Spring on Minnehaha Avenue South

BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE

Culture and art

Culture abounds on Minnehaha Avenue South! The corner of Lake and Minnehaha is unofficially “Downtown Longfellow” and it’s one of the few places in the Twin Cities with not one but two bookstores! (Three, if you count the “Uncles” separately.) Moon Palace is a wonderful bookshop, with a general inventory, and concentrations on BIPOC and queer authors and subjects. They have a Queer Book Club, and a Lost in Translation Book Club and many other interesting events. Uncle Hugo’s and Uncle Edgar’s are a SF/Fantasy and Mystery/Crime bookstore respectively that have always occupied a space together. Their original home on Chicago Avenue was burned down in the George Floyd Uprising but they have settled into Longfellow now. As a former collector of books (now downsizing, slowly) I highly recommend them.
Across the road is the Firehouse Performing Arts Center, housing the Hook and Ladder Theater (an eclectic music venue) and Zen Arcade (a “canna-lounge.”) Space does not permit me to tell of all the wonderful events happening there, but I’ll just mention that the Under the Canopy series is happening, and on May 9, it will feature Cornell ’77

Turns 48: A Grateful Dead Concert Recreation with a tribute band called The Cellar Kings. (This will be meaningful as heck to Grateful Dead fans.) Check thehookmpls.com/upcoming-events for more.
There are also four dance studios on, or just off, Minnehaha Avenue! Mactir Academy of Irish Dance, 3715 Minnehaha Ave., teaches only Irish dance at various levels. Tapestry Folkdance Center, 3748 Minnehaha Ave., does teach classes but also, they hold dances, and they span a large breadth of different types of dancing. A number of my friends and neighbors love the Joyfully Dancing 55+ program, which is an open class every Monday evening. Ballare Teatro, 4529 Minnehaha Ave., is a more classical type of dance studio — teaching ballet, tap, and jazz — to students from preschool to adults. Just off Minnehaha is Threads Dance Project at 2213 Snelling

Ave. Threads Dance Project was founded with the mission to examine, expose and celebrate the threads that connect us. “We believe dance is the most direct means to communicate truth, no matter how difficult or mundane.”
Trylon Cinema, 2820 East 33rd St., began as a micro-cinema but it got so popular it had to enlarge a bit. It’s still pretty small. I love the Trylon so much for their imaginative series and programs of many and varied types of films. Prices are reasonable, and the vibe is excellent. In May, they have a series on “the cantankerous Peter Boyle” that will include screenings of “Hardcore”, “The Friends of Eddie Coyle”, and “Young Frankenstein”. The cult film series will feature six showings of “Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai” in 35mm.
RLM Art Studio, 3260 Minnehaha Ave., is a local treasure and

“movement” artist Ricardo Levins Morales’s retail outlet for posters, cards, calendars and more. The store is also online (rlmartstudio.com) but it’s fun to just browse and hang out too.
Building community
The Longfellow Community Council is the neighborhood organization for Cooper, Hiawatha, Howe, and Longfellow. It’s a community-based 501(c)3 nonprofit that represents the interests of community residents and businesses in the Greater Longfellow area. (Greater Longfellow has approximately 21,000 residents, 7,000 households and over 450 businesses!)
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 2730 East 31st St, is another center of greater Longfellow. They built, and still support, an affordable senior housing complex next door to the church. For a little over a year, they have hosted Soup for You, a cafe-like free lunch program with an associated food shelf run by Sisters Camelot. The church also has several other community supporting programs going on, as well as, of course, a church service every Sunday.
Since early in 2025, Twin Cities DSA (Democratic Socialists of America) has maintained an office in the Coliseum Building, a block east of Minnehaha Ave. They have many events open to the public, a softball team called General Strike Three, and a Longfellow “cell” of TCDSA’s Street Corps. Check out twincitiesdsa.org to see if you want to get involved in any of their programs. And let’s not forget the local library — East Lake Library. This is one of my favorite libraries in town, with a helpful staff and a bright sunny meeting room right on Lake Street. Check out their event schedule for classes and book clubs and more at hclib.org/about/locations/east-lake.

