Strong Local Economy : Development News

Vagabond, a fitting name for an “occasional boutique,” recently had a “save the store” sale, to make its February rent.

The store features an eclectic mix of “cute and curious” antiques and old and new furniture and decorations. It opened in a first-floor space in a duplex on 25th and Hennepin in Minneapolis’s Uptown neighborhood this past summer. In the past, the duplex housed an antique store.

The duplex is zoned for commercial uses, according to storeowner Angela Kreitlow.  

In setting up shop, Kreitlow added shelves and walls “to make it feel less like walking into a home,” and more like a commercial space.

She also painted the walls with patterns and color schemes that complement the merchandise. “It’s split up into warm and cool areas,” that is, neutral shades and bright pinks and purples, she says. “I’m all about balance and tones.”

At the three-day “save the store” sale last month, her goal was to make at least $2,000, a total she ended up exceeding. “There was a ton of amazing support,” she says. “A lot of people came in those three days.”   

At this point, she’s trying to regroup and figure out what her next step should be. She’s also planning an online version of the store, she says.

In towns like Stillwater and Buffalo, where she grew up, stores like this, which have special hours, are  destinations, according to Kreitlow. “You can drum up excitement and the sales are different every time,” she says, adding that she communicates with customers mainly through the store’s Facebook page.  

Eventually, she hopes to offer classes on reupholstering furniture and other topics to “get people excited about decorating their homes,” she says. “There’s nothing else like this around,” and yet “It belongs here."


Source: Angela Kreitlow, owner, Vagabond
Writer: Anna Pratt

Rincon 38, a new tapas bar, is taking over a space at the corner of 38th Street and Grand Avenue South in Minneapolis, which has been vacant for a couple of years.

Previously, the storefront space housed the Fairy Godmother gift shop.

The restaurant’s chef, Hector Ruiz, who also helped start Café Ena and the former El Meson, is going for a small European-style bistro, much like those where he used to spend time. “When I lived in Paris, I liked to dine out,” usually at small bistros that were “really cozy,” he says, adding, “Most times they just looked like a hallway, with a small bar.”

It’s eateries like this that “help Iberians bridge the long gap between the traditional 3 p.m. lunch and 10 p.m. dinner times,” a Southwest Patch story reads.

To recreate that feeling, the restaurant will serve Spanish-inspired cuisine in the form of tapas, or small plates, with French and Italian items in the mix, he says.

The place will also serve wine and beer, with an emphasis on local offerings.

To accommodate the restaurant, the space had to be built out, with a new bar and kitchen and walk-in coolers. It was a gradual process that has unfolded over the past year. “I had to start building slowly,” Ruiz says.   

Inside, the place has a modern aesthetic, with bright colors, wood floors, mosaic and tile counters, and a decorative metal wine shelf, he says. Nine butcher-block-style tables along with a 12-seat bar, for 32 seats altogether, fill the dining room. In the warmer months, the restaurant will also have patio seating for 20, he adds.

The neighborhood has been supportive of the business, which he hopes to open in early 2013. “A lot of people are excited for the restaurant to open,” Ruiz says.


Source: Hector Ruiz, Rincon 38
Writer: Anna Pratt

Local chiropractor Tara Watson is making space for an Anytime Fitness gym at West Broadway and Penn Avenue in North Minneapolis, in the same building where she runs her practice.

The gym will be open 24 hours a day, with cutting-edge "zero gravity" machines, a shower and locker area, and room for classes, she says.

Watson, the franchise owner, hopes the place will appeal to a range of people, from the elite athlete to weekend warriors. “It’ll have something for everyone,” she says.  

Usually, people who want to work out have to go outside of the community, she points out.

She chose Anytime Fitness in part because it has so many health and wellness initiatives in the works.  Looking at the big picture, she hopes the gym will help lower obesity rates in the community while also providing a healthy outlet for adults.

The space will require an extensive build-out inside and out, with equipment that needs to be built on site. The project comes with a price tag of a couple hundred thousand dollars. Adding new flooring accounts for much of the work that has to be done, according to Watson.

With over 5,000 square feet, “It’ll be one of the larger clubs” like this, she says. “It should be able to accommodate the community.”   

It means that she’ll be able to provide group fitness classes, which is especially important to her, along with personal trainers and massage and tanning services. “I can put a lot in there and do a lot,” including “things not found in the community,” she says.   

