Recent content from John Ewoldt
As the Twin Cities supermarket battle heats up, who is No. 1?
The pandemic not only increased grocery profits as restrictions forced people to eat at home, it also intensified an already competitive market in the Twin Cities area.
How to earn up to 5% interest on a Minnesota checking account
Higher interest rates come with hurdles customers must clear each month.
In early evening, businesses in the Twin Cities scramble to close down
Businesses in the state's three largest counties had just a few hours to close up before a 7 p.m. curfew.
Famous Dave's, Granite City saw turnaround in March after weathering a devastating 2020
Owner BBQ Holdings also announced Famous Dave's would close Woodbury location, enter in dual concept with Cowboy Jack's there.
Minneapolis principal Sandra Woods dies at 79
Remembering names of elementary school teachers presents a challenge for most adults. Recalling the name of an elementary principal is a test few could pass.Unless…
Mpls. skyway retailers in limbo: 'It's been absolute devastation'
The Minneapolis skyway system used to be traversed by hundreds of thousands of people every weekday. Since the pandemic and unrest that began after George Floyd's death, most of the 200 or so businesses on or just off the skyway have closed. For places that are open, business is down.
Famous Dave's to serve up cafeteria-style dining with new Quick Que
Famous Dave's Quick Que will open in Coon Rapids in late summer.
Minnesota product is the trick to scraping ice from your driveway
His effective sidewalk device is environmental alternative to ice melters.
Edina-based Evereve is opening shops, even as other retailers close stores
Evereve is expanding its Edina flagship store and will open at least six new locations this year.
Rural grocers in Minnesota feel the pinch amid stiff competition
Dollar stores, big-box retailers bring stiff competition, but buy-local trend giving mom-and-pop store owners optimism.
Cub Foods store off Lake Street, destroyed by rioting, reopens
Another closed Cub, on Broadway, will fully reopen in April with a new name and community center.
Hy-Vee adding two full-service Twin Cities stores this year
The former Rainbow store owned by UNFI in Maplewood will become a Hy-Vee.
Buy local movement saved many small Minnesota retailers
Small retailers, learning from 2020, hope increased support endures.
Norton Rockler, who ignited passion for woodworking hobbyists, dies at 98
He spent about 25 years laying the foundation for the business he founded in 1954, now known as Rockler Woodworking and Hardware.
Hy-Vee, other Twin Cities supermarkets add incentives to keep new e-commerce customers
Consulting firm Mercatus predicts that online purchases will double by 2025.
Bed Bath & Beyond closing Coon Rapids store
More than 40 of its stores will close their doors by mid to late February.
Minneapolis North Loop hair stylist decides to take step back, close salon
Instead, he is renting a chair at another salon to give more balance to his life.
As restaurants, bars closed, liquor stores neared sales records in 2020
Statewide, gross liquor receipts for the year through October increased about 20% to almost $32 million for municipal and nonmunicipal stores.
Martin Patrick's 'Nutcracker' window display beats out Rodeo Drive in national contest
Martin Patrick 3's "Nutcracker" beats out retailers on Rodeo Drive.
Minnesota retailers say gift card bounty not reaching all of them equally
While sales are expected to reach records nationally, buyers need to make sure their purchases are with solid retailers.
On Small Business Saturday, stakes are high for small Twin Cities retailers
On Small Business Saturday, owners are gearing up for a critical fourth quarter.
Small Twin Cities retailers plan virtual events
• The Metropolitan Economic Development Association offers its first virtual shopping experience at meda.net/medas-marketplace through Dec. 6 to support Black, Indigenous and people of…
Twin Cities grocers prepare for holiday run on goods; supplies remain strong
Supermarkets around the country are implementing limits on paper products.
Chicago Lake Liquors reopens after Minneapolis looting
Riot-damaged Chicago Lake Liquors reopens after $3 million rebuild.
