Every base has a BX, or Base Exchange. If you’ve been around a while you know each BX is filled with chain restaurants like Charley’s Sandwiches, Burger King, Subway or maybe a local eatery. The Minot AFB BX has all these places plus some new exciting additions. Color Dot Jewelry, Cookies for You and Son of a Brunch all opened within the last year and present base residents with some unique opportunities for food and fashion. The two new restaurants offer hungry people a new place to fill their tummies during mealtime hours and Color Dot Jewelry offers the BX shoppers a large selection of handmade jewelry at their convenience. The new shops inside the BX offer something new and exciting for Minot AFB residents.

Serving as one of the only breakfast joints in Minot, let alone the only place that serves a hearty breakfast on the base (besides the Dining Facility), Son of a Brunch is a one-of-a-kind restaurant that serves monster breakfast burritos and large amounts of protein-fueled deliciousness to get anyone through the day on a full stomach. Owner Lee Drummelsmith started the food truck version of the restaurant, which still operates, back in July 2021. As a previous restaurant manager, he had been itching to start his own thing and found the food truck to be an affordable option. He went with breakfast fare because both he and he wife enjoyed the morning meal and they both saw the wide open market in the area. Once the food truck kicked off, word of mouth spread fast and Dremmelsmith quickly had a lot of military members who told him about the space available in the BX. One thing led to another and the Son of Brunch restaurant in the Minot BX officially opened on December 28, 2021. Drummelsmith gushed that business has been awesome and said, “I can’t thank everyone enough for wanting to come out and support us.” Currently Son of Brunch is open 7am- 1pm, but hopes to start being open 7 days a week this coming Fall. For updates about their hours, special deals and all their menu items, check out their Facebook page.

Also noticeably new in the BX is the smaller version of Cookies For You, located just to the right of the entrance behind Son of a Brunch. Cookies for You has their main campus in Downtown Minot at 117 South Main Street, but saw the opportunity to embrace the base market too. Cookies for You employee Kira Erwin, told the Northern Sentry that they already had many base-affiliated employees and that’s how they found out about the opportunity at the BX. For a while, the cookie bakery operated a small kiosk located at the left hand side of the BX foyer, but it moved over to the main location back in February. The shop is filled with delicious smelling -and tasting- cookies available for day-of purchase. They also offer gift boxes for any occasion: think baby showers, birthdays, holidays and fun ways to say “thanks.” While some gift boxes may be available for purchase on a walk-in basis, almost anything can be pre-ordered on their website https://cookiesforyou.com/shop/ and available for pick-up the next day! Keep a special eye out for Halloween themed cookies coming soon!

Besides the tasty food options, there is a new-ish kiosk stand greeting BX guests as well. Color Dot Jewelry and is operated by owner/creator Phoebe Wright. This unique and all homemade jewelry stand is more than trendy and fun, it has amazingly priced and affordable necklaces, earrings and bracelets for everyone. This jewelry really does encompass the one of a kind item that truly is in everyone’s budget! Shoppers will find raw cut stone earrings, dazzling handcrafted necklaces of sterling silver and much more! Owner Phoebe makes all her own jewelry and sells downtown at the Minot Farmers Market and some boutiques around the state as well. However, she admitted to the Northern Sentry that she really likes to give the people on base special low prices as a way to say thank-you. Color Dot Jewelry is open to the base public at the BX on Tuesdays and Thursdays 10am-2 pm and is the perfect stop for last minute gifts for all ages when you are looking for something personal and affordable. Or it is also great for those personal shopping steals as well.

All these new places in the BX support the Team Minot Airmen and their family members to provide meal options and the ease of shopping on base. These local sourced businesses are friendly, tasty, and affordable and here for YOU. Go check them out today!