The term streetwear is not easily definable. It’s not hip-hop fashion, but it is inspired by the music. It’s not luxury wear, but it pushes the prices and exclusiveness of luxury brands. Its shoes of choice are Nikes, yet most of the clothing companies are independently owned. Whatever the definition, the streetwear scene in the Twin Cities is about to see some major changes.
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One year ago, Alex Maki was about to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Minnesota-Duluth. He liked his major, and he had experience working with people who have mental health disabilities, but he was not sure what career path to take.
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Blackhawk helicopter pilot Capt. Andrea Ourada of the Minnesota Army National Guard never shies away from a challenge.
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The father-son duo of James and Mike Thomas are the second and third generations of Thomas men to own and manage the historic establishment that is known to neighbors and wine connoisseurs as Thomas Liquors.
The store, nestled in the Mac-Groveland neighborhood of St. Paul, has developed from a keg shop into a premier wine store. In 1922 the building housed a pharmacy owned by a Mr. Munch, where Clarence Thomas worked. In the late 1920’s Munch passed away and Clarence bought the building from his widow. When Prohibition ended in 1934 a small liquor department was added in the back of the store (James, Clarence’s son, said during Prohibition alcohol was prescribed by physicians, primarily to heart patients). In 1951 Clarence closed the pharmacy, began selling alcohol and renamed the building Thomas Liquors.
Since, the store has become home to the Thomas men – providing support, allowing for growth and creating memories. During a recent Saturday afternoon, between wine-tastings and a steady flow of customers, James and Mike bellied up and shared their stories.
At one point when she was working as a hairdresser, Colleen Woodbeck’s boss told her to style a deceased person’s hair for the funeral. While working on her hair, Woodbeck watched a funeral director embalming another body nearby.
The pavement outside Heimie’s Haberdashery is a dichotomy of neatly arranged, aged brick pavers fused with recent slabs of imposing bland concrete. In a world of e-mail, hybrid technology and multi-tasking, Heimie’s itself is a dichotomy – a throwback to the era of leisure, attention to detail and time to kill.
A child in a black snapsuit that says, ‘It ain’t gonna change itself’ runs past Todd Turfler at the mall. Turfler gives the child a thumbs-up sign and says, “cool shirt dude.” The mother of the child nods appreciatively and tells Turfler it gets a lot of attention. Turfler says he can only imagine but makes no mention of the fact that he is both the creator and muscle behind the clothing.
An idea planted itself in Lisa Nicholson’s head 17 years ago. A tomato plant, to be exact.
A steady rise in gas prices across the United States has opened the market for alternative-powered vehicles like hybrids, diesels and electric cars.
In a world where instant is not fast enough, it is no wonder text messaging is so popular. Who wants to wait for a phone call to be returned? Or for someone to receive and respond to an e-mail? The speed and efficiency of text messaging has infiltrated and revolutionized communication in all aspects of life, including the workplace. But it is not without problems.
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The vast pine and birch forests of northern Minnesota have provided hundreds of local entrepreneurs with a natural resource to make unique and sustainable wood products ranging from furniture to walking sticks.
The Minnesota unemployment rate has nearly doubled to 4.6 percent in 2007 when compared to a decade ago, according to LAUS (Local Area Unemployment Statistics). The state’s rate is identical to the national one: In 2007 the national average was reported at 4.6 percent; it has remained steady since 1998.
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Hundreds of drums of all shapes, sizes and colors, originating from as far away as Morocco to as near as the workshop in the basement cover the walls and flood the showroom floor of Ellis Drum Shop in St. Paul.
One of the oldest dessert recipes known to people everywhere is the foundation of a St. Paul business that competes directly with some of the biggest players in the industry.
Izzy’s Ice Cream Café opened its doors in 2000 at the hands of husband-and-wife team Jeff Sommers and Lara Hammel. Between running a business, raising two children and Hammel working as a lawyer, the owners were too busy to talk to a reporter. But employees and others help tell their story.
Grain Belt beer grew from humble beginnings in a Minneapolis brewery in 1893 to become one of the most successful brewers in the upper Midwest. Then it fell back to earth. Now it is soaring again.
Dave Arnold prefers his ’32 Fords and his late 1960’s Chevy Chevelles, and he couldn’t be blamed for having poor taste; both models are perennial favorites with hot-rod enthusiasts. Arnold, however, is not your run-of-the mill car maniac. He’s also the founder and president of CarTech Inc. a publisher of do-it-yourself automotive guides, based in North Branch, Minn.
Growing plants is Mary Joyer’s business, and her business is growing right along with her plants.
On a recent sunny Saturday morning in February, single digit temperatures didn’t stop runners from crowding into a tiny storefront in a quiet residential neighborhood in St. Paul.
The groups of athletes periodically straggled in and out, some finishing a run, others just on the search for gear.
“We did 18 miles this morning,” said a man sipping water on a bench, his fleece hat frosted with perspiration from his workout. “This is a Boston [marathon] group.”
During a visit to the Hofbrau Haus in Munich, Germany, a 14-year-old boy got his first taste of beer. Far from Munich and nearly 19 years later, he started his own brewery in Brooklyn Center, Minn. After two years of brewing, his beer is on its way to becoming as well known and well respected by beer enthusiasts as any other specialty brew in the United States.
After gathering her groceries in a Somali grocery store in South Minneapolis, a Somali woman brought them to the cashier knowing she couldn’t pay cash. After greeting the owner of the store, she was told the total: $200.
Instead of opening her purse, Shamson Hersi, a Minneapolis resident, said: “Write it down. I’ll bring the money Friday when I get my paycheck.” The next customer in line did the same thing.
When St. Paul-based Graywolf Press started business in 1974 its first book was hand-set and hand-printed on treadle-operated machines. The process took six months. Within four months, all 1,500 copies of Tess Gallagher’s Instructions to the Double were sold.
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The rattling of glasses, high-pitched whine of machinery and chattering of patrons filled the shell of an old car dealership in downtown Cannon Falls, Minn., on a recent February day. These are familiar sounds in what is now Cannon River Winery when owners John and Maureen Maloney throw a bottling party for one of their wines.
J.W. Hulme national sales manager Dwane Carlin once sold a custom Russet leather satchel to Virginia Sen. John Warner. Being a self-described “political nut,” Carlin was naturally ecstatic about his brush with a big shot.
Inside a cozy bookstore in St. Paul, my friend and I wander from table to table, browsing the hundreds of books lining the walls and tables scattered throughout. He strolls to a nearby stack, picks up a book and shows me the cover.
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At one time, a dollar could buy 20 trips to the neighborhood nickel theater. Times have changed and with the popularity of multiplex theaters, ticket prices have climbed to around $9 per trip, not including $7 or so for concessions.
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Her boyfriend risks his life every time he clocks in at work. Promises of danger lurk during each hour of the 12 on his shift. Tonight, there may be an armed robbery, a domestic assault, even a murder, God forbid. She asks him to call her before he starts and again when he’s back at home. She prays he’ll make it through the night safely.
On my desk sits a dollar bill with bent corners, a crease down the center and a minor tear below George Washington’s head. When it was a freshly printed note in 2001, devoid of the imperfections inflicted over several years, the bill was worth more.
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