She aims to open the gym in early 2013.

“The community deserves something state-of-the-art,” she says. “People are interested and want to see it happen.”  

Source: Dr. Tara Watson, franchise owner, Anytime Fitness
Writer: Anna Pratt    

After mulling over a street food restaurant concept, several years ago brothers Saed and Sameh Wadi, owners of the Saffron Restaurant & Lounge in Minneapolis, decided to start out with a World Street Kitchen food truck. 

Local legislation had only just changed to allow for food trucks. “We jumped right on it,” Sameh says. “What better way to test the market for street food than on the street?”

World Street Kitchen, which features a seasonal menu of foods from street carts around the world--with a twist--was one of the city’s first food trucks, he adds.

It wasn’t long before the Wadis returned to the idea of a physical restaurant. They looked for a location that would complement the food truck, not compete with it.

Last week they opened a bricks-and-mortar version of the restaurant in Minneapolis’s Uptown area, in The Greenleaf, a building that includes apartments and first-floor retail.  

Uptown seemed ideal because “It has a neighborhood feel, but it also has a little nightlife,” he says. “That fits really well with the concept.”

Beginning with an empty shell, they buillt the space out over the last year. “We wanted it to have the same vibe as the food truck, and translate it into here.”

One way they accomplished that is by having counter service. That way, “There’s no separation between you and a guest. You don’t wait for a waiter.”

An open kitchen also lets people see the food being prepped. “It’s an instant connection with the people making the food,” Sameh says.  

The dining room has an industrial feel, with recycled materials, wood and concrete, and metal accents. Many items have been repurposed.  

Besides the big, bold flavors of many street foods, “There’s something about being curbside,” eating, he says.  

He fondly remembers eating street food as a young boy. “Some of the best food I’ve had is from a rinky-dink stand where the person does one thing, and does it really well,” he says.

This kind of food is also a creative challenge to the chef. “While Saffron is a reflection of me as a chef, this is more of a reflection of me as a person,” he says. “This isn’t what I’m trained in, but it’s what I like to eat.”  

Source: Sameh Wadi, World Street Kitchen
Writer: Anna Pratt

After a short break, the Northeast Farmers Market is returning with its first indoor market of the season on Dec. 15 at the Eastside Food Cooperative in Northeast Minneapolis.

The opening day of the market, which runs monthly through May, features books for sale from the Friends of the Northeast Library, a performance from musician Matt Yetter and a massage chair, according to Northeast Farmers Market information.

The indoor market offers apples, honey products, homemade jam, hand-rolled spring rolls, grass-fed beef, eggs, bread, desserts, and handicrafts.

Although this is a smaller-scale version of the summer market, each of its 10 vendors this season have been a part of it before, according to Sarah Knoss, who oversees the Northeast Farmers Market.

That familiarity has advantages for shoppers. “We have a lot of loyal friends and fans that like to visit our vendors,” she says via email.

Besides the fact that people can access some of their favorite vendors year-round, it’s about shopping and eating locally. “We bring livability to the community and foster sustainability to the Northeast neighborhood,” she says.

The local nonprofit organizations, artists, and craftspeople that grace the market on a regular basis make it unique, she says.

Although the summer market has been successful over the past 12 years, the indoor market is still growing. “There is traffic from the coop and our fans know that we are there but we are trying to get the word out,” she says.

A number of other local farmers markets, including the St. Paul Farmers Market, the Kingfield and Fulton Farmers Market and the Minneapolis Farmers Market, have wintertime sales.   

More broadly, “It's really just a way for all of us to get together and enjoy what we do,” she says. “It keeps the us going and motivated to bake, make, and grow.”

Source: Sarah Knoss, manager, Northeast Farmers Market
Writer: Anna Pratt

St. Paul is marking the beginning of a new era for the historic Union Depot with an opening celebration on Dec. 8, which will be an all-day affair. 

After undergoing a $243 million renovation over the past couple of years, soon the 1920s landmark will again serve as a transit hub--this time for trains, buses, bicycle commuting and more.

The station last saw trains in 1971, according to information from the Ramsey County Regional Rail Authority.

Josh Collins, a spokesperson with the rail authority, says, "We really see this as an important celebration to mark the completion of the construction," adding, "It's a chance for the public to see their investment," and to show off a beautiful building.

