Olmsted Co. judge to rule in eviction case involving Rochester’s historic Kahler Hotel
An eviction case involving a wig shop owner and her landlord, the Kahler Hotel, is now in the hands of an Olmsted County judge.
The corporation that owns the historic Kahler Hotel—and a growing footprint in downtown Rochester’s real estate—claims wig shop owner Renee Carlson was notified of a lease termination effective June 30, 2013 but has failed to vacate the property, according to court documents.
In October, the Kahler Hotel Group announced a new company, Colorado-based Richfield Hospitality, would manage the package of Rochester properties, which includes about 60 storefronts and five downtown hotels.
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Carlson argues her lease is effective through 2018. The store has remained open throughout the eviction trial. A ruling in the case is expected within a week.
Carlon’s shop, Les Wigs Renee - Revelation, is located on the ground level of the Kahler Hotel, facing a popular pedestrian walkway in downtown Rochester. It’s directly across the street from the Mayo Clinic.
Some owners of the small boutiques and shops at the Kahler property have been in the midst of lease renewals for the last several months, and business owners have described the mood as "tense" and "apprehensive."
In a separate case, the Kahler Hotel is also asking shuttle service GO Rochester Direct to move out of its current space and relocate to a “substantially similar space,” according to a complaint.
That business is also on the hotel’s ground level, just across the street from Mayo Clinic. GO Rochester Direct started in 1993 with two vans and five runs to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. The company now has 15 vans, 19 daily departures, and about 100,000 riders a year — more than double what it was five years ago.
A jury trial has been delayed in that case. The company’s owner, Kurt Marquardt, told the Post-Bulletin newspaper he’s meeting with Kahler Hotel leaders this week to discuss the situation.