Local Business Intelligence
The chamber, the startup ecosystem, local press, civic offices, and social — curated by Fargo INC! editors for what matters to FM business.
FM momentum this week — coverage volume, trending topics & most-active companies.
Smashburger in Fargo will close on Sunday, ending a presence the restaurant first opened in 2010.
HammerMade, a men's luxury retailer with eight locations across the country, has a Fargo, North Dakota, location among additional storefronts slated to open next spring.
Derek Leach, from Bemidji, has opened Bar 209, a new restaurant in Fargo, representing new food-and-beverage activity in the FM market.
The arrival of the first official LEGO store in Fargo-Moorhead signals new retail tenancy at West Acres Mall, relevant to local commercial real estate and retail market watchers.
From the desk · New & Now Open
A new 6,800-square-foot restaurant with 168 interior seats has opened in south Fargo, with a 154-seat outdoor patio planned for spring, adding dining capacity and a local supplier relationship with Dakota Timber Co. in Horace.
Badland Batteries, a Packet Digital subsidiary that received a $50 million federal award, opened what CEO Terri Zimmermann calls the first U.S. lithium-ion battery factory purpose-built for drones and autonomous systems.
Badland Batteries held a grand opening in north Fargo, signaling a new business entering the local FM market.
A new Black Coffee and Waffle Bar location is opening in Moorhead, expanding the business's presence in the FM area.
From the desk · Upcoming Events
The expansion adds a new brunch and coffee business to Moorhead at 600 8th St. S., repurposing a vacant former Twenty Below space, while the operator's downtown Fargo location faces a lawsuit over $126,658.55 in alleged unpaid rent.
The location is the second standalone Chick-fil-A in Fargo, will create approximately 100 jobs, and Chick-fil-A Inc. is donating $25,000 to the Great Plains Food Bank at opening.
The opening would add a seventh cannabis dispensary to Moorhead, where the city has logged nearly 300 cannabis business inquiries since 2023 legalization, signaling continued retail sector growth along Main Ave.
The $115 million 11th St. underpass project, begun in March 2024, marks the end of a multi-year era of underpass construction in Moorhead, affecting traffic and connectivity for FM-area businesses and commuters.
From the desk · Fargo INC! Coverage
A new restaurant has opened in Fargo, adding an authentic Indian cuisine option to the local dining market.
A new 7 Brew location is opening in the FM area, with grand opening proceeds benefiting Sanford Children's, a regional healthcare organization relevant to local business and community activity.
A West Fargo gluten-free bakery—formerly a cottage operation called The Colorful Cookie—opens its brick-and-mortar location at 1201 13th Ave. E., representing a small-business expansion in the FM area.
A new brick-and-mortar eyewear shop opens in downtown Fargo's Block 6 Building, offering hand-crafted frames with single-vision specs starting at $249, adding a specialty retail option to the FM market.
From the desk · The Brief
Business news, once a week. No fluff.
The addition of The North Face, plus an expected L.L. Bean opening in early 2027, signals continued national retail interest in the Fargo-area West Acres Shopping Center market.
A new brick-and-mortar flower shop has opened in Moorhead, sourcing inventory from local flower farms in Reile's Acres and Glyndon, Minnesota, adding a retail business to the FM market.
A new independent retail and production business, Mastel Made, is set to open in the original DeLendrecies building in August, adding a specialty manufacturing and retail operation to the FM market.
The revitalized Romkey Park, featuring a new Municipal Pool, opens in Moorhead, adding a community amenity relevant to FM-area residents and businesses near the parks and recreation sector.
A new grand opening at Romkey Park signals ongoing business activity in the FM area.
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