Dorothy Holmes, who advocated for the mentally ill, dies at 98
In 1977, more than 280 people showed up in Madison, Wis., to start an alliance for the mentally ill, later named NAMI, the National Alliance…
Red Wing Shoes suffers cybersecurity incident
The company hired a forensics firm and is still investigating.
Owner of Famous Dave's sees promise as shift to takeout pays off
CEO of BBQ Holdings is optimistic, but says company could be in for a difficult winter.
Eagan outerwear company building brand comparable to Patagonia, North Face
Storm Creek in Eagan is having a warehouse sale to increase recognition, give to charities.
Rising COVID-19 cases heighten worker safety concerns for Minnesota retailers
Retailers and stores are ramping up precautions ahead of the holiday season.
Minnesota's independent, family pharmacies struggle to survive
Minnesota has more pharmacies that have closed in the last decade than any state.
Uptown restaurant Chino Latino closes after 20 years
Owners say the global street food restaurant "will live again" in new location.
Kitchen, flooring remodeling blitz benefits Jack Rubenstein wholesaler
The 84-year-old wholesaler now focuses on home-project deals.
Famous Dave's creating 'ghost kitchens,' dual concept through Johnny Carino's deal
Agreement allows chain to open kitchens or sites with Johnny Carino's.
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Why do so many Twin Cities mall names end in 'dale'?
Southdale was designed to be more than a shopping experience, complete with a day care center, aviary, fish pond and sidewalk cafes.
Furniture retailer Room & Board has best August, September in history
Adjusting with the times, the retailer has expanded its online operation, which now accounts for 60% of its sales.
With business down more than a third, restaurants dreading winter chill
Without outdoor dining, restaurants say they will need aid from Washington.
Financial Planning Day in Minnesota goes virtual; free consultations offered
The annual event will be extended to six days because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Aldi off Lake Street reopening next week, joining other businesses in area
The Cub and Target rebuilding plans are moving forward as more businesses reopen after being damaged in the unrest following the killing of George Floyd.
Lunds & Byerlys to expand, move Highland Park store to former Ford site
The supermarket will anchor a retail/apartment complex at the new Highland Bridge.
Supermarket hazard pay because of COVID-19 going away
Some retailers have raised wages permanently, while others deal with new norm of pandemic times.
Construction should start in spring on Costco store proposed for Chaska
The project, near the Kohls, would also include senior housing and apartments.
At nearly $2K an ounce, a new gold rush for Minnesotans
As the price soars, buyers expect people to start digging through their jewelry collections again.
Businesses assess damage after riots and looting hit Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis
This latest hit for Minneapolis restaurants and shops comes on top of the pandemic.
Mandy Marek, Spanish teacher who carved new paths for Hispanic students, dies at 37
She taught at Shakopee West Middle School until cancer abruptly ended her career and her life.
Seward Co-op becomes first Twin Cities unionized supermarket to raise hourly pay to $15
The co-op and its union agreed to a three-year contract this week.
Habitat for Humanity thrift store in New Brighton doubles in size
It remains one of the only thrift stores in the Twin Cities dedicated to home improvement.
Famous Dave's owner sees steep decline in profits, sales
The pandemic severely affected second quarter results for Famous Dave's owner BBQ Holdings, which also owns Granite City.
Hy-Vee delays Spring Lake Park store opening because of coronavirus
Construction pending on five other Twin Cities locations, but plans have not been canceled.
Hy-Vee joins ranks of supermarkets accepting SNAP/EBT for online orders
SNAP/EBT users can use the Aisles Online pickup shop at Hy-Vee's website or mobile app and collect their order at the store of their choice.
With switch to 'quarantine style,' Twin Cities retailers left with unsold clothes
But the disruption has created a windfall for an Eagan-based e-commerce clearance store.
Most Twin Cities supermarket chains joining Walmart, Target in mask mandate
Hy-Vee is sticking for now with encouraging, but not enforcing, their use.
