Eagan outlet mall reveals final group of tenants

Posted on July 28, 2014 by

StarTribune reports that the final batch of stores at Twin Cities Premium Outlets in Eagan, which opens next month, were announced..

Some of the new stores haven’t appeared in Minnesota outlet malls before, including Armani, Vera Bradley, Filson leather goods for men, Steve Madden and Francesca’s Collections.

Other newly-announced stores include Haggar, Hanes, Stride Rite Kids, Sperry, Le Creuset, The Loft, Nine West, Ann Taylor, Corelle & More, Dressbarn, Ann Taylor and G.H. Bass & Co.

The 409,000-square-foot outlet mall, set to open Aug. 14, will have more than 100 shops in all. Read more >>

Posted in Eagan

St. Paul is getting a TargetExpress mini-store next

Posted on July 28, 2014 by

MSPBJ reports that four more TargetExpress stores are planned for 2015. Target spokeswoman Erika Winkels said one will be in St. Paul’s Highland Park and three are planned for San Francisco, but she didn’t identify exact sites for the stores.

TargetExpress is about one-sixth the size of a traditional Target, which means you won’t find everything you would expect in a regular store. There’s not much in the way of clothing, sporting goods and toys.

Posted in Minneapolis

Now Open: Cafe Zentral

Posted on July 28, 2014 by

The Journal reports that Café Zentral opened in the skyway level of the Soo Line Building on July 14. The European-style café offers quick, gourmet breakfast and lunch geared toward downtown workers.

The menu includes wraps, paninis and house-baked pastries for breakfast and salads, soups, more paninis and crepes for lunch. Self-contained sausage sandwiches called Munchen Dogs are also available.

Café Zentral is part of Meritage owners Russell and Desta Klein’s multifaceted plan to fill retail space in the bottom two floors of the building after the Soo Line Apartments opened last November.

Posted in Minneapolis

Woodbury shopping center getting $7M makeover

Posted on July 28, 2014 by

MSPBJ reports that Woodbury Village is getting a $7 million renovation as the owners want to spruce up the 24-year-old shopping center at the 494 and Valley Creek Road intersection.

The renovation will be done in two phases starting next month. First will be the west side of the center, called Woodbury Village Green, which is anchored by The Tile Shop and Xperience Fitness. The second phase will happen in 2015 on the east side, which is anchored by a Byerly’s, Barnes & Noble, Kohl’s, Target and Marshalls.

The renovation includes new roofs, facade improvements and landscaping.

Posted in Woodbury

Now Open: NTY Clothing Exchange

Posted on July 22, 2014 by

Allison Kaplan of Mpls + St. Paul Magazine reports that the founder of Clothes Mentor has opened a new resale store aimed at teens. NTY Clothing Exchange in Minnetonka focuses on trendy apparel for girls and guys from popular brands including American Eagle, Juicy Couture, Steve Madden, Lucky Brand, and True Religion.

The store at Ridge Square, across the street from Ridgedale Center, is well organized and the assortment is deep, including shoes, jewelry, and bags. Kaplan writes that “it feels a lot like that other teen resale retailer, Plato’s Closet, which is not a surprise, considering NTY founders Ron Olson and his son Chad Olson used to work for the company that built Plato’s Closet, along with resale brands Play It Again Sports and Once Upon a Child.”

The Olsons are treating the Minnetonka store as a pilot as they prepare to open NTY stores around the country.

Posted in Minnetonka

Downtown Minneapolis Office Depot closing

Posted on July 22, 2014 by

MSPBJ reports that Office Depot is closing its downtown Minneapolis location on Sept. 6, the company confirmed in an e-mail.

The office supply store had for 15 years occupied 24,000 square feet of space on City Center’s first floor, facing Nicollet Mall.

For office supplies, downtown residents and companies will still have nearby Target, as well as a new, fancy and bigger Walgreen’s store that’s planned for across the stree t in the space that will be vacated by Saks Off 5th come January.

Posted in Minneapolis

Nine Rainbow stores closed

Posted on July 22, 2014 by

Pioneer Press reports that nine suburban Rainbow supermarkets will close permanently today as owner Roundy’s makes a quick exit from the Twin Cities market.

The nine stores were the leftovers from a deal announced in May, when a group of buyers purchased 18 other Rainbow locations and turned most of them into Cub Foods or Byerly’s stores. Nine Rainbow stores were not part of that deal, and efforts to sell them to other grocers didn’t keep them from closing down.

Rainbow supermarkets will be closing in Cottage Grove, Shoreview, Inver Grove Heights, Apple Valley, Blaine, Bloomington, Coon Rapids, Maple Grove and Savage. Continue reading →

Posted in Apple Valley, Blaine, Bloomington, Cottage Grove, Inver Grove Heights, Maple Grove, Savage