All Entries in the "Businesses" Category

Volunteers needed for the 10th annual 4th of July Northfield Criterium

Ben Witt, Northfielder, blogger, and owner of Milltown Cycles in Faribault, is once again hosting the annual 4th of July Northfield Criterium in downtown Northfield on Saturday. Races start at 9 am and continue throughout the day… which brings a lot of people to downtown Northfield to participate and support/cheer the racers. And Ben could use a little help. From his blog:

At Northfield, the biggest challenge has always been find people willing to be corner marshals. The race has 8 corners, all of which need to be staffed all day with competent people from 9am to 6 pm. This is a big role to fill. If you’re coming down to watch, please consider volunteering. We really need your help to continue to make this race a success.

This is a race that is put on for the community at large, Jake and I don’t make any money and spend a lot of our time to put it on. Please consider helping out if you can, even if it’s for an hour or two. We also need help at the registration booth. This is a crucial point for getting the race running smoothly, and we really could use some good people to help us out.

Contact Ben at 507-331-2636 or benwitt11@hotmail.com

Popularity: 6% [?]

Sweet Pea’s ice cream cookie is now locally grown

I saw Jerry Weber, co-owner of Sweet Pea’s Loft/Toys & Treats, pedaling his ice cream bike in downtown Dundas on Saturday for Celebrate Dundas.

Robbie and I each ate one of his ice cream cookies. He gets the cookie dough from The Ole Cafe and the ice cream from Tiny’s. Yum!

Popularity: 21% [?]

City ponders $100k forgivable loan for the Archer House; a royal flush for downtown?

Last week, the Northfield EDA recommended that the City enter into a partnership with the Archer House: a $100k forgivable loan in exchange for ADA-compliant toilets for public use. I like the idea and I think Dallas Haas would, too. See pages 9-21 in the June 25 EDA packet; the June 27th Nfld News story; and the June 26 Friday Memo in which Joel Walinksi wrote: (continued)

Popularity: 23% [?]

JuneBug wraps up today at four venues

 
All four venues for the 2009 JuneBug Festival of Music have performances scheduled today, the final day of the 4-day bash. See the schedule. Left to right in the photos above:

• J. Grundy’s Rueb ‘n’ Stein
• The Tavern Lounge
• The HideAway Coffeehouse & Winebar
• The Contented Cow Pub

Popularity: 26% [?]

Highland Bank and Dianne Kyte take over The Crossing

I waved Dianne Kyte, a realtor with Coldwell Banker South Metro, over to my corner office at GBM yesterday morning to ask her for an update on the status of the residential condo building at The Crossing where she lives. She confirmed that Highland Bank has taken over ownership of it from the developer, Mendota Homes. (The bank foreclosed on the property 6 months ago.)

Dianne has the listing for the seven unoccupied finished units (street address: 101 St Olaf Avenue N). And yes, the prices have been slashed. (continued)

Popularity: 29% [?]

JuneBug Festival of Music 2009: more acts, more venues, more social media, incl. Twitter

The JuneBug Festival of Music gets going in downtown Northfield this week on Wed. eve and runs through Saturday. (Click the thumbnail of the left for the PDF poster.)

    
In addition to the Contented Cow, the Tavern Lounge, J. Grundy’s Rueb ‘n’ Stein, and The HideAway Coffeehouse & Winebar are all hosting performances this year. See the JuneBug 2009 schedule for details.

JuneBug is making the most of social media this year. See the JuneBug blog, subscribe to JuneBug RSS feed, follow JuneBug on Twitter, and join the JuneBug Facebook group.

Throughout the four days of JuneBug ‘09, Twitter will be used to announce upcoming acts and their venues, 30 minutes prior to each performance. So follow JuneBug on Twitter.

See Jessica’s Paxton’s blog post on Northfield.org for more JuneBug details.

Popularity: 34% [?]

Snap Fitness soon to be renamed?

   
I saw Northfield Snap Fitness owner Tristan Cox downtown last night, sporting a t-shirt that reflected his experience this week.

Popularity: 33% [?]