Going forward, the depot will be "the living room of St. Paul," with meetings, galas and conventions happening there, he says.

People can also go to the depot to "use our wifi and get some work done," he says.

The day's celebration, which begins at 10 a.m., includes facility tours, theatrical performances, historical reenactments, music, dance, art, food and more.

The depot's history figures prominently into the event. For example, the nonprofit Bedlam Theatre will be staging performances that recreate historic moments. The theater troupe will portray soldiers returning from World War II, early immigrants arriving in the city, and more. "It'll be a fascinating artistic experience," he says. "I'm really excited about that." 

Old photos and artifacts that were uncovered during the renovation will also be on display.

The celebration also offers numerous interactive family-friendly activities, with train-themed photos, a Snoopy statue unveiling, appearances from Winter Carnival Royalty and a screening of the movie, "Elf," according to rail information. 

Metro Transit will kick off its bus service to and from the station with complimentary rides. The union depot's new website, uniondepot.org, will soon go live with free bus passes for the day.   

Furthermore, people "can learn about our growing transit system," he says. 

Next year, the Jefferson Regional Bus Lines and Amtrak Twin Cities will settle in at the depot, while the in-progress Central Corridor Light Rail Transit, which is being branded as the Green Line, will come through the station starting in 2014, according to rail information.

Also in the coming year, One-on-One Bicycle Studio in Minneapolis will open full-service bicycle center with storage space, a repair shop and lockers.

Source: Josh Collins, Ramsey County Regional Rail
Writer: Anna Pratt

A century-old building on Saint Paul's East Seventh Street, which has sat empty for nearly a decade, could soon be redeveloped to include office and retail space along with loft-style apartments.

Covenant Capital, a local developer that specializes in residential properties, plans to renovate the two-story brick building, which previously housed a cigar factory, a bowling shoe manufacturer, and a police station.

Ben Hosfield, a spokesperson for Covenant, says, “It’s kind of a property that’s been unnoticeable over the years,” explaining that a couple of other buildings, including a former discount tire store, covered it up.   

However, the tire store building will soon be torn down. “That will open up the space to the property,” he says. “Something could be done with that large space further down the road. It’s a big lot.”   

Although the project’s details, including the cost, are still coming together, it’ll likely take $340,000 to make the building meet modern code requirements, the Pioneer Press reports.   

To fit the building’s historic character, Covenant wants to add an exterior awning to the entryway. That will be subject to approval by the city’s heritage preservation commission, as the building belongs to the Dayton’s Bluff historic district, Hosfield says.

Potentially, there could be a restaurant on the main level, or some other type of storefront retail. Office suites, which will be built to suit, and apartments will go on the second floor, while a basement level, which the police had used for a gym, could become storage space or some other type of amenity. “’It’s a matter of how do we use that space?’” Hosfield says. “It’s still in question.”
 
Construction will probably start next year.

With other projects underway nearby, “We’ve seen the neighborhood start to redevelop,” he says, adding, “We hope we’re part of the neighborhood coming back.”

Source: Ben Hosfield, Covenant Capital
Writer: Anna Pratt  

In the future, St. Paul could once again have a streetcar system.

Right now, the city is weighing its options, with the help of a San Francisco consulting firm, Nelson\Nygaard, which is conducting a feasibility study on the topic, according to Nancy Homans, a policy advisor to Mayor Chris Coleman.

The study, which will probably take a year to complete, entails “doing preliminary work around possible routes and identifying criteria by which we’ll evaluate both the geometrics of the street and transit ridership issues," she says.

Funding for the $250,000 study comes from the city, Ramsey County, the Central Corridor Funders Collaborative, the McKnight Foundation and the Saint Paul Foundation, according to Finance and Commerce.

Over the next year, the city, with the help of the consulting firm, will also be asking for feedback from the public on its findings.

The city’s streetcars went away about 40 years ago. “It was once a well-developed system,” she says.

The reason streetcars are coming up these days is because “They are a good transit type of vehicle. People appreciate the fixed route,” she says, adding that the economic development impact has also been demonstrated.

“They support the business node and link into the larger regional system,” she says.

In this case, the city hopes that streetcars will build on the coming Central Corridor light rail transit line.

