ST. PAUL – The opening of Edo Japan in St. Paul adds a new dining option in St. Paul. The restaurant, located near Sobey’s at 3932 49 Ave, held its grand opening and ribbon cutting on Jan. 21.
“We are very excited – the four of us,” said Jinky Bolante, one of the four franchise owners alongside Sandy Bolante, Judith Austria, and Jett Marc Austria. “Everyone is already trying [Edo Japan] when they go to bigger cities.”
“So, we are very excited to offer Edo Japan in smaller communities like here in St. Paul, and have a healthier option of dining for everyone,” said Bolante, explaining that when talking about St. Paul from a business perspective, it not only encompasses the town but the surrounding communities as well.
St. Paul Chamber of Commerce’s executive director Yvonne Weinmeier was also present during the grand opening. She told Lakeland This Week that the Chamber was “excited for Edo to come to town... and bringing their service to the community.”
When asked about the feasibility of building businesses in smaller towns like St. Paul, Weinmeier agreed with Bolante.
"It's the entire region that's going to benefit from businesses coming to town. So, every new business that we get is just going to prosper the entire community,” she said. As for the Town of St. Paul, “it's going to make people want to come to our town, visit our town, visit other businesses, and potentially even move here because of opportunities like this.”
Weinmeier encourages those wanting to start a business in the town to get in touch with their local Chamber of Commerce for support. She said that while there is some red tape involved in starting a business, there are also many resources to provide support.
She concluded by praising the owners of the franchise, stating that “it takes a lot of people to make something like this happen.”
"Kudos to everybody that's worked so hard to make it happen,” said Weinmeier.
