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photo by jake weyer
Sewing studio and fabric store Sewtropolis will open this month in the former Auntie Em’s space at 5 W. Diamond Lake Road.
By Jake Weyer, Kathryn Holahan and Amanda Kushner
Biz buzz: Sewtropolis keeping the art of sewing alive
Sewtropolis, a do-it-yourself sewing studio and fabric store, is opening Nov. 1 at 5 W. Diamond Lake Road.
It will take the place of Auntie Em’s bookstore, which recently closed.
The studio is equipped with Janome sewing machines, cutting and design tables, fabrics, scissors, threads, needles and patterns by hotpatterns.com — everything one could possibly need to sew, said owner and operator Nikol Gianopoulos.
Gianopoulos applied her Greek heritage to come up with the name Sewtropolis, or Sew City.
A Desert Storm veteran and single mother of two, Gianopoulos has dreamt of owning her own business for years.
“I walked into a quilt store in Fairfax, Virginia, and I just knew that was what I wanted to do — own my own sewing store,” she said.
Gianopoulos, 43, developed the store to appeal to 20-40-year-old women. Her intent is to keep the art of sewing alive since she feels it is no longer a tradition passed from mother to daughter.
A variety of sewing lessons for all skill levels are available at the store weeknights from 6–10 p.m. Gianopoulos will teach students how to use the machine, make aprons, pillowcases, pajama bottoms, purses, tops and tote bags, among other things. The classes are designed so that the students, about six in each class, can learn a skill in four hours. Each lesson costs $50, plus the cost of materials. Gianopoulos is offering a reduced price sewing kit suitable for the classes.
Sewtropolis will host a grand opening at noon Nov. 1. Food and beverages will be provided and patrons can use the studio for free that day. Regular hours will be 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, noon–4 p.m. Sunday and closed Monday. For more information or to sign up for a class, call 827-9550 or check out sewtropolis.com.
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City approves plans for Rainbow redevelopment
The Minneapolis Planning Commission approved plans late last month for a new Rainbow Foods grocery store that will replace the outdated one at 1104 Lagoon Ave.
Plans call for the complete demolition of the existing store and 120-space parking lot. The new, two-level store will be more than double the old one’s size and a new parking garage will be able to accommodate 250 vehicles.
The grocery store’s lobby and flower shop will be on the main floor, along with additional retail space. The bulk of the grocery store will be on the second level, accessed by two elevators and several escalators.
Rainbow will close during demolition and construction, which is expected to begin early next year and wrap up in late 2010 or early 2011.
Standard Heating and Air Conditioning unveils new headquarters near riverfront
In 2004 Standard Heating and Air Conditioning realized that they had outgrown their 410 W. Lake St. space. Drivers even had to take their trucks home at night because they didn’t have anywhere to store them, said Steve Minn, principal at Lupe Development Partners.
On Oct. 1 Standard Heating held the ribbon cutting for a new space at 130 Plymouth Ave. N.
Owners Ted and Todd Ferrara had some specific qualifications that they needed for their new space including keeping it close to the highway, in Minneapolis and close to Dunwoody. Standard Heating President Troy Gregory said the company serves the metro area and therefore wanted a central location near a neighborhood that they could serve.
The company has been based in Minneapolis since 1930.
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Noted
Frattallone’s Ace Hardware opened last month in the former Checker Auto Parts space at 2733 Hennepin Ave. S.
Hours are 7:30 a.m.–9 p.m. Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.–7 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Sunday.
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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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