Wal-Mart buys land for store in Roseville

Posted on April 29, 2013 by

According to the Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal, Wal-Mart has closed on its acquisition of a 14-acre site in Roseville where it plans to build a 160,000-square-foot store. The site is located at the intersection of Cleveland Avenue and County Road C.

Wal-Mart’s proposal drew some opposition from neighborhood groups, but the Roseville City Council voted 3-2 to approve the project last year. The retailer has applied for a building permit and could break ground as soon as next week.

Wal-Mart also recently closed on deals in Andover and Cottage Grove.

Posted in Roseville

FreeStyle Yogurt Open on Lyndale Avenue

Posted on April 29, 2013 by

SouthwestMinneapolisPatch.com reports that FreeStyle Yogurt is the newest addition to the 5300 block of Lyndale Avenue.

With other locations in St. Paul, Roseville and Hudson, WI, FreeStyle boasts that it can offer a healthier alternative for locals with a sweet tooth.

The new shop is opening next to Prima at 5315 Lyndale Ave. S. The location was chosen for a variety of reasons.. With the 54th and Lyndale road construction project bringing wider sidewalks, and the neighborhood’s relative lack of a nearby “entertainment district” like 50th and France, FreeStyle expects to have many natural customers.

Posted in Minneapolis

Tom Reid purchases namesake St. Paul hockey pub

Posted on April 29, 2013 by

According to the Pioneer Press, former North Stars hockey player Tom Reid has purchased the downtown St. Paul building that’s been the longtime home to his bar, Tom Reid’s Hockey City Pub.

Reid and his business partner, Robert Keifer, finalized the purchase of the 5,500 square foot property from North Star Bank

Located two blocks southwest of Xcel Energy Center, Tom Reid’s is a favorite watering hole of Minnesota Wild fans. Its walls are bedecked in Minnesota hockey memorabilia. Reid also serves as color commentator on Minnesota Wild radio broadcasts.

Reid plans no major changes for the building, but said he will “spruce it up” a little with new chairs, tables and TVs, something he couldn’t do while leasing it.  He’ll also add a new lighted sign to the front of the building.

Posted in Minneapolis

FLOR Carpet Store Opens on Lake Street

Posted on April 29, 2013 by

The Southwest Journal reports that FLOR, a national company that sells carpet squares, is opening at 1426 W. Lake St. with a grand opening event in late May.

Customers can assemble the 50-centimeter carpet squares to create custom rugs, runners or wall-to-wall designs. The store provides design and installation assistance. The squares are installed without nails, padding or glue to allow for easy replacement.

The company was founded in 2003 by floor-covering professional Greg Colando, who keyed into the resurgence in urban living and an increased demand for design-focused products.

Posted in Minneapolis

StyledLife closing at the Galleria

Posted on April 29, 2013 by

Allison Kaplan of Mpls + St. Paul Magazine reports that Galleria designer accessories boutique StyledLife is closing at the end of May.  The large storefront is likely to be appealing to national brands, or could be divided for more than one new retailer.

The decision to close was a personal one for owner Kevin Quinn—not driven by store sales, which he described as “flat, but not bad.”

“To be a successful company long term, you have to grow,” says Quinn, a former Nordstrom fashion director. Throughout the years, Quinn considered adding stores—for a short time he operated both downtown Minneapolis and at the Galleria—but the timing never was quite right for him personally to expand, and so he came to the difficult conclusion in just the past few weeks that the “24-7” demands of store ownership didn’t justify the return.

Posted in Edina

New sports bar opening next to Deja Vu in Downtown Minneapolis

Posted on April 24, 2013 by

The Journal reports that a new sports bar called The Office has been proposed for a vacant space in the Deja Vu building near 3rd & Hennepin.

A representative of the group planning the new bar briefed the North Loop Neighborhood Association’s Planning & Zoning Committee about the concept for the new bar last night.

The Office would occupy a 2,200-square-foot space between Deja Vu and J.D. Hoyt’s Supper Club. The bar’s maximum occupancy would be 100 people.

The bar still needs to go through the city approval process to secure a liquor license.

Posted in Minneapolis

Bluemercury Coming to Galleria

Posted on April 24, 2013 by

Allison Kaplan of Mpls + St. Paul Magazine reports that Bluemercury, the fast-growing luxury beauty chain with nearly 40 locations nationwide, will open its first Twin Cities store this summer at Galleria in Edina.

Bluemercury offers cosmetics and skincare from more than 100 upscale brands including Laura Mercier, La Mer, La Prairie, Darphin, and T. LeClerc. Products are sold in an open format, by a staff that includes trained makeup artists and estheticians. The store will include a small spa for facials and body treatments.

This is Galleria’s first new store announcement since Hines Global REIT took over and installed former Neiman Marcus general manager Luis Serrat as the new vice president of retail.

Posted in Edina