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Photo by Robb Long
The Uptown Bar patio
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Biz buzz: New building, new Uptown Bar patio
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By Brian Voerding
Attention Uptown Bar patrons: Prepare to say goodbye to street views from one of the neighborhood's most popular spaces to hang.
There's a two-story retail building planned for 3016 Hennepin Ave. S., between the Uptown Bar and The North Face store and across the street from Calhoun Square.
So come spring, when construction is slated to begin, no more patio. At least not adjacent to the street — the bar plans to relocate the patio to the back of the building.
The project is led by developer Jeff Herman, who runs the Southwest-based commercial real estate firm Urban Anthology. He has a purchase agreement with the Uptown Bar owners for the space and said the development has their support.
Herman said he has spoken with a number of interested retailers but has not confirmed any yet. He said he's looking for a "flagship retail tenant" along the lines of similar national retailers on the block, including Urban Outfitters, Victoria's Secret and American Apparel. He said he may also seek other users, including service-oriented businesses.
Herman said if construction begins on schedule, the building will open sometime this fall.
A greener future for discerning decorators
Green-minded decorators and remodelers looking for high-end options have a new place to call home in Casa Verde.
Casa Verde opened late this fall on 50th street near Bryant Avenue in the Lynnhurst neighborhood, offering a comprehensive selection of eco-luxe (a mashup of 'ecology' and 'luxury') wares, from kitchen and bath appliances and fixtures to cabinets, furniture, home accents, and more. Products are chosen for their materials, as well as for the sustainability of the process used to create them.
"We are excited to … show how kitchen design and home furnishings can be luxurious, beautiful, well designed and eco-friendly at the same time," said Rosemary Merrill, one of the store's founders, in a release. "We believe the demand for high-end yet eco-friendly design is just taking off in our community."
Casa Verde is located at 911 W. 50th St. For more information, call 353-4401 or visit www.casaverdedesign.com.
Adios, Indio
Minneapolis chef and restaurateur Hector Ruiz has shuttered his latest Southwest venture, Indio, after less than a year in business.
The Uptown restaurant, which featured authentic, higher-end Mexican cuisine, closed late last month. A message on its website thanked customers and staff for making Indio "the wonderful place it was." Ruiz wasn't able to be reached for comment.
While you can't replace the taquitos that Indio was known for, you can still support Ruiz's two other active restaurants in Southwest: El Meson, a Spanish-Caribbean bistro at 3450 Lyndale Ave., and Café Ena, a Latin fusion joint at 4601 Grand Ave.
Flanders Contemporary Art closed
Bankruptcy forced the closure of Flanders Contemporary Art, 3012 Lyndale Ave. S., owner Douglas Flanders said Jan. 5.
Flanders said he was forced into Chapter 7 bankruptcy by a local business partner who helped finance the construction of his current gallery, which opened four years ago. Slow sales, made worse by the economic crisis, left Flanders unable to repay the loan, he said.
The closing was announced in a message on the gallery's website.
"The gallery had to go into bankruptcy just because of a lack of business," Flanders said. "We hope to reopen, but we don't have a specific time and place."
Chapter 7 bankruptcy involves the liquidation of a debtor's assets to repay creditors.
Flanders said art he used as collateral for the loan is in storage and will be auctioned to repay the debt. Art that was in the gallery on consignment has been returned to the artists.
Flanders first opened his gallery in 1972 at 1204 Harmon Place, a space now occupied by Buca di Beppo Italian Restaurant. A sculpture by Tony Caponi still stands at the location.
The gallery, which specializes in modern and contemporary art, moved several times before opening in 2004 in the Lyn-Lake area.
Flanders said he never developed a strong, local customer base for his gallery.
Flanders said he was struggling to keep up with monthly expenses for running his gallery. The economic downturn — not to mention the Bernard Madoff scandal, which directly affected many of his clients — was the last straw.
Flanders planned to reopen in a new, smaller space following bankruptcy proceedings.
Dylan Thomas contributed to this report
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City declares snow emergency
UPDATED February 8, 2010, 1:27pm
By Cristof Traudes
With snow falling almost non stop since Sunday, the City of Minneapolis this afternoon declared a snow emergency.
Starting at 9 p.m. today, cars will not be allowed to be parked on either side of snow emergency route streets. From 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. tomorrow, cars should only park on the odd side of non-snow emergency route streets, and from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday, cars should only park on the even side of non-snow emergency route streets. Cars parked on the wrong sides of streets will be ticketed and towed.
To look up what streets are affected when, click here. More information is at ci.minneapolis.mn.us/snow.
