Owner Daniel Hernandez at Colonial Market
BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE
Lake Street, old and new
Lake Street is one of the main arteries of commerce, traffic and history in South Minneapolis. It contains buildings and sites more than 100 years old, and some of the most interesting brand-new restaurants and businesses, and everything in between. Possibly the oldest site of interest on East Lake Street is the Soldiers and Pioneers Cemetery, which covers several city blocks, starting at the NE corner of Lake and Cedar Avenues. It is the oldest cemetery in Minneapolis, and recently acquired a prestigious new designation as a part of the National Underground Railroad Network.
Research by Georgia genealogist Elyse Hill led to the identification of four people buried in the Soldiers and Pioneers Cemetery with connections to the underground railroad, the chain of abolitionists prior to the U.S. Civil War which helped enslaved people escape to the northern states and often onward to Canada. Here is a video about that: youtu.be/H3UzhgCKqrs. The story was also covered in more depth by the MN Star Tribune on March 7. There will be a dedication of the cemetery on location on June 7 of this year.
Heart of the Beast Winter Solstice 2024
Some things change, some remain the same
The Russ Ewald Center for Urban Service interests me and I tried to find out what goes on there. I found out a lot more about Russ Ewald than this building, which is also HQ of the Minneapolis Council of Churches. Russ Ewald was an Episcopal minister to the McKnight family until he was asked to help William McKnight’s daughter, Virginia McKnight Binger, administer the McKnight Foundation. He went to serve as Executive Vice President for many years. He had such an impact on philanthropy here that a whole book was written about it.
Quatrefoil Library was founded in 1983, officially opening its doors in 1986. After moving to several other locations, they found their present and permanent home in the Spirit on Lake Apartments at 1220 East Lake Street in 2013. It is only the second LBGQT+ lending library in the country, and the first and largest in the Midwest.
In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theater is still in the old Avalon Theater building at 1500 East Lake Street, but probably not for long. The building was listed for sale in February, and the theater is making plans to relocate to a cheaper and smaller space as soon as it sells. Programming will continue, including the relaunch last summer of summer camps.
Midtown Farmer’s Market is another great institution along Lake Street that is surviving and thriving. The first Midtown Farmer’s Market of 2025 will be Saturday, May 3. Tuesday markets will begin the first Tuesday in June.
Gov. Walz, Congresswoman Omar, Mayor Frey and council members pose with Coliseum owners after Juneteenth ribbon-cutting event (Photo: Tom Gitaa/Mshale)
Lots of new stuff, from Hi-Lake to the Coliseum Building
Hi-Lake used to be anchored by an Aldi supermarket, but it closed in early 2023. November 2024 saw the opening of a Colonial Market in the space. Colonial Market was previously a single Hispanic grocery store on Nicollet Avenue, owned by Afro-Mexican entrepreneur Daniel Hernandez. The plan is to have a chain of four Colonial Markets, including one in another former Aldi in North Minneapolis and one in the former Rainbow Foods at the Hub in Richfield.
Across Lake Street is the MPS (Minneapolis Public Schools) Center for Adult Learning’s southside location. This award-winning building was completed in 2018. It’s now a major cultural resource for the surrounding neighborhoods.
Hennepin Health Care’s multipurpose building at 2209 East Lake Street houses Seward Pharmacy, an independent pharmacy owned by an African American couple, Elias Usso and his wife. Usso is a pharmacist who moved to Minnesota from Atlanta, GA in 2015 and decided to make the leap to owning his own pharmacy soon after. Seward Pharmacy opened in 2019 with Usso and one pharmacist employee. It has been a great success.
Seward Pharmacy Owners Elias Usso and his wife Mawerdi
Raising Cane’s is a popular, fairly new franchise chain of fried chicken outlets. There is one at 3000 Snelling Avenue, facing onto Lake Street. Raising Cane’s menu is incredibly simple, as all they have really is fried chicken, plus a few sides like fries, Texas toast and soft drinks.
The new Community Center promised for the burned-out old Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) Third Precinct Building is still years away from being built, according to Fox 9 and other news sources reporting on the project in late 2024. Most experts estimate the political struggles in city government mean it will be at least four more years until we see it come to fruition.
The really big success story in this formerly scorched and scarred part of town is the Coliseum Building at 2708 East Lake Street and its many interesting tenants. The building had a “soft opening” on Juneteenth of 2024 (I was there) and then really opened in the fall. Co-owners Shanelle and Chris Montana own the anchor concerns on the ground floor — Du Nord Social Spirits new cocktail room, and a Cajun restaurant called Lagniappe (reviewed here in The Dish for February 2025.) The other co-owners, Alicia Belton of Urban Design Perspectives, and Janice Downing of CommonSense Consulting, also have offices in the building.
Also with an office in the Coliseum is Twin Cities Democratic Socialists of America! Southside Pride covered the launch of neighborhood initiative One South in the Coliseum — see “Southside Summit: ‘One South’” in the December 2024 issue.
The Coliseum Building displaying art before renovations
East of the Coliseum
Midori’s Floating World Cafe was one of the small BIPOC-owned businesses ironically burned out in the George Floyd uprising, having the misfortune to be originally located a block from the Third Precinct station. They are now located at 3425 East Lake Street for takeout and delivery only. They serve “Japanese comfort food,” including excellent sushi.
Laune Bread, located at 3605 East Lake Street, shows their commitment to community with their Bread Fund, which helps those who need a little bread love. Since March 19, 2020, they have donated over 1,800 loaves to members of the community. In addition to their bread fund, their community connection extends to their sourcing practices. By focusing on buying direct from local farmers and producers, choosing organic when possible and diversifying their grain choices, they are building relationships with their local suppliers and encouraging sustainable farming practices. They also offer a subscription service! Choose from one of their Vegan breads, or their many pastry options, and pick them up at whatever frequency you need from one of their many pick up locations.
Francis Burger Joint has taken over the former Peppers and Fries location at 3900 East Lake Street. Their claim to fame is being a 100 percent vegan burger joint, and they do it proud. In addition to customized Impossible burgers and house-made bean burgers, they serve delicious roasted Brussels sprouts and vegan soft-serve ice cream, including shakes. If the Impossible and bean burgers aren’t your thing, they also serve Impossible chicken options, as well as salads and a sweet mustard slaw. Feel free to order a drink with your meal, Francis has Minnesota’s only fully vegan full bar, with several beers on tab and a tasty cocktail menu to explore.