This is something that cities around the country are looking at. “The conversation has been, ‘how we do improve transit in the city,’” she says, adding, “I think this is a logical next step.”  

For St. Paul, getting there means working closely with Minneapolis, which already did its own feasibility study, and other regional partners to figure out financing. “We want to work together on common issues,” she says.

Source: Nancy Homans, policy advisor to mayor Chris Coleman, city of St. Paul
Writer: Anna Pratt





 

After undergoing an extensive renovation, earlier this month a hotel near the University of Minnesota’s Twin Cities campus rebranded itself as The Commons Hotel.

Rockbridge Partners in Ohio took over the 304-room hotel that was once a Radisson, last March, according to the Star Tribune.

Although she didn’t have an exact figure, Christa Hudson, a spokesperson for the project, says millions of dollars went into converting the place into a boutique hotel.

To do so, Noble House Hotels & Resorts, the hotel’s management company, drew inspiration from the locale, she says.  

Noble House wanted to “translate more of the area and reflect Minneapolis,” she says.

The result is a kind of industrial schoolhouse look, or “geek chic,” that relates to the backdrop of the nearby University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Campus. “The whole aesthetic is about learning and discovering,” she says.  

Design aspects like an argyle pattern that runs throughout the building, leather-upholstered furniture, a library lounge, and a fire pit create a studious yet comfortable feel, she says.

Also, the hotel will be offering special events like "alchemist mixology" lessons, “Words with Friends”-themed happy hours, and promotional packages with area cultural institutions.

These include a “geek to chic makeover at the Aveda Institute headquarters, Science Buzz meeting at the Science Museum of Minnesota, personal story and book creation at Loft Literary Center and tour of the world’s largest Sherlock Holmes exhibit at the University of Minnesota,” a prepared statement reads.  

The idea is to encourage people to explore the area, Hudson says.

Additionally, the hotel’s restaurant, the Beacon Public House, which will open in November, will be a gastropub with a locally sourced drink and food menu. Besides serving hotel guests, it’ll be a draw for people who live in the area, she says.

All in all, “The idea is that it’s not just me staying at The Commons,” she says. “It’s me in Minneapolis.”

Source: Christa Hudson, spokesperson from the Zimmerman Agency for The Commons Hotel
Writer: Anna Pratt

Marie Philippi, a self-taught baker who co-owns the Taste of Love Bakery, had been working out of a commercial kitchen in New Hope for nearly a year when she decided to find a permanent home for the business.

The custom bakery plans to open in the next few weeks at 870 Dodd Rd. in West St. Paul, where it straddles several St. Paul neighborhoods.

Often, she passed by the corner building at the intersection of Annapolis, Dodd, and Chariton streets, which had long been a revolving door for various businesses.

Even before she was looking for retail space, Philippi, who lives nearby, wondered what could be done at that corner to turn it around. At one point, the building faced condemnation. “The corner is busy and it had potential,” she says. “I know there’s a lot of people out walking all the time.”

However, getting the space up to par was an ambitious undertaking.

For starters, the building’s façade needed a facelift, while inside, everything had to be gutted — a $25,000 project, she says.  

Previously, the building’s exterior had cracked stucco, while rotten wood and overgrown trees also caused problems.

Inside, floors had been in disrepair, walls were filled with graffiti and the windows were painted green, “So nobody could see in,” she says.  

New electrical systems and plumbing had to be installed. Furthermore, the bakers are joining two separate spaces in the building. “We’re cramming a lot into a small building,” which is 2,400 square feet, including the basement, she says.  

To keep costs down, “We bought a lot of things used,” she says. “We’ve refurbished those things.”

Also, she was able to raise $8,000 for equipment through an Indiegogo online campaign.  

Ultimately, she sees the bakery as a destination for area families, which she says is a huge need in this part of town.  

As such, the bakery includes a play area for children, along with child-sized furniture and kid-friendly menu items in addition to the retail area and lounge. “I wanted a kid-friendly space and an area where you could come to relax or work,” she says.  

Source: Marie Philippi, co-owner, Taste of Love Bakery
Writer: Anna Pratt

The Broadway, named for its location at 945 Broadway in Northeast Minneapolis, had a groundbreaking celebration last week.

