FREMONT – After weeks of uncertainty due to flooding along the riverfront, a new business is pouring fresh energy into downtown Fremont.
Knot Tide officially opened its doors last Friday, offering specialty coffee drinks, craft beers, curated wines and a selection of light food items. The shop also includes a small retail section, with plans to expand offerings as the business grows.
The business is open seven days a week from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., with potential extended hours depending on demand and events. Knot Tide is also available for private event rentals, including graduation parties and other celebrations.
Knot Tide is situated in the historic Sader building, a familiar landmark in Fremont. Longtime residents recall it as an automotive dealership where just a few cars could fit inside and the rest lined the lot outside. A table in the back even sits above what was once an auto hoist. More recently, the space was home to Smokin’ Bean, a coffee shop that has since closed.
On opening day last week, the mood inside was warm, cozy and inviting. Locals filtered in for their morning coffee, chatted at tables or sat at the bar.
Pat and Yvonne Clemins, who also own Clemins River Resort, are the owners of the new business. The name Knot Tide carries a playful nod both to nautical life and to the community’s recent experience with high water. After the recent flooding along the Wolf River, Pat Clemins joked that “whatever wasn’t tied went down the river.”
Clemins River Resort, which includes cottages, a bait shop, dock shop and gasoline service, sustained damage from flooding, with bookings made around fishing season now in limbo.
Pat Clemins said the situation has been challenging. While they push forward with this new downtown venture, they are still waiting on assessments, structural evaluations and permits to determine what can be repaired and what must change at the resort.
With the hardship facing Clemins River Resort, there is a sense that opening Knot Tide now may be somewhat of a turning point.
“It was always her dream to have a resort,” Pat Clemins said of wife Yvonne. “Well, that got washed away, so now we’re in the coffee business.”
He noted the timing of the new business opening, just as the resort faces delays.
“It’s almost like it was a sign,” he said. “You better get this place done in time because that place isn’t going to open.”
While other riverfront businesses continue to deal with damage and repairs, Knot Tide’s building was largely spared. Water reached the parking lot and the street, but did not come over the curb into the building. Manager Trisha Robinson said that it felt like a small “halo” of protection was around the building in the middle of the flood.
Around Fremont, there is a mix of excitement, resilience and ongoing struggle. Businesses are cleaning, repairing and dealing with submerged docks and damaged infrastructure. Community events and concerts are helping raise both funds and spirits.
In the middle of it all, Robinson said Knot Tide is offering a place to sit down, drink a good cup of coffee or a glass of wine, and reconnect.
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