Schmidty's Soda Shop opened at Crossroads Mall in St. Cloud in March 2026, bringing customizable sodas and boba drinks to a space near Target between Brow Studio 7 and The Watch Man. It is the brand's second location, following its Alexandria shop.
From Alexandria to the Crossroads
The St. Cloud shop follows Schmidty's first location in Alexandria, which opened in June 2025, according to wjon.com. Owner Jessica Schmidt said the response there encouraged her to expand: “We opened our first location in Alexandria in June 2025, and after seeing the incredible response from our community, we knew we wanted to bring Schmidty's to more people!”
The St. Cloud expansion carries some personal weight for Schmidt. She attended St. Cloud State University, graduated with a degree in elementary education, and lived in the city while she was a student there, the station notes. That history is part of why she described opening a shop in St. Cloud as something close to a homecoming, saying the city holds a special place in her heart.
What's in the Cup
Customers can customize drinks with soda, fruit purées, cream, syrups, or boba, according to the report. Other choices include sugar-free flavors and combinations, energy drinks, lemonades, teas, chai, matcha, and cold brew, as detailed in a separate WJON account. Schmidt has said she wanted to create a welcoming place with drink options that include sugar-free choices.
The shop has a beachy atmosphere and features a rotating drink of the day. For an October 4 Vikings-Dolphins matchup, it offered two game-themed drinks: the Vikings SKOL, with Sprite, blue raspberry, grape, and blueberry boba, and the Dolphins FIN UP, with Fresca, cotton candy, blue raspberry, and mango boba, according to the same account.
Reports differ on whether FIN UP is also called The Coast. One WJON account lists The Coast as Sprite, blue raspberry, cotton candy, cream, and blueberry boba; the account describing the Dolphins-themed drinks says its author believes FIN UP is also known by that name but does not confirm the connection. Schmidty's has said it aims to make customers feel welcomed, remembered, and excited to return.
Custom Soda Shops Beyond St. Cloud
Custom-soda businesses have appeared in different U.S. markets over time. Al Jazeera reports that Utah-based Swig opened its first location in St. George in 2010. In Minnesota, the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder reported in December 2024 that the separate dirty-soda business Sota had opened a brick-and-mortar store in Maple Grove. These examples document businesses in different places and years, but do not establish how the trend spread between them. Crossroads Center has a much longer history as a retail destination: the St. Cloud Times reported that the shopping center officially opened on April 20, 1966.