Local developer Peter Remes and his company, First & First, LLC, are behind the $4 million renovation of the former Twin City Paper building, according to the Star Tribune.

It’s a classic warehouse with large windows, hardwood and polished cement floors, brick walls, high ceilings, old-growth timber beams and more, according to the related Java Properties website.

So far, building tenants include 612Brew and Sevnthsin, a digital creative company, which will be joined by other to-be-determined firms and a café and fitness center, according to the Star Tribune.

The Broadway will also have special features such as a vertical glass gallery showcasing artwork, an outdoor greenspace with an amphitheater and water fountain that includes stones salvaged from the old Metropolitan Building, which once stood in downtown Minneapolis, the story states.

City Councilman Kevin Reich says the project “fits in well with the redevelopment efforts in the area around some older brick and timber manufacturing buildings.”

He’s glad to see this type of project on a prominent corner that serves as a gateway into the neighborhood. “The developer is doing a polished job,” with a generous courtyard and commons area, he says, adding, “It shows real insight from the developer to create a sense of place.”  

The mixed-use project brings together light industrial uses with creative ventures, a move that complements the Northeast Arts District, he says.

It’s part of an emerging brew district that includes the Dangerous Man Brewing Co., Indeed Brewing Company, 612Brew and Northgate Brewing. “It’s the idea that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts,” Reich says.  

The project is planned to wrap up in 2013.

Source: Kevin Reich, city council member, Minneapolis
Writer: Anna Pratt

On Oct. 11, MidModMen + friends, which previously had an online-only presence, opened at 2401 University Avenue West in St. Paul.

MidModMen offers vintage and modern home décor, including furniture, lighting, and decorative items, its Facebook page reads. The shop is open on weekends and for special events.  

Over the past year, the space had been used as a pop-up shop, as a part of a collaboration of the Starling Project and Saint Anthony Park Community Council.

The Starling Project brings together entrepreneurs, artists, and small organizations with building owners for “meanwhile uses” of vacant storefronts and spaces along University Avenue during Central Corridor light rail construction, its website reads.

Neal Kielar, who co-owns MidModMen with Jon Mehus, found the space with the Starling Project’s help. 

The 1,200-square-foot space seemed like the right fit, and it helps that it’s part of the neighborhood's in-progress Creative Enterprise Zone.

Several other similar stores, including Succotash, are nearby. “We’re part of this concentration of retailers that deal in vintage furniture, décor, art, ephemera and kitsch,” he says. “Synergy seems to be there.”  

The store plans to stay in the space through the end of the year, though it could stick around longer if all goes well, according to Kielar.

“We’re finding ourselves part of the revitalization of an important commercial corridor,” he says. “It feels like how Northeast [Minneapolis] felt 15 years ago.”

He was pleasantly surprised by the amount of foot traffic in the area. Already, the store has had strong sales. “We’re happy with the way it’s working out,” he says.  

The store is going for a friendly, personable vibe, where “You can hang out and talk and learn new things,” he says, adding, “Shopping doesn’t always have to be about purchasing.”  

“We have a certain aesthetic or design point of view and we love when people share an interest or passion in that,” he says.
 
Source: Neal Kielar, co-owner, MidModMen + Friends
Writer: Anna Pratt

Just over a week ago, the Butter Bakery Café relocated blocks away from 36th and Grand Avenue in Southwest Minneapolis, to 37th and Nicollet Avenue.

The bakery is planning a grand opening for Oct. 23 in collaboration with the Nicollet Square building, for which it’s a partner, according to owner Dan Swenson-Klatt.

Butter is housed within the three-story Nicollet Square, which provides supportive housing for young people who are at risk for homelessness, along with a chiropractor and the nonprofit organization, Twin Cities RISE!, which deals with job training.

As a part of that partnership, the bakery has taken on a couple of apprentices who live in the building, and it plans to bring on two more young people in the near future, he says.

“I’ve always thought of this as more than a little coffee shop,” he says. “This gives me more of that feel, that it’s part of something bigger.”   

However, the bakery is still getting settled into the space. It’s a bit like moving into a new home, “where you live out of boxes for awhile,” he says.

So far, the change has been good. He’s hearing from regulars that “It’s so big and so bright,” in comparison to the old space, but “It still looks like Butter.”  

Before, the bakery was too cramped, both in terms of seating and space for running the bakery and grill at the same time.

