Mall of America unveils new logo, tagline

Posted on May 16, 2013 by

The Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal reports that The Mall of America on Wednesday unveiled a new logo and tagline.  The logo is a brightly colored star, although the individual colors are designed to be interchangeable.

The new tagline will be “Always New,” playing up the fact that the mall constantly adds new retailers, rides, exhibits and events. That replaces the old mantra of “The Place for Fun.”

“Mall of America is never static,” Maureen Bausch, the mall’s executive vice president of business development, said in a statement. “We are always new, constantly changing to offer the latest, hottest and most memorable experiences for our guests. Therefore, we are moving away from a static logo and incorporating a dynamic colorful design, making use of innovative digital media. The new logo reflects our 20 years of evolution, while paving the way for all of the fresh, exciting, new plans for Mall of America.”

The updated logo will appear on everything from billboards to business cards, gift cards to garbage cans. Mall employees will receive new brightly colored uniforms, helping guests easily identify them, and mall gift shops will be stocked with updated apparel, accessories and merchandise.

Posted in Bloomington, Mall of America

The Buttered Tin opening in Lowertown

Posted on May 16, 2013 by

buttered tinA new bakery called The Buttered Tin will be opening in mid-June at the corner of 7th St. East and Wacouta in St. Paul. The owners are baker and Cupcake Wars winner Alicia Hinze and (former) food PR professional Jennifer Lueck.

The bakery and café will be open daily for breakfast and lunch. It will feature a diverse menu of cakes, cupcakes, pies, cookies and bars, as well as special order cakes for weddings and celebrations. The café will serve American breakfast classics, soups, salads, and sandwiches.

Posted in St. Paul

Yogurt Lab adding four Twin Cities locations

Posted on May 16, 2013 by

The Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal reports that frozen yogurt chain Yogurt Lab is adding four locations in the Twin Cities area.  Its newest shop is in Eagan and opened last week, and a shop in downtown Wayzata will open at the end of the month.

Yogurt Lab CEO Aaron Switz said he was drawn to the Wayzata location because it is across from Sunsets restaurant and Lake Minnetonka, a popular spot for families in the summer.

Minneapolis-based Yogurt Lab also plans to open two more locations in the fall — in Uptown Minneapolis and in Apple Valley.

“We’re now tackling the suburbs,” Aaron Switz said. “We want to be able to get to enough spots so that people who like it don’t have to drive 30 minutes.”

Posted in Apple Valley, Eagan, Uptown, Wayzata

Cottage Grove Hopes for Retail Boom

Posted on May 13, 2013 by

South Washington County Bulletin reports that the city of Cottage Grove might be on the verge of a retail boom.  The emergence of the Shoppes at Cottage View, the groundbreaking of a 180,000-square-foot Walmart and several plans in the works to fill vacant retail lots, has the city poised to pull in shoppers from around the area.

City officials plan to attend the International Council of Shopping Centers’ retail convention in Las Vegas later this month with the hope of striking some deals. With multiple plans on the horizon to facilitate a more economically thriving and business friendly atmosphere, Cottage Grove Mayor Myron Bailey said he is optimistic.

“We’ve been doing a lot of reaching out to businesses and it’s really been a two-prong process,” he said. “We’ve been looking at a lot of end users and also have set up some appointments with bigger department stores. At the same time, we are bringing the Shoppes at Cottage View designs to the developer meetings (in Las Vegas) to discuss what is going there.” Continue reading →

Posted in Cottage Grove

Work to begin at Walmart Supercenters in Roseville, Cottage Grove

Posted on May 13, 2013 by

The Pioneer Press reports that Walmart formally broke ground Wednesday, May 8, on supercenters in Roseville and Cottage Grove.

In Cottage Grove, Walmart held a ceremonial ground breaking for its 180,000-square-foot supercenter on the site of the old Cottage View Drive-In. The store is scheduled to open next spring.

In Roseville, Walmart held ground-breaking ceremonies for its 160,000-square-foot supercenter at County Road C and Cleveland Avenue. That store is also set to open next spring.

Walmart is continuing a major expansion into Minnesota after years of largely ceding the region to its discount-store rival, Minneapolis-based Target. In 1962, the first-ever Target store opened in Roseville, where Walmart, until now, hasn’t had a presence.

Posted in Cottage Grove, Roseville

Developer locks in land for $100M Eagan outlet mall

Posted on May 8, 2013 by

StarTribune reports that construction for a big outlet mall in Eagan, near the Mall of America, could begin within days now that the developer has closed on a deal to buy 29 acres of city-owned land for the project.

Baltimore-based Paragon Outlet Partners paid $5.8 million for the site, part of a larger deal with Eagan that includes moving streets and helping build a parking ramp near the shopping center.

Paragon wants to build a 400,000-square-foot, six-building complex with more than 100 stores at the site, located at the intersection of highways 77 and 13.  Ryan Cos. US has been hired for construction.

A Saks Off Fifth will anchor the center and Gap and Banana Republic have signed on for outlet stores, too.

Posted in Eagan

Southdale announces 3 new stores

Posted on May 8, 2013 by

The Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal reports that Southdale Center says it will add three new stores to its lineup this fall: Sperry Top-Siders, Vera Bradley and Kay Jewelers.

Sperry Top-Sider, a Richmond, Ind.-based shoe manufacturer, will open a 2,156-square-foot store. This will be the company’s first Minnesota boutique.

Vera Bradley, a Fort Wayne, Ind.-based company that sells bags, handbags, purses and backpacks, will open a 2,300-square-foot store. It will be the brand’s second store in Minnesota, joining a location at the nearby Mall of America.

Kay Jewelers is returning to Southdale with a 1,506-square-foot store near the new dining pavilion. The Akron, Ohio-based retailer used to have a store at the shopping center, but closed it a couple of years ago, before work began on a major renovation. It has 15 locations in Minnesota.

Posted in Edina