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Neighborhood notebook
By Sarah McKenzie, Dylan Thomas and Jake Weyer
CARAG
Newspaper proposal withdrawn CARAG residents approved a motion to support the current management structure of the Uptown Neighborhood News in January, putting an end to a months-long discussion of a possible reorganization. CARAG Board of Directors Member Anna Matthes and Jill Bode, a CARAG representative to the newspaper’s managing board, requested in November that CARAG consider transferring management of the newspaper to them for several months. Matthes and Bode proposed they eventually take control of the paper, which they said was operating under an inefficient management structure. In January, Matthes also said newspaper managers had lost focus on community-building efforts, instead focusing on
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Green digest // Making Bryant a bike boulevard
By Dylan Thomas
Making Bryant a bike boulevardCARAG — If you bike, live or work along Bryant Avenue South take note: An upcoming public meeting is your chance to contribute to plans for a future bicycle boulevard. City planners expect to make changes to the street this summer that will make the north-south street more bike-friendly. Area residents have an opportunity to voice their opinions on some of those changes 7 p.m. Feb. 9 at Bryant Square Park, 3101 Bryant Ave. S. New pavement markings and signage to identify the bicycle boulevard are a given, but other elements intended to slow vehicle traffic and improve the safety of intersections will be put to a vote. Ballots will ask voters to rank new street features such as curb extensions,
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Crime reports
By Jake Weyer
Editor’s note: Alleged crimes against persons (assault, murder, etc.) will feature the + symbol. Note, this compilation of crime reports provides highlights of area criminal activity. It’s not intended to be a comprehensive overview of Southwest crime.
CARAG+ Jan. 26, 8:20 p.m., 3200 Emerson Ave. S.Officers were dispatched to a report of a robbery at gunpoint. The victim was a 26-year-old man and two suspects, who fled in a car, were involved. Police thought the robbery might be related to several others that have been reported recently in the area. EAST ISLESJan. 30, between 3:15 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., W. Lake St. and East Calhoun
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Biz buzz // Guse Green Grocer
By By Lana Walker and Jake Weyer
Guse Green Grocer opens at 46th & BryantWhen Tom and Terry Thomson, owners of the long-awaited Guse Green Grocer, put in an order for 40 pounds of organic bananas, their supplier commented that the order was too much for such a little store. When the following Monday morning rolled around, however, it seemed the supplier could eat his words. “I called him and said, ‘We only have five bananas left!’” Terry Thomson said. Located on the corner of 46th Street and Bryant Avenue, the grocery store celebrated its soft opening on Jan. 23 and 24. It didn’t have an advertising scheme or a grand event, but 400 eager customers showed up on day one and the weekend was full of positive feedback and neighborhood
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Schools notebook // Board recommends Johnson
By Dylan Thomas
School Board recommends Johnson to lead districtWhen it came time to name candidates who might replace Minneapolis Superintendent Bill Green, the School Board had only one person in mind: current Deputy Superintendent Bernadeia Johnson. School Board Chair Tom Madden, reading from a prepared statement at the Board’s Jan. 19 meeting, emphasized the importance of “stability” in a district rocked by a decade of enrollment declines, budget deficits and school closings. “The constant churn which has come to characterize Minneapolis Public Schools has taken a toll on our children, our families and our staff,” Madden said. He also said the district was “fundamentally on the right track,”
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Co-op loan drive short $100,000; deadline extended
By Jake Weyer
The Linden Hills Co-op needs $1.5 million in member loans to help pay for a move to the west side of the neighborhoodLINDEN HILLS — The Linden Hills Co-op arrived at its Jan. 31 loan-drive deadline about $100,000 short of the $1.5 million needed to help pay for a move from 43rd & Upton to the former Almsted’s Sunnyside Market site near 44th Street and France Avenue. That was close enough for Bob Olson, who owns the new site, to grant an extension for the drive and for the co-op to move forward with its plans, said spokeswoman Jeanne Lakso. “We’ll continue to collect loan agreements for at least the next two weeks and we’re fully confident we’re going to meet if not exceed our goal,” Lakso
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Kingfield unveils plans for new community gardens
By Jake Weyer
KINGFIELD — It’s hard to think about gardening in frigid February, when hoes, rakes and seeds are stowed away and snow blankets frozen plots, but green thumbs are buzzing right now in one Southwest neighborhood. Following up on years of resident interest, the Kingfield Neighborhood Association (KFNA) this spring will launch two community gardens, one on the Center for Performing Arts property at 3754 Pleasant Ave. S. and the second on another private lot at 3912 Van Nest Ave. The sites will serve as the first of four community gardens KFNA would eventually like to develop in the area. “Our goal is really to create a network of gardens and gardeners throughout the neighborhood,” said KFNA executive director Sarah
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