The large, comfortable houses that repose on green lawns here are within walking distance of one of the liveliest retail areas in Saint Paul: Victoria and Grand. Caf� Latte, right at the intersection, is a civic institution, famed for its beyond-rich desserts, and for many blocks in both directions some of Grand Avenue's best-loved businesses can be found: the independent Red Balloon kids' bookshop; Sunny Sky, a Chinese antique store that also sells rare teas from the Middle Kingdom; the brand-new, design-savvy Dixie-Caribbean eatery called Brasa, and a host of other establishments, many of them in converted family houses.