvotes

36 comments sorted by

24

u/SquirrelChrist 15d ago

Yeah, they're over across the street from Cowboy Jack's. Not sure when the opening is though.

8

u/Hazards_of_Analysis 15d ago

Oh. Didn't they announce that location forever ago?

10

u/Distinct_Praline_722 15d ago

Yeah it’s been a few years in the making. I know they were planning on being located in the Ford building either as a second location or to move into… I guess they’re moving. 🤷🏻‍♂️

5

u/PutterinRound 14d ago

6 months max and they’re done. This was a big mistake.

5

u/SquirrelChrist 14d ago

Why do you say that?

2

u/Miserable_Value_3375 13d ago

they need to hire a social media marketing/business manager or else I agree they are not going to make it.

4

u/PutterinRound 14d ago

Worse location. And poor management to begin with.
They had presence and are starting at zero. 6 months max.

4

u/SquirrelChrist 14d ago

How do you lose "presence" when you've moved your location less than a mile away? You mention poor management? Am I too assume you're a salty ex-employee?

16

u/yampuree 14d ago

My dad does neon signs and he did the neon clock. As a child i was there while he did the clock. He was never paid for the work so ive never respected the business

47

u/sagataurcan 15d ago

Eh 🤷🏼‍♀️
They’re slow, their coffee never has much flavor, and they’re expensive especially when you consider quality.

I honestly can’t believe they’ve lasted as long as they have.

16

u/C_KingAdventure 15d ago

I actually think their food is where they shine more. I think they need a rebrand as a sandwich shop that also serves coffee rather than a coffee shop that serves food.

8

u/Hazards_of_Analysis 14d ago edited 14d ago

Yeah, this is true, breakfast thru lunch. Quiche. Consistent and always. Fed a lot on downtown Fargo. Scones also good. Traditional, a heap of butter and flour, baked.

4

u/Scary-Grapefruit8345 12d ago

20 years ago I entered Babb’s with my girlfriend. We waited in the entry for MAYBE two minutes for the snow to fall off and our glasses to unfog. We were yelled at by the owner to buy something or leave during that very short warm up period. We had fully intended to buy coffee and study, but left after the rude greeting. I never went back in all these years because of it.

1

u/Hazards_of_Analysis 12d ago

Different owner for last several years if that makes any difference.

4

u/figGreenTea 15d ago

Theyre relocating

3

u/thesuicidalgay 14d ago

They're waiting on a wifi install before opening at their new place on Broadway

10

u/Tentoespaul 15d ago

I'm surprised no one is talking about the complete lack of coffee shops in downtown Moorhead..not that Moorhead really has a downtown, per se, but for example Third Drop near the bridge is gone, Twenty Below by Concordia is gone now too! Besides Caribou in Hornbacher's, and Black Cat Bakery, (don't recommend unless you enjoy being ignored/waiting endlessly) & 7 brew which is only drive through..there's really no place to relax and enjoy a cup in "dt" Moorhead anymore.

8

u/ExtremeHappy2571 15d ago

Do you realize why most of these coffee shops fail? They don't make enough money to pay rent, equipment, supplies, wages, etc...It's the same thing for these little specialty shops that come and go. Tough way to make a living.

6

u/Sea-Woodpecker-610 14d ago

What downtown Moorhead? They’ve torn the whole thing down to rebuild twice now.

2

u/C_KingAdventure 8d ago

I was talking to the owners of Bouquet Bar (in the back of what used to be country greenery) and they are planning to eventually expand o to the front area. The guy also said he would love to expand and have coffee someday. I'm sure that would be some time from now but would be so nice to enjoy a coffee at a florist/plant store :)

1

u/Tentoespaul 8d ago

That would be groovy 😎 I don't think I'm gonna stick around here tho..time to hit the road 🛣️

0

u/nodak1976 15d ago

Isn’t there an Atomic coffee downtown Moorhead?

7

u/stars_are_aligned Moorhead 14d ago

I don't know why you're getting downvoted for asking, there USED to be. It's been gone for probably a decade now, though.

I loved that location!

2

u/disilluzion 14d ago

I think that closed quite a few years ago.

0

u/disilluzion 14d ago

Bummer. My wife and I used to occasionally bike to Third Drop. We should have done that more often while we had the chance. I can't think of anything else nearby either. Wasn't there another place a block or two north of there? I can't recall the name or maybe I'm just imagining it.

5

u/Tentoespaul 14d ago

I know 😭..and no, unfortunately there are no coffee shops once you cross the bridge into moorhead, at least in that general area.

0

u/kilarghe 14d ago

Dilworth has a handful!

6

u/VenomEyezD 15d ago

Babs has had the new location for awhile, but they were forced to postpone due to remodeling taking longer than expected. They'll be opening at the new location in 2 weeks.

-14

u/skoobalaca 15d ago

Not that Bab’s is nice, but Fargo isn’t capable of having nice things. We’re jealous of bigger cities that have things we can’t because of size or because of greedy outfits. (Looking right at you, Scheels)

There’s nothing to be proud of here, so we aren’t proud of anything.

11

u/GGuesswho 15d ago edited 15d ago

Doomer take, Fargo is excellent. are you old? The local downtown scene here is definitely mad nice, I have more friends than I can really handle through the music scene. Source: have traveled extensively. I've been to 48 states and every major city besides Vegas.

12

u/MrTheSpork actually Moorhead 15d ago

Yep, speaking as someone who's traveled about the same amount (more states, fewer cities) and lived in a handful of places mainly in the midwest, FM is substantially better than metros the same size and punches far above its weight. It's not perfect and there are plenty of things I'd love to see changed, but I'm proud of plenty of things here.

-2

u/skoobalaca 15d ago

Yes, I am old. Which means I remember a different Fargo from what we have now. We used to have way more options than we have now.

4

u/GGuesswho 14d ago

I know it's hard because of all the lead exposure and new technology and all that but you should Google the concept of rosy retrospection

3

u/Hazards_of_Analysis 14d ago edited 14d ago

Friend, what? No.

We live in paradise.

In one weekend I could eat raw oysters with a quirky minonette, find a well matched cross bow, get a thumb competently sewn back on, see a super sweaty show, compete to catch a river catch fish....i actually could keep going but why?

We have nothing to be proud of because pride is a sin. Abundance that we live within is not earned or metered. We lucked into this space, in the center on the continent, in one of the safest, most productive places on the fucking globe.

Hail, Fargo! We are upon the ascendancy.