Doodle bird greeting card
BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE
What’s changed? And where can I eat?
On 28th Avenue and 42nd Street, as everywhere, it’s fall. Kids back in school, lake beaches closed, air conditioners sent to the shop for their autumn tune-up and pumpkin-spice scents fill the air. Not a lot has changed since last fall, but a few things have. Change is the only constant, after all.
Chicago Taste Authority at 3101 E. 42nd Street has closed. Permanently as to that address, temporarily as to Google, because the business is fine and plans to relocate to another part of the cities, timeline not known. CTA said they were leaving for only one reason, an unreasonable rise in the rent on the location they have had for decades. Also not known is whether there is a new tenant coming in.
Although our little neck of the woods here is not teeming with restaurants like Eat Street or NE Minneapolis, there are other options for a burger or dog or other unpretentious foods. One of those is Hamburguesas El Gordo at 4157 Cedar Avenue, South. Although Hamburguesas is a local chain now, with locations in St. Paul (Selby and Victoria, or Robert Street in West St. Paul) this one is the original #1 location. The signature burger is a monster with three meats, two cheeses, avocado, and all the fixings in addition. (The simple burger comes in under $10 and the Jr. size simple burger is under $7.) They also have tacos and burritos, including a vegan option of each, and dogos, (sadly not in vegan), elote – on the cob or in a cup, fries, guac, desserts, and Mexican agua fresca drinks. And more.
Naomi, head roaster at Northern Coffeeworks
There is one new shop we have heard about. Stay Gold Vintage is the latest incarnation, and first permanent brick-and-mortar location, of Tamrah Ryan’s vintage housewares and clothing business. Besides the shop, at 2719 E. 42nd Street, the mini-empire includes a brisk Etsy online business, a pretty up to date Instagram account, and a Facebook page. But aren’t we lucky, we can shop there in person! And judging from the Etsy offerings, this is a superlative vintage shopping experience.
Not new, but new for us
Metro Taxi and Limo, located at 3520 E. 43rd Street, provides licensed taxi and limo services. The number of licensed taxi drivers is shrinking massively due to displacement by app-based ride hail companies, but sometimes you just want the old school ways. They offer 24-hour customer service, a wide array of vehicles for larger groups or special needs, and free cancellation.
The Clay Pit Pottery Studio at 4141 Minnehaha Avenue South is one of those hidden cultural gems that make the Twin Cities such a great place to live. It’s an open and accessible community-based pottery studio, with lots of options for getting involved. A bare list will give you an idea – clay workshops, clay kits you can take home then bring back for firing, open studio, firing service with or without glazing, and private clay parties. All these things are for a very low cost and supported partly by donations from the community. To get the full details, check out the website at theclaypitstudio.com.
The Clay Pit
MPLS String Studio near 28th Avenue on 42nd Street is the headquarters for two private teachers of violin and other classical stringed instruments. Natalie VanBurkleo-Carbonara is a violinist, teacher, guest speaker, and more. She is on faculty at the Hastings Arts Center, a private instructor at South High School, and has more side businesses related to violins, such as Proposal Violinist (contract a violin performance to zhuzh up your proposal of marriage.) Dave Carbonara, a freelance bassist and graduate of the Juilliard School, also teaches bass and cello at the studio.
The long-timers (or getting there)
I guess it depends on what you consider a long time for a neighborhood business. For sure, Flanery Brothers Auto is going to make the cut. Currently aged 67 years, this business is only slightly younger than I am. The shop has been in its current location since 1980, and is still family-owned, still with a large base of loyal customers.
The website has a “history” page written in the mid-2000s when the business was about 50 years old. There we learn that Bernard (“Bum”) Flanery opened a Mobil Service Station on the triangle of land between Hiawatha and 34th Avenue. The business moved a couple of times before settling on 42nd Street, by which time his sons Tim and Brian, the “Brothers,” were running the business.
Bum Flanery, founder of Flanery Bros.
A2Z Wireless (2804 E. 42nd Street) first opened in 2016, but that’s still pretty good longevity in today’s fast-moving business world. A2Z offers repair service for all makes of cell phones, unlock services, and a wide selection of prepaid and money-saving service plans. They’re open Monday through Friday. The website for more contact information is a2zmn.com..
Doodle bird design + gifts is a store we have mentioned in previous issues and it’s doing well at 2803 E. 42nd Street as well as online. Kristin (kristinknych on Instagram) operates the shop as well as running a design firm and making greeting cards, stationery, and other paper products featuring her warm and whimsical designs. You can buy the cards online, but the shop contains a lot more. It’s open from 10 a.m. Monday through Saturday.
Angry Catfish is a bike shop at 2900 E. 42nd Street. It started out nearby, at 4208 28th Avenue South, and moved to the present location when the business expanded. Angry Catfish is a highly esteemed bike shop in a notorious bike shop city, so if you’re a bike enthusiast there is probably not much new I can tell you. Northern Coffeeworks is now the sole business at 4208, and thereby hangs a cool, very South Minneapolis story. As Northern Coffeeworks’ website states: “Born from a bike shop, inspired by a love of the landscape and culture of the upper Midwest, Northern Coffeeworks is a micro-roaster and specialty coffee shop in Minneapolis.”
