Eva Johnson Loves Steak!

Before we ever met in person, Eva Johnson and I already had mutual—circling each other on the internet, realizing we knew a million of the same people, and bonding over our shared love language: dive bars.

Eva is the creative force behind Grandpa’s Pool House—a sexy, playful indoor pool house tucked away in Stanchfield, Minnesota. It’s the kind of place that feels like a hidden world… a photographer’s dream, a cinematic backdrop, and honestly, a full-on vibe. This gem has quietly become a go-to for creatives and even film productions, all in a small town just outside Cambridge.

She’s living proof that you can build something wildly unique from nothing but vision and grit. Eva shares how she brought this dream to life on her own—and didn’t stop there. She recently opened a wedding chapel in North Saint Paul called The Garter Toss—the “dive bar of wedding chapels.” Think: unapologetically fun, affordable, a little rebellious, and completely stripped of the pressure that weddings usually carry.

And in true life-meets-art fashion, we also bonded over something deeper—we both had babies around the same time. Wilhelm didn’t make it into the studio, but her 9-month-old absolutely stole the show.

Host Bachelorette Party | Vintage Vacation Rental | Minnesota

The Garter Toss

www.excelsiorp.com