Thrift, secondhand stores back in business — with restrictions because of coronavirus
But four Salvation Army stores closed permanently in greater Minnesota because of the COVID pandemic.
Faribault Woolen Mill opens new Linden Hills location, adds Minnesota-themed products
Customers will see more color and new designs in products this fall, new fabrics and some Minnesota-themed goods.
Twin Cities furniture stores offer sales, free financing to coax shoppers back
Even sale-averse Room & Board has added unprecedented free delivery and 0% financing.
Cub Foods opens store in tent at E. Lake Street location badly damaged in riots
A scaled-down version of the closed Broadway store in Minneapolis will also open soon.
Costco eliminates coveted sheet cakes, citing pandemic
First, the masks, now sheet cakes.Costco was one of the nation's first retailers to mandate wearing face masks. Now word has surfaced that its half-sheet…
E-commerce spurs winning year for St. Louis Park-based patio retailer, rare in COVID-19 era
Amid pandemic, more retailers find low-cost platform an asset.
Cub rebuilding damaged stores on Lake, Broadway; being spun off into stand-alone unit
Temporary buildings will go up at damaged sites to sell fresh food, supplies and pharmacy goods.
Gabberts bids goodbye to the Galleria, but luxury mall is holding its own
It is moving, but now 85% of the mall's stores have reopened after being shut down in March.
Amazon's Shakopee warehouse has 88 coronavirus cases
Minnesota officials are monitoring large warehouses, where coronavirus is spreading
Why Twin Cities food co-ops haven't fared as well as supermarkets in pandemic
A combination of factors has led to sales declines.
Hy-Vee now selling DSW shoes in latest fashion partnership
If the shoe fits, Hy-Vee is hoping consumers will want to buy it at a supermarket.Hy-Vee in April announced its partnership with DSW Designer Shoe…
Mall of America reopens, with only 150 of 500 stores open Wednesday
Still, the small crowd seemed to find favorites among open storefronts.
CenterPoint Massage School in St. Louis Park stops enrolling students
The pandemic was the final blow; students will likely be able to transfer to a Bloomington school.
At Kmart in Minneapolis, the blue light special's last gleaming
Kmart's liquidation sale stopped soon after it started with discounts ranging from 25% to 75% off merchandise as it wound down to the planned June 30 closure. Instead, the looting and violence that followed the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police accelerated the closing.
Minneapolis neighborhoods face food desert after looting closes stores
With Cub, Target, two Aldi stores and many small markets damaged by rioting over the past week, Longfellow and about eight other neighborhoods have nearly…
Target loses another appeal to obtain liquor license from city of Minnetonka
Target's claim was denied that it deserved equal protection to Total Wine.
More donors, consignors than customers as thrift, resale stores reopen
And wait times for drive-up drop-offs are declining, while shops expect pent-up demand.
After reopening, Patina owners hopeful but still wonder about stores' future
Stores are reopening, but owners are hoping it is not too late to save them.
Gas prices up for Memorial Day but still cheapest in 17 years
Averaging about $1.85 per gallon in the Twin Cities, it's the first time that gas has dipped below the $2 threshold for the holiday weekend since 2003.
Minnesota restaurant owners feel blindsided by state's order only allowing patio dining
Owners had been planning for inside dining with restrictions come June 1 and aren't sure limiting to outside will work.
Minnesota retail shops are open again, but foot traffic is light
The state is allowing all stores to open as long as they file safety plans and limit capacity to 50%.
Will beloved Twin Cities restaurants survive COVID-19?
Many of those working in the Twin Cities' nationally recognized food scene are saying that their industry is in big trouble and might never recover.
HOM opening Bloomington megastore on Friday that includes Gabberts, Dock 86
Gabberts will leave the Galleria with the move.
Car insurance rebates are coming, but are they enough?
Crashes have dropped sharply under stay-at-home orders, saving insurers billions.
