Shoe Tree's second brewery in Minden among several changes along 395 corridor

Shoe Tree Brewing Company opened last year in Minden. The brewery is located next door to the Ironwood Cinemas.

Shoe Tree Brewing Company opened last year in Minden. The brewery is located next door to the Ironwood Cinemas. Photo by Kurt Hildebrand.

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The opening of Shoe Tree Brewing Company in Minden’s Ironwood Center is just one of several changes to Minden-Gardnerville’s downtown business landscape.

One of the oldest structures in Gardnerville will see a new operation. The Ritchford Hotel has been the location of several eateries over the past 120 years. Gardnerville Ranchos favorite CoCoMoes Catering announced in May they are reopening in the Ritchford, home to the former New Rancho Grande for many years.


Rancho Grande closed around a half-dozen years ago, and the location has been pitched as a possible new business spot a few times since. The hotel and stables, located near the intersection of Douglas Avenue and Main Street, opened in 1901.


CoCoMoes has been serving Carson Valley residents both at its location on Tillman in the Ranchos and catering for the last five years. The new location will be called Cocos on Main.


South Lake Tahoe barbecue joint Sonney’s BBQ Shack is hiring for a new Nevada location in what was formerly El Aguila Real.

The restaurant at 1488 Main St. in Gardnerville was originally the Two Guys from Italy, which opened in the early 1990s. El Aguila Real opened in the location in 2015.


One former Minden restaurant, meanwhile, is getting a makeover after it changed hands in April.


The former Pipeline and Depot 395 was purchased by Joe Benigno’s Tree Service. Workers have been re-roofing the property. Benigno’s location on Industrial Way in Gardnerville was destroyed in a fire that occurred in March.

Work is progressing as well on the new McDonald’s in Minden, expected to be completed this summer.

As for Shoe Tree, the new brewery opened May 17 at 1758 U.S. Highway 395, Ste. A, in Minden’s Ironwood Center.

It’s the second Northern Nevada location for the business, which first opened in 2017 at 1496 Old Hot Springs Road in Carson City.

The brewery serves craft beers on site, as well as cans and growlers to go.