They say the neon lights are bright on…

As I drove by KYMN’s studios on Division St. this morning, I noticed that they have a new neon sign in the window.  Station manager Jeff Johnson says some people still think their studios are out with their tower in Waterford Township so the sign is to help remedy that. Tim Freeland has a blog post on it.

Popularity: 19% [?]

KFC site preparation begins

Jim Gleason started site preparations this week for the new Northfield KFC in the development known as Bridgewater Commons, across from Target. (He reportedly had some other guys helping him.) According to a March article in the Nfld News, the restaurant’s owner is Gary Diedeken of Faribault and will open sometime this fall.

Popularity: 20% [?]

Waiting for City Hall 2.0

I found this presentation yesterday while trying to help a friend get a grip on the new business landscape created by the emergence (or predominance) of the phenomenon known as “social media”. Below is is the best explanation of the topic that I’ve seen… with the caveat that anyone who’d respond positively to a slideshow with this title is probably of a generation that doesn’t need convincing. (Ignore the sophomoric “shock value” approach, and just dig into the presentation. )

I started thinking about what huge benefits there could be for residents, businesses, and City leadership if we could do a transplant of the collective brain at City Hall and provide them with a different way of thinking, e.g. dialog versus monologue, not trying to control the conversation (or flow of information), the awareness of how much people are doing online, i.e. “If you’re not on a social networking site, you’re not on the Internet” (slide #17).

I’m still mulling over the implications, but wanted to share the slideshow in the meantime. Use the buttons underneath the image to click through the slides at your own pace.

Popularity: 22% [?]

La Eskina’s burrito: Northfield’s best?

 
I blogged about the opening of La Eskina a couple weeks ago but it wasn’t until Saturday that I had a chance to visit. Robbie and I had their bean burritos, with side orders of guacamole and pico de gallo (we ordered take-out).  I don’t think I’ve ever eaten a better burrito.

Popularity: 27% [?]

Jerry B., is this your handiwork?

I saw something strange while biking past my office this afternoon.

Does Mack Gimse know about this???

Popularity: 28% [?]

Recessionary anomalies

I paid a tech-help visit to Knecht’s Nurseries and Landscaping yesterday morning, and when I saw all the vehicles in the parking lot, I asked Leif Knecht how business was this spring, compared to recent years. “Way up,” he said, pointing his dirty green thumbs skyward. I later asked Deb Knecht why, hoping she’d say it was advertising on LoGroNo. She said she didn’t know but wondered if more people were just deciding to do small things to improve the look of their yards.

This morning I consulted with local economist, realtor, auctioneer, and Girls Night Out veteran dancer Ed Kuhlman this morning and he concurred with Deb. If you’ve decided it’s not a good time to sell your house, you’re more inclined to make small improvements to it since you’re going to be there longer, as well as use it for a staycation.

Popularity: 21% [?]

Built to Last – everything old is new again

Despite the confusion between “less” and “fewer”, the correct plural of “cul-de-sac”, and other grammatical anomalies, this award-winning 3-minute video is still a good way to present an idea.

We’re fortunate to live in a community that was established before the automobile age, so many of these qualities already exist in Northfield. With thoughtful choices, we can see to it that the benefits of this kind of development are extended to all Northfielders, not just those who live close to downtown.

Popularity: 22% [?]

Northfield Kitchen Concepts joins the blogosphere

Northfield Kitchen Concepts (and Olson Brothers Construction) has moved to Woodley and Hwy 3, next to McDonalds. And they now have a blog, authored by someone named Renee.

Popularity: 21% [?]

Cannon River Tree Care: a new name, a new website

There’s a billboard for Cannon River Tree Care (formerly H&H Tree Care) on S. Hwy 3 near Kwik Kopy, across from Target. The business is owned and operated by Jon Feldman and Matt Feldman. Their website is up but not quite ready.

Popularity: 21% [?]

120+ Malt-O-Meal jobs departing Northfield. WTF!

The Northfield News reported late yesterday that Malt-O-Meal  “will relocate 120-130 workers, mostly technical, administrative, support and managerial staff currently working at its Campbell Mill facility on Hwy. 19… to help reduce the risk of contamination to the cereals manufactured at the plant.”