Now, people can opt for the more informal café area of the bakery or they can go for the dining space. “No one has to feel like they’re being pushed out,” he says.

The space, which started off as an empty shell, was designed specifically for Butter, with room for growth.

One custom touch that he hopes personalizes the space includes two murals that line the restroom walls.

The murals picture the countryside surrounding the creamery where the bakery gets its butter and the scene outside of Butter’s door. “It’s a way of connecting with the Butter community,” Swenson-Klatt says, adding, “We were always meant to be a neighborhood spot.”  

In the future, he hopes some sort of garden might spring up on the empty lot behind the building.

Source: Dan Swenson-Klatt, owner, Butter Bakery Café
Writer: Anna Pratt    

A long-vacant industrial site in Southeast Minneapolis is a serious contender for the $20 million destination brewery that Surly Brewing Co. is planning.

Surly, which is based in Brooklyn Center, is doing its due diligence on the “Malcolm Midway site,” as it's called, near Highway 280 and University Avenue.

The site makes sense for the brewery because it’s centrally located between Minneapolis and St. Paul, and it’s close to biking and walking trails and public transportation, including the coming Central Corridor light rail line, a company statement reads.

Also, the site is “zoned and sized well” for the project, and it fits in with the neighborhood’s master plan for redevelopment of the area, the statement adds.

However, the site was once the home of a food processing plant and has had numerous other industrial uses through the years; it requires significant environmental cleanup.

Surly has applied for grants to cover this cost, a process it expects to wrap up in January. In the meantime, the company continues to explore other possibilities as well. “This is a 100-year decision so we are being mindful, patient, and thorough with our search,” the statement reads.  

The brewery has been well-received by many stakeholders because “it will result in jobs, it will help refresh the area, and it will be a community gathering point for generations to come,” it states.  
 
Dick Gilyard, who is active with the Prospect Park East River Road Improvement Association (PPERIA), says that the neighborhood group has endorsed the preliminary plan.

Many community members want to see a rich mix of uses in the neighborhood, which includes the industrial lot that Surly is looking at. The idea is that the arts, science, housing, an historic district, and more, could come together to “make the entire area a destination,” he says, adding that Malcolm Avenue is a gateway to the area.

PPERIA has been proactive about its vision for the area, including the positioning of the Central Corridor light rail station, something that has implications for the brewery as well. Ultimately, that vision is “based on respect for the existing historical neighborhoods,” close to University Avenue, he says.

“Our big thing is that sites need to be planned collectively,” he says, adding, “So it’s mutually reinforcing.”  

If Surly does come to the area, it could demonstrate “what transit-oriented development can be like, with high-density attractions and uses and workplaces and living spaces [near] the line,” he says. “We’re very optimistic about this evolving in a way we’re all pleased with.” 

Source: Dick Gilyard, PPERIA
Writer: Anna Pratt

The Coffee Shop Northeast, named for its Minneapolis neighborhood, recently wrapped up an expansion project that more than doubled its square footage.  

Rich Horton, an owner of the coffee shop, says the expansion was much needed. “We were getting so busy, we were packed and there’d be no place to sit,” he says.   

That, along with the idea of growing the business, prompted the owners to take over the space that opened up when the neighboring tenant, EMI Audio, moved to Robbinsdale. The additional room, which gives the coffee shop over 2,000 square feet compared with the 800 square feet it had before, allows for occasional events, such as poetry readings and live music.

A physical separation between the old and new space gives people the flexibility to take part in events or to choose a quieter nook.

In addition to new tables and chairs and couches, a 12-seat community table has already turned out to be popular among large groups.  

The coffee shop was able to expand its kitchen and add storage space as well. Horton says that food items have been more in demand than he would’ve guessed when they were added to the offerings at the coffee shop, which the owners took over from Audubon Coffee two years ago.

The shop also added a decorative brick wall, which gives it a more finished look, he says.
The newer area is yellow and a light shade of brown, creating a subtle change in mood from the storefront area, which is green and brown, according to Horton.

Although he couldn’t give an exact figure, the project, it totaled more than $50,000, he says.
 
“We’re really happy with how it turned out,” he says, adding that feedback from the community has been positive.

Source: Rich Horton, co-owner, Coffee Shop Northeast
Writer: Anna Pratt