36th and Bryant Area

Calhoun-Isles, Cedar-Riverside, Longfellow, Nokomis, Phillips, Powderhorn, and Southwest
seanrichardryan
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Re: 36th and Bryant Area

Postby seanrichardryan » February 2nd, 2015, 9:59 pm

A decent haircut starts at $60.
Q. What, what? A. In da butt.

Condo_Dweller
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Re: 36th and Bryant Area

Postby Condo_Dweller » February 3rd, 2015, 2:07 am

Dan is the owner of the Glenn's Barbershop. His dad was the previous owner for 40 years I believe. The dad works part-time at the hardware store as a retiree, but is not or ever was the owner of the hardware store. When your businesses are in close proximity a nice community develops. The barber shop has had only four owners in 60 plus years and is the real deal old school barbershop where guys can kick back and talk sports, fishing, and maybe some local politics. As for his hours? 8-5..and he does excellent business. $17 for a haircut that takes maybe 10 minutes of my day. He always does a great job.

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TommyT
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Re: 36th and Bryant Area

Postby TommyT » February 3rd, 2015, 8:24 am

Re: Barbers

I went to Cheli when I first moved to the area in 2011. For whatever reason, wasn't thrilled about my 2nd or 3rd cut there and kept looking.
Seems like everyone went to Cheli, I saw her at Fantastic Sam's before they closed on Lake street. Call me a snob, but I just couldn't get myself to go into LynLake Barbers once she moved over there. I went once after she moved and just felt like it was so dirty and seemed run down. They must do well though if they are still open in that same location.

I now see basically anyone at Floyd's which I LOVE! They've raised the price to $20 recently but I think it's worth it. Everyone there seems to know what they are doing and what's on trend for men.

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TommyT
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Re: 36th and Bryant Area

Postby TommyT » February 3rd, 2015, 8:26 am

A decent haircut starts at $60.
$60? You must have some beautiful hair ;-). I could never bring myself to pay $60 every 3-4 weeks when I can get the exact same cut for 20 or less.

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woofner
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Re: 36th and Bryant Area

Postby woofner » February 3rd, 2015, 12:00 pm

Heh, I just got a cut at a barber on Main in Dubuque for $11. His shop features a full-wall green tile and carved wood barber bar from the 30's with some really incredible deco light fixtures. He cuts child-hair for $6 but $10 on Saturdays. The haircut was atrocious, but the barber knew by the first name the guy who was about to interview me for a job (which was the reason I was getting a cut, duh). The Real America is fucked up.
"Who rescued whom!"

thatchio
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Re: 36th and Bryant Area

Postby thatchio » February 4th, 2015, 8:21 pm

Just wanted to point out that if 36th/Bryant were to see new development, any retail space would be considerably more expensive and likely would only be able to support a restaurant or a destination-type of business. I really love the node because it still retains much of the practical businesses that have been priced out of most other nodes.

I'd rather see these types of nodes see modest-sized development expanding out with a mix of uses, where supported. Like this from Mississippi Ave in Portland: Image. I had some other smaller infill examples at: http://www.ouruptown.com/2013/03/smalle ... h-america/

twincitizen
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Re: 36th and Bryant Area

Postby twincitizen » February 5th, 2015, 8:27 am

I went to Louie's (35th/Dupont) and Kyle's (36th/Bryant) last night.

I had been to Kyle's previously, and knew it was more than a typical crappy corner store (bodega? Is that the correct term?).

With the great location of Kyle's, and lack of grocery options in the area, I wasn't surprised that it was more of a mini-grocery store with a moderate selection of perishable goods.

Louie's was the big surprise, as I was expecting it to be much smaller and limited. They had eggs, milk, cheese, etc. Very well stocked, considering its very hidden location. They also have a (greek?) deli that sells salads and sandwiches to go. Louie's does not sell lottery (which is what led to also going to Kyle's on the same night). Louie's does sell a moderate selection of marijuana smoking paraphernalia, which was a surprise (I'm not against it).

For being located in the basement of a pre-war apartment building, it was much cleaner and well-lit than I expected. Overall, I was really impressed, and yet surprised that both Louie's and Kyle's are able to stay in business. Perhaps, it's my suburban upbringing and conditioning to prefer big box stores like Cub/Rainbow, but I'm not sure I'll do much food shopping here, other than random frozen pizza cravings. Cub really isn't that far away (straight shot up Dupont).

