Black Bear History

David Glass always dreamed of opening his own business.  One night, while walking around Como Lake, David took note of a run-down piece of property located adjacent the railroad tracks.  The property had a sign that read “For Lease / For Sale”.  David sat in the parking lot that night and envisioned what was to become the original Black Bear Crossings Coffee House & Community Circle.  He saw a community center, a place where people from all walks of life and all backgrounds could come together.  His vision included many different elements coming together to make a beautiful, comforting place to go.  He saw community meeting rooms where groups could leave their work place and come for a retreat, to see things fresh and get more work done.  He envisioned gardens out in front of a beautiful deck, freshly roasted coffee (free refills when the train went by), homemade pastries, sandwiches, soups and salads.  He saw multicultural art exhibits and a venue for music performances and poetry readings. The next step was to convince his wife.

Almost a year later (May 1997), David & Pam Glass purchased the property at 831 Como Avenue, turning David’s dream into reality.  The name came about because David is a member of the bear clan from the White Earth Band of Ojibwe.  The railroad tracks nearby added the “Crossings”.  In Ojibwe, “Maaka de Maakwa Azha Wiskaad” translates to “where black bears roam”.  

What distinguished this coffee house from the hundreds of other coffee houses around the Twin Cities was its mission:  to celebrate positive American Indian identity, provide a venue for multicultural sharing, and to promote community.  David & Pam also wanted to honor the family unit, provide a “Cub’s Corner” for the children.  Each space of the coffee shop was carefully crafted to honor their parents.  “Russell’s Corner,” named after Pam’s father who was a long time railroad worker, displayed a plethora of railroad memorabilia, and housed the stage for performances.  “Marion’s Gardens” were named after Pam’s garden-loving mother.  The welcoming lounge area was named after David’s mother Jane, who could make anyone feel at home.  And the first free community meeting room was named after David’s father, Michael Donald Glass – who instilled in David a sense of pride for who he is, not to forget where he came from, and to always lend a helping hand.

The Coffeehouse/Community Center was a true marriage of the skills and abilities of Pamela & David Glass.  David brought to the table his entrepreneurial spirit, love for the community, and 17 years of experience in the food & beverage industry. Pam brought to the table her incredible cooking & baking skills, along with a Master’s degree in Environmental Health & Science (and a practicum spent with the Bloomington Health Department).

The dream grew when Pamela and David looked across Como Lake and saw the beautiful Como Lakeside Pavilion.  The Pavilion is an integral part of St. Paul’s history, always having been a part of the community as a place to bring the family and spend the day.  As the city has changed so has the Pavilion.  With Black Bear Crossings managing the building, the Pavilion has become a community center and a reflection of the growing diversity in the city of St. Paul. 

Pamela and David saw the potential of the building and how to better use the space to reach its full potential.  They decided to remain open year round.  They hired two special events coordinators to handle reservations and coordinate weddings, receptions, conferences and workshops as well as a head chef, front of the house manager, bookkeeper and servers.   A beautiful and spacious patio was built on the lakeside of the Pavilion.  With old style pavers and wrought iron tables and chairs, the elegant style of the Pavilion was extended on the banks of Como Lake.  The patio is surrounded by large boulders and river birch trees and looks out onto lake.  As people walk around Como Lake they pass the patio and can stop by the concession stand which was built into the lower lever of the Pavilion.  The concession stand also functions as the boathouse for renting paddle- boats & canoes.  To beautify the grounds two perennial gardens were added to unused garden space. 

Bringing warmth, atmosphere and positive energy was essential in making the Pavilion a welcoming place.  In the same spirit of the original Black Bear Crossings one finds art work hung throughout the building hand-etched wooden paneling installed at the counter and an Ojibwe floral pattern that frames the borders of the café.  Native arts and crafts are also displayed for sale.  Another essential part of the original Black Bear Crossings was the community rooms which were offered to the community at no charge.  The community meeting rooms are used by a wide variety of groups from both the private and public sectors including State, County and City groups, religious organizations, businesses small and large and countless community groups.  In the spirit of giving back to the community David and Pamela built three community meeting rooms in the lower level of the Pavilion, and named each meeting room has been named in honor of a special person.  The Michael Donald Glass room was named after David’s father.  The Loretta Gagnon meeting room was named after a close friend and tireless activist for children in the St. Paul public school’s Indian education program.  The Larry Kitto room was name after the Native American lobbyist who helped to secure the funding to rebuild the Como pavilion after sitting in disrepair for years.   These meeting rooms are still free of charge, the only requirement for using the space is that each group writes in the journal before they depart, to leave a living history for the room, as well as to leave positive energy for the groups that follow.
The profits from the café in the pavilion allow the Glass’ to continue to offer free meeting space to people from across the metropolitan area.

A sound system was also installed on all four levels of the Pavilion.  In addition, audio and video options were installed along with a Sanyo projection system featuring a huge 12’ x 9’ screen.  These technical additions, along with being centrally located, with plenty of free parking make the third level of the Pavilion ideal for conferences and workshops.

So what started as a dream has become a reality and has grown and expanded over the years.  David & Pam Glass closed the original Black Bear Crossings located at 831 Como Ave in 2003.  This has allowed them to concentrate more on fulfilling the potential of the Como Lakeside Pavilion, while giving David more free time to become more active in his community again.