Scene from Nokomis Days 2024
BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE
Retail shopping — groceries and more
The hub of businesses at 34th Avenue, between 49th and 51st Streets, is the largest in the Nokomis neighborhood. It tends toward retail and services. Oxendale’s market is the largest physically. Oxendale’s has been on that corner for decades. In the past several years, they began buying other small supermarkets and now have a chain of four locations. They manage to squeeze a lot of variety into their space, with fine gourmet offerings, excellent produce and meat, and a bargain brand called Our Family for basics.
Asa’s Bakery has been in the strip of shops to the north of Oxendale’s for a few years now, and is proving very popular. They are closed Monday through Wednesday, and then open four days from 7 a.m. (8 a.m. on weekends) until 2 p.m. “or sold out.” They offer loaves of sourdough bread, including four rotating specials, and bagels and bialys. Bialys are not a common bread product here, and if you’re unfamiliar with them, get thee to Asa’s and try one.
Nokomis Library
Nokomis Shoes, 4950 34th Ave., is one of those four or five Twin Cities stores everyone will mention if you say you have a hard time finding good shoes. They’re family-run and have been in business over 80 years. If buying shoes on the internet is too risky, and you want good old-fashioned fitting, go there. Although they do have an online shop as well.
McDonald’s Liquor and Wine is a popular and highly rated (on Yelp and Google) liquor store known for its dog-friendly policy. Every time I have been there, there were at least two dogs in the store! But seriously, they are a great local liquor outlet.
Community and services
Nokomis Library is the local library at 5100 34th Ave. It’s one of the larger ones in South Minneapolis, and it has a seed library as well and a large meeting room. Check for other resources and events like book clubs at hclib.org/about/locations/nokomis.
Nokomis Square Senior Co-operative is a large and rather luxurious housing co-op for independent folks aged 55 and older. In addition to top-notch community housing, they offer a variety of community activities and amenities in one of the best locations in the Twin Cities.
Nokomis East Neighborhood Association (NENA) is the official neighborhood association for this area, Nokomis East. They just had their annual meeting at the end of April, and had just hired a new executive director — former staffer Sarah Friedman — who began on May 1. NENA has a small office at 5005 ½ 34th Ave. There is also a Nokomis East Business Association (NEBA) which supports local businesses and sponsors a Nokomis Days celebration each August.
SunBean Coffee on opening day
Coffee and a snack, breakfast or a nice dinner
Venn Brewing is just a couple blocks east of 34th Ave. at 3550 E. 46th St. The craft brewery has a large taproom, a rotating pack of food trucks, and a coffee shop inside that’s open for breakfast. The premises are dog-friendly and family-friendly and have a large, covered patio. They also have their own line of THC beverages and gummies under the brand name Zenn. Venn means friend in Norwegian. “Our place is your space to unplug, unwind, and tap into what’s most important — those around you. From our beertenders to our baristas, when you grab a seat at Venn, one thing’s for sure: You’ll always be in good company.”
SunBean Coffee Shop has a similar upbeat, up with people vibe. In fact, they explicitly include mental health boosting things in the design of their shop, like lots of plants and art, and a SAD (seasonal depression in winter) light, and yoga in the park, weather permitting. I have really enjoyed my visits to SunBean, so it must work. Or maybe it’s the outrageous “pop tarts” from Fruit & Grain Bakery. Also, SunBean made it into the latest Eater list “Best TC Coffee Shops;” see tinyurl.com/DKRatSSP-Coffeeshops.
Berry Sweet Kitchen, down 34th Ave. at 54th Street, focuses on breakfast and lunch, with a full bar to complement the many tasty brunch options. Not only does this restaurant offer a casual, cozy atmosphere, they also offer catering and the opportunity to reserve their space for your private event. If you just want to grab something sweet and quick, they have cakes and other baked goods ready to go — handmade from scratch, just like everything on their menu.
A nice place for dinner is the venerable Bull’s Horn. I love reading their menu! I actually have not been there, but I must remedy this situation soon. They have KY fried chicken gizzards! They have bologna sandwiches! The bar has Malort! (Which I only know of by reputation.) For NA drinks, they have the Holy Trinity: lemonade, iced tea, and their son, Arnie Palmer.