Services

PC Doodle, 3600 Minnehaha Ave., is a friendly, accessible, affordable place to take an ailing device, buy a new or refurbished system, or just get a digital tune-up. And it’s dog-friendly!
D&J Glove Repair, 3742 Minnehaha Ave., repairs baseball gloves, mainly. They also sell old, reconditioned gloves, which many aficionados and players prefer for their quality. The media loves D&J; they have been featured in both main newspapers, MinnPost, Racket, and several local TV shows. And now they can add Southside Pride!
Repair Lair moved from Lake Street to 4153 Minnehaha Ave., in 2024. Repair Lair repairs outdoor clothing and gear, and also sells on consignment, and offers expert help for anyone ”gearing up” for an outdoor adventure.

Fitness and health

Minnehaha Yoga, 4141 Minnehaha Ave., was founded in 2008 by Gillian,

who is still a teacher there. They have four main areas of instruction, which I with my small yoga knowledge would classify as ranging from very challenging to slightly challenging. Vinyasa and Ashtanga are the most physical and demanding, with Ashtanga also including breathwork. Spa Yoga and Slow Flow are a bit less demanding. Most, if not all, regular classes are on Zoom.
Solcana Fitness and Arena Fitness are both located in the Downtown Longfellow Hub. Solcana is a queer, woman-owned gym designed for all bodies, built on the idea of body liberation. It is a safe space for all with no diet or weight-loss culture. Arena also is women-owned and self-identifies as LBGTQ+-friendly, but is more traditional, with membership options, nutrition coaching, and sales of supplements along with workouts and classes.
Awakenings is a new age gift store with a sideline in guidance and healing

services. The two owners, Eric and Bert — who are also life partners — offer consultations. Eric’s practice is called psychic-medium service and Bert’s is called atonement healing. Awakenings also hosts events; a monthly one is called Coffee with Angels, and is a group medium session for asking visiting angels questions, followed by an angel meditation.

Food and drink

Selam Restaurant is one of the many Ethiopian restaurants in Longfellow, Seward and the West Bank. Located at 3860 Minnehaha Ave., it has a more extensive menu than many such small Ethiopian places, and is highly rated. They have a coffee selection like many coffee shops, two dessert options, and many meat and/or vegetarian combos. They also offer pickup and delivery.

Parkway Pizza, 4359 Minnehaha Ave., is a venerable neighborhood institution. I mostly go there for neighborhood events or DFL meet and greets. Their popularity has resulted in three additional branches, in Northeast, St. Louis Park, and Roseville. They have house-made crust, sausage and a secret red sauce, and I appreciate that they have more vegan, vegetarian and chicken options among their featured pizzas than any other place. They also have a nice beer menu.
Asian Duck, 4010 East 46th St., is kind of new. I am not totally unfamiliar with various Asian cuisines but their Laotian menu has things of which I know nothing. So obviously I need to go there soon and check it out. Racket’s Em Cassel reviewed it in January.
Sea Salt, 4825 Minnehaha Ave., is a big favorite for locals, positioned near Minnehaha Falls and open seasonally. So far, I have not found a better Po’ Boy. It’s open now, and worth standing in line for.
Cafe Ceres, an upscale source of caffeine and pastries and part of the Daniel del Prado group, closed on April 13, citing “economic factors.” Those in the know say it was old-fashioned union busting. I will miss it, so I was glad to discover Falls Coffee, 4757 Hiawatha Ave. They serve coffee from Edina Roasters, and food items from La Boulangerie Marguerite.
Minnehaha Scoop, located at 3352 Minnehaha Ave., serves up Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream and Rosati Italian Ice. They also have fresh popcorn if you’re looking for something a little salty. Many online reviews mention not just their delicious treats, but also their exceptionally friendly staff. Minnehaha Scoop is a favorite summer ice cream shop, right on Minnehaha!