Glass Doctor of Bemidji Opens New Building After 32 Years at Former Location

Spring pothole season is the worst time to lose the county's glass repair shop. Glass Doctor of Bemidji opened a new purpose-built facility at 675 24th Street NW in late March, just as Beltrami County roads begin generating the highway debris and frost heaves that crack windshields on daily commutes. Owners Steve and Jane Hastig built the shop themselves after a property sale ended their 32-year lease on Paul Bunyan Drive NW.

The continuity matters: Glass Doctor processes windshield replacements directly through insurers and supplies auto glass to body shops across north-central Minnesota. A departure from Bemidji would have extended turnaround times for drivers with chips on Highway 2 and disrupted established workflows with local repair shops and property managers handling residential and commercial glass claims.

The Hastigs were notified in early 2025 that the retail complex they had occupied since the mid-1990s would be sold. Rather than compete for scarce commercial space in a Bemidji leasing market that has seen significant retail turnover in recent years, they used a parcel they already owned to construct a facility designed around their current equipment and workflow needs. The approach shortened the construction timeline and kept longtime staff intact.

"We were the first ones to rent that building," Steve Hastig said. "So we were the first in there and we were the last ones to go."

The new shop on 24th Street NW sits a short drive from the former Paul Bunyan Drive address. By absorbing the construction and permitting risk themselves, the Hastigs converted a land holding into a permanent commercial stake in Bemidji after more than three decades of leasing.