Carroll's Corn to Leave Kahler Hotel Subway for 1,914-Square-Foot Centerplace Storefront in 2027

Carroll's Corn will move its main downtown Rochester shop from a 950-square-foot space under the Kahler Hotel to a 1,914-square-foot storefront at 155 First Ave. SW in the first quarter of 2027, Yahoo reported on November 14, 2026. The new location is in the subway of the Centerplace/Alerus Bank building.

Carroll's Corn Plans a Bigger Downtown Shop

The current Kahler Hotel subway spot will host its last Christmas season, with a team of 22 employees popping about 2,000 bags of popcorn a day for holiday shipping. The new Centerplace space was previously occupied by Daube's Down-Under cafe and bakery, which served Mayo Clinic employees and visitors from 1990 until it closed in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Owner Seamus Kolb said the move returns the business to making fresh popcorn in front of customers while manufacturing shifts to a new facility. "The idea is to kind of get back to our roots of making fresh popcorn for the customer in front of us, while all of our manufacturing is going to happen out at our new facility," Kolb said. The company is leasing the space from Titan Asset Management Group, and Retail Manager Jessica Murphy is leading the transition.

Murphy said the new shop will serve fresh popcorn, Chocolate Shoppe brand ice cream, baked goods, dirty sodas and coffee. "We're hoping to revitalize what used to be a really lively corner of the downtown subway," she said. The shop will include a seating area called Loretta's Lounge, named for Kolb's infant daughter, who is undergoing treatment at Mayo.

Kolb will also build out a 12,000-square-foot factory at the former Deutsch Furniture store at 4530 South Maine Ave. In south Rochester, producing bagged popcorn for grocery stores, bars and other regional buyers. The goal is to have it operating very early in 2027 with a team of 23 employees. Pat Carroll founded the business in 1993.

Carroll's Corn Factory and Award Timing

Carroll's Corn is set to receive the Entrepreneur Award from Rochester Area Economic Development Inc. At its R.A.V.E. Event the week after the report, alongside Watson Recycling, Gar-Lin Dairy, Nuss Truck & Equipment and the nonprofit Alliance of Chicanos, Hispanics, and Latin Americans. The company's new factory is targeted to start very early in 2027, with the Centerplace shop planned for the first quarter of 2027.