There is just an incredible amount of density in this specific corner of CARAG, almost equally split between pre-war buildings and 60s/70s buildings. With low vacancy and (presumably) rising incomes of the apartment tenants in the area, you'd think the environment is almost right for a 3-4 story boutique development that Thatchio showed above. That building would look great on the SW or NW corner of Bryant & 36th.

But seriously though, how do all of these bodegas stay in business? The ones on minor transit arterials like Bryant and Grand and 24th make sense. Louie's at 35th & Dupont does not make sense, but for the high density in the area. Maybe I'm just picky, but who buys eggs or milk at this type of store instead of just going to Cub? Am I really that unusual in that I wouldn't bat an eye at walking 5/8-mile (each way) to Cub, even for just a few things?

mattaudio
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Re: 36th and Bryant Area

Postby mattaudio » February 5th, 2015, 10:26 am

Nearly all of the "bodegas" in my neighborhood have closed up shop. The only one that remains sells gas as well. I always thought they survived on selling tobacco.

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TommyT
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Re: 36th and Bryant Area

Postby TommyT » February 5th, 2015, 10:35 am

It's too bad really, I love a good mom and pop store. Sometimes I feel like you have to have money to make money here which doesn't leave room for the little guys. I try and support local when I can, but for me it's just way easier to go to cub (which I guess is local) or even drive out to Costco than pick things up from one of these places that are out of the way from my place at Lyndale and Lake.

RailBaronYarr
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Re: 36th and Bryant Area

Postby RailBaronYarr » February 5th, 2015, 1:06 pm

I am also surprised that not one, but two stay in business in this area. It isn't just the Cub straight north, there's Lund's, Kowalski's, and the Wedge (because, if we're being serious, most people probably hop in their car if they're grabbing more than a light bag of things, especially if it means something heavier and cold like milk). I've only bought a few snack cravings (single stack of Oreo's!), but the Greek deli has to be a big part of Louie's success. Every time I'm in there, it's a slow trickle of people.

I'm not doubting that retail space in any new development would be a lot more expensive. I would bet if the owner of an area lot having a relationship with their tenants was the one to redevelop, it's very likely some would be able to stay. Thinking a Bogart's Donuts or something. It's a shame that the every day practicality of places like small hardware stores, barbers, the small pet food shop, etc basically rely on crummy spaces with choppy layouts owing to re-using old buildings. We talk about affordable housing all the time, but that level of attention is lost on making it possible for these small businesses to ride out neighborhood change.

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FISHMANPET
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Re: 36th and Bryant Area

Postby FISHMANPET » February 5th, 2015, 1:37 pm

26th and Cedar is home to a newly rebuilt Cedar Food and Grill. Looks like it was a pretty generic 2 story commercial/residential building that burnt down in a fire in 2011. The owner was able to rebuild with insurance money, to basically the exact same form (commercial downstairs, apartments upstairs) only setback a few more feet than before. So it's possible, somehow, to do new construction to that same old form.

mattaudio
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Re: 36th and Bryant Area

Postby mattaudio » February 5th, 2015, 1:44 pm

Yes, I'm glad that one reopened. The building is quite decent, considering the shape of the one it replaced. I remember driving past there hours after it burned down, and I figured we'd have another vacant lot for years. You can toggle before and after via streetview: https://goo.gl/maps/cJsTh

PhilmerPhil
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Re: 36th and Bryant Area

Postby PhilmerPhil » February 6th, 2015, 12:01 pm

I'm not opposed to 36th and Bryant redevelopment, but given the choice, I'd much rather see each and every corner of 36th and Lyndale redeveloped before touching any of the the pre-existing walkable, affordable spaces at Bryant.

RailBaronYarr
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Re: 36th and Bryant Area

Postby RailBaronYarr » February 6th, 2015, 3:25 pm

Yes, you're obviously right. But Lyndale is like an 1/8th of a mile further from me so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Bryant has a bus line and bike infra going for it, which is nice. But those 3 auto-focused shops on Lyndale could definitely use an upgrade. Hopefully Minneapolis ups the distance from a transit stop with the parking minimum amendments coming soon to make corners like this, a whole 660' from 36th/Bryant, possible to build low-to-no parking.

