South metro briefs: New businesses fill old spaces

If you like luxury, all-season beds, Apple Valley has the latest and plenty of them.

The city scored a 2-for-1 at a ribbon-cutting last week for Mattress Firm in a remodeled space at 14949 Florence Trail, near Flagstaff Avenue and County Road 42.

The Houston-based, specialty bedding retailer introduced a mattress this year that employs a heating and cooling unit to adjust the bed to different temperatures on each side, similar to heated seats in upscale cars.

Minnesota stores general manager Chris Gore told about 15 Chamber of Commerce members and city officials at the ribbon-cutting that Mattress Firm is remodeling a second location in Apple Valley that he expects to open in July. It's in the former Blockbuster Video at 15100 Cedar Av. S., which has been vacant about a year in the southeast quadrant of Cedar and County Road 42.

The area apparently has a lot of potential bed buyers because the two stores are less than a mile apart, and Mattress Firm has another one a few miles west in Burnsville. The company's Minnesota manager, Geoffrey Lewis, noted Apple Valley also has two Super Targets.

"Apple Valley is a community that has a strong consumer need so we are providing two locations to best meet the needs of the community." He noted the stores promise same-day delivery.

Gore said the two new stores will provide about seven full-time jobs. His company, which bought Mattress Giant last fall, has about 800 stores nationwide.

Leveraging city dollars

Two other firms are using city-forgivable loans to help remodel older buildings in the business district.

Wise Swim School recently bought and is remodeling a warehouse, built in 1989, near County 42 and Johnny Cake Ridge Road. More than a third of the 41,500-square-foot building will be an aquatic training center with an eight-lane pool, bleachers and lockers. The $1 million project will bring 32 full- and part-time jobs to Apple Valley and is expected to open in August, said Margaret Dykes, an associate city planner.

She said a recent state law allowed the city to use certain tax increment financing funds for job-producing business loans such as one given to Wise. Wise, which also runs swim classes in Blaine, Woodbury and Eagan, received a loan of nearly $150,000 to replace the roof and make other improvements. The loan will be forgiven if Wise stays in the building for five years, she said.

The city provided a similar loan of $149,100 to assist a $654,350 remodeling project underway at 147th Street and Garrett Avenue. The long vacant building was erected for racquetball in the early 1970s. It was recently bought by AV 147 Properties owner Keith Sperbeck. The 14,000-square-foot building has housed an auto parts store and before that Granny's Attic antiques.

Business openings

HealthSource Chiropractic, run by Dr. Tony Felton, also had a ribbon-cutting this month at 15322 Galaxie Av. in the city's Shops on Galaxie.

In Farmington, Family Fresh Market will host a downtown ribbon-cutting Wednesday for a supermarket in the former Saver's Choice building at 115 Elm St.