BAXTER-RiverWood Bank is holding a public grand opening for its newest branch from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday.
RiverWood Bank's new branch is located on Highway 371 in Baxter in front of OfficeMax. The daylong event will include a coloring contest for kids and hourly drawings for prizes, with an Apple iPad as the grand prize. Visitors can also sample free coffee and scones from StoneHouse Coffee and Roastery, which has a coffee shop in the branch.
StoneHouse's coffee shop, which includes circular seating around an indoor fireplace, is known for sourcing and roasting high-quality coffee at its Nisswa location and for its baked-from-scratch pastries, including its popular scones. The building's design allows StoneHouse to be open when the bank branch is not. After hours, a sliding panelized glass wall separates the bank branch from StoneHouse, which will be open seven days a week.
Locating StoneHouse inside the bank is part of the reason RiverWood's new branch is the most unique bank branch in the Brainerd lakes area, said Bruce Kennedy, RiverWood's branch president, in a news release. The building's design creates comfortable gathering places for the public, including the coffee shop's seating and a conference room. The bank branch itself has a non-traditional design. For example, in place of a counter that separates customers from tellers, a small rounded counter allows customers to stand next to a teller to review their bank accounts on a computer screen.
The bank has a number of other new features as well, including a self-serve coin counting machine, unique artwork and an atmosphere that Kennedy said is a far cry from traditional bank branches.
ADVERTISEMENT
"We worked with architect HTG to create a more friendly and welcoming atmosphere, with features that encourage the public to use the space for gathering places," Kennedy said. "We were really excited to partner with StoneHouse and develop a space for them that will showcase their products and introduce them to Brainerd and Baxter. We hope the public stops by to take a look at what the future of banking looks like."
The new branch replaces RiverWood's bank branch on the west side of Highway 371, next to Best Buy. That space was leased. The new branch has 10 employees and gives RiverWood the ability to accommodate a surge in business that the bank has experienced at its Baxter and Crosslake branches, Kennedy said.
RiverWood Bank is a wholly owned subsidiary of Great River Holding Company, which was founded in 2003 and is a locally owned and managed community bank, with branches in nine communities in Minnesota. RiverWood has total assets of $360 million specializes in business, agricultural and mortgage lending, along with a wide variety of deposit-related services.
