ST PAUL, Minn. — On the corner of West Kellogg Boulevard and 7th Street in St. Paul, you're invited to step into the past. When you open the big, green, cushioned door of The Apostle Supper Club, you'll enter Palm Springs, circa the 1960s.
"We want to take [guests] back in time," owner and chef Brian Ingram said. "We want to transport you away."
Ingram does that with nearly every detail--from the mid-century upholstered chairs, to the light fixtures, to Sinatra classics being played by a live pianist at the center of the first room. Every little touch is intentional to create a fully immersive experience.
"Everything in here was custom-built for this space," Ingram said. "Every piece of furniture. The carpet was handmade. There’s palm trees everywhere. All the windows are blacked out because we wanted to create this really kind of intimate space… we didn’t want outside distractions or any of that coming in."
The restaurant, which seats 400, is Ingram's latest venue in his restaurant group: Purpose Driven Restaurants. The group is also behind The Gnome Craft Pub and three (soon-to-be four, in Eagan) Hope Breakfast Bar locations.
After three nights serving as soft openings and working to determine a set weekly schedule, chief communications officer Gates Lindquist says The Apostle will be open five days a week. Though the website still says otherwise, Lindquist confirmed Tuesday evening the Apostle will be open Wednesday through Sunday, from 4:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. Each night they'll have the kitchen open the entire time, and live music will be played from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Ingram says he hopes the atmosphere and hours encourage people to stay a while and provides a place for others who work in the restaurant industry to come join after they get off work.
"We want you to come here and relax. Get a booth, listen to some music, have a long stay," he said.
The restaurant sits below a new apartment complex and next to the construction of a new hotel. The St. Paul Downtown Alliance says these businesses are part of a promising trend in the city's growing economy and tourism.
"Starting in January of this year we saw a steep increase really through March, where in March, our visitor counts on nights and weekends was really about 95% of what it was in 2019," said Downtown Alliance President Joe Spencer. "Just over the last few months we’ve added six retailers into vacant storefronts in downtown St. Paul with more on the way."
Ingram knows his restaurants play an important role in bringing people downtown after several tough years.
"We have COVID, we have all of the stuff happening in the world right now that are scary times," Ingram said. "So we really wanted to create spaces where you can unpack from all of that and create jobs."
In the spring, Ingram plans to launch "Spring Break," a 1980s-themed concept.
"Think Spring Break--Florida Keys, Mexico, Huntington Beach… it’s a giant entertainment venue. There’ll be dancing, there’ll be DJs. There’s a giant TV wall like MTV," he said.
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