PhilmerPhil
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Re: 36th and Bryant Area

Postby PhilmerPhil » February 6th, 2015, 4:17 pm

Speaking of Lyndale's auto-focused shops, here's a nice write up of the operator of the BP: http://www.lyndale.org/reinventing-their-industry

I went to elementary school with that guy and, while I don't see too much of him since then, he's a really nice guy that seems to be supportive of urbanist ideas, despite it going against his business model. I try to make it a point to fill my tank at this BP because of this, and his open support of Open Streets, etc.

Fantasy: I hope one day he extrapolates his business experience in convenience/sales and expands that to a full grocery store at 36th & Lyndale, maybe with some apartments above it?

PhilmerPhil
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Re: 36th and Bryant Area

Postby PhilmerPhil » February 6th, 2015, 4:21 pm

And here's a quick clip (featuring pre-CM Bender):
http://youtu.be/Pl1ynEIhLEQ?t=49s

EDIT: (lol, also features LHENA Longtimers and my wife and I stuffing our faces on El Meson's street patio, WITH OUR DOG IN A BIKE BASKET.)

thatchio
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Re: 36th and Bryant Area

Postby thatchio » February 6th, 2015, 8:04 pm

Louie's is pretty cool for that type of business. I rarely went there as a kid growing up at 33rd/Dupont, as we went to either the one at 32nd/Bryant or 34th/Hennepin on the way to either Bryant Square Park or Lake Calhoun. There was also one on the NW corner of 34th/Lyndale. You're lucky, Twincitizen that you're short, as Louie's has that low clearance staircase to get into it.

twincitizen
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Re: 36th and Bryant Area

Postby twincitizen » February 9th, 2015, 10:17 pm

You're lucky, Twincitizen that you're short
How dare you! ;)

After a handful of visits to each, I think I can say Louie's is clearly the better store. Kyle's sells lottery tickets and probably a wider (and weirder) variety of frozen food items. Louie's has the deli and a startlingly wide variety of tobacco/e-cig/hooka/marijuana smoking paraphernalia. Kyle's is only open til 9, and only 7 on Sundays. Louie's stays open til 11pm, 7 days a week, even with their far less prominent location. Both stores have a surprisingly wide and complete selection of toiletries and essentials. Like you could probably stock your entire bathroom AND bake a cake from scratch from either store. Louie's does seem to get a steady stream of customers coming in for the deli. Both stores have ATMs if you're in a pinch and need some cash. If Louie's sold Powerball, I'd be all set and could forget about ever going to Kyle's. As the tobacco business continues to decline, and the e-cig craze/fad regresses as well, I hope Louie's increases the quality and floor space of the deli side of the business. They should be a deli first, convenience store second.

In terms of store layout, cleanliness, presentation, etc. - Louie's is the clear winner. Louie's is well-lit, especially considering it's in a basement and the aisles are widely spaced and not cluttered. Kyle's is kind of just a bigger version of a trashy corner store you'd find in a lower income neighborhood. It's dark-ish, shelves are cluttered and spaced too closely together, etc.

RailBaronYarr
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Re: 36th and Bryant Area

Postby RailBaronYarr » February 10th, 2015, 9:19 am

I feel somewhat guilty knowing how much Louie's actually has on hand food-wise. It is literally 1/2 a long block and 2 short blocks away from me - a 4 minute walk tops, and it was a big reason we chose CARAG over other neighborhoods somewhat near the lake - most don''t have a corner convenience/grocer. But I rarely go there unless we want Greek/deli or really need something in a pinch, mostly because my wife works for Tgt and a 15% discount + one weekly run to SLP or Edina with the car is not a hassle (the Edina one takes like 13 minutes without even needing a freeway). We're usually out for something on a Sat/Sun anyway (visiting family, etc), so it's not even an additional trip. Take away the 15% discount and Tgt wouldn't really be an option for us - we'd do Lund's/Cub every now and again and Louie's every other time.

DFPegg
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Re: 36th and Bryant Area

Postby DFPegg » February 10th, 2015, 9:53 am

Isn't Louie's Food & Greek Deli actually owned/run by Palestinians? Nice guys


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