It’s a done deal?  The City / EDA didn’t know about this? Were heaven and earth moved in attempt to keep these jobs in Northfield?

Popularity: 23% [?]

Steve Swanson’s latest book: the story of Harold and Louise Nielsen

Paula Granquist featured author and artist Steve Swanson on her KYMN Radio show, ArtZany! Radio for the Imagination, last Friday morning. Swanson, a retired St. Olaf professor of English and Lutheran pastor, has a new book out (co-authored with Steve Sheppard) titled One Couple’s Gift, published by Northfield-based Nine Ten Press. He’ll be signing books this Saturday at the Alumni Author Event at St. Olaf:

Steve Swanson’s latest book peeks into the lives of Harold and Louise Nielsen, two seemingly ordinary people and a company called Foldcraft.  Harold Nielson takes his financial success and sells the company to the employees. The funds were used to start the Winds of Peace Foundation which serves the underprivileged around the world, focusing on women and children.  This is a story of their extraordinary vision of a just and peaceable world. 

 
I’ve had the good fortune to work with Harold Nielsen and Steve Sheppard, both when they were running Foldcraft and more recently with the Winds of Peace Foundation, where Steve has a blog and Louise keeps both of them in line. See the May 6 Kenyon Leader article for more: ‘One Couple’s Gift’ is giving.

Popularity: 21% [?]

Let’s have (attractive) billboards on the empty storefront windows in downtown Northfield

In the NY Times earlier this week: As Storefronts Become Vacant, Ads Arrive. “Rather than let abandoned retail spaces look like pockets of poverty, landlords are renting the windows out to marketers for street-level advertising displays.”

Why not for downtown Northfield, since there are a number of empty or soon-to-be-empty storefronts along Division St. right now? A revenue stream for the owners!

Popularity: 21% [?]

Whither SpeechGear and the promise of jobs?

In 2005, SpeechGear moved from downtown Northfield into the old Montessori school building on Hwy 19 (across from Malt-O-Meal) under the state’s Job Opportunity Building Zones (JOBZ) program, promising to create up to 35 jobs in exchange for tax breaks.  There’s now a ‘building available’ sign in front. Things still sounded rosy in this March Nfld News article, 2009: Funding for SpeechGear held up by government. Anyone know what’s happening?

Popularity: 21% [?]

Dundas Corner Mart now La Eskina

A supermercado called La Eskina has replaced the Dundas Corner Mart on Hwy 3 just south of the Frandsen Bank. The signs say “Bakery, hot deli, meat market, fresh guacamole, tacos, fresh pico de gallo, breakfast tacos, tamales, burritos.”

Popularity: 23% [?]

Piper Jaffray’s request to change the TIF for The Crossing: translation, please?

Last week the Northfield City Council heard a presentation from staff and an attorney re:  Piper Jaffray’s request to amend the tax increment financing (TIF) note for the Mendota Homes development called The Crossing. Some Councilors keyed in on the opportunity this might provide for site improvements and others expressed big picture concerns.  I understood very little of it all so a conversation here might help. (continued)

Popularity: 22% [?]

Jim Spaulding’s first trike

Jim Spaulding has another business to attend to besides the HideAway Coffeehouse & Winebar.

It’s called Just Trikes, an authorized dealership for Hannigan Trikes (three wheel motorcycles).

Popularity: 20% [?]

The Lee Lansing Chronicles, chapter 72

In yesterday’s Northfield News: Lansing trespassing, says owner of 600 Division site:

A no trespassing order, served by police Wednesday on Lee Lansing, says the former mayor must close his Division Street garden center. Lansing has been given until Sunday to remove his personal belongings, mostly bedding plants and hanging baskets. The new property owner, Voyager Bank, asked the police to issue a no trespass order against Lansing… The bank is in negotiations with Jerry Anderson, a local entrepreneur interested in buying the property. Anderson said Friday he told Lansing he could open the shop.

Popularity: 28% [?]

Photo album: Girls Nite Out 2009

Girls Nite Out 2009 ended at The Grand last night. See the album of 18 photos, the large slideshow, or this small slideshow.

Popularity: 20% [?]