Seward Co-op Friendship Store - (38th St & Clinton Ave)

[mattaudio]

Speaking of Seward Co-op, I heard an ad for them yesterday - on the radio - in Spanish - on a station broadcasting from Faribault.

[EOst]

Who are these At the Roots people anyway?

According to their Facebook group, Isaac Martin, Laura Goetsch, Deborah Ramos, and (seemingly especially) Marjaan Sirdar.

[Realstreets]

I don't dispute the need for correcting racial disparities in Minneapolis but this small group of people needs to prioritize. If they are trying to "give a voice" to that community etc. then there are a whole host of other issues that seem more important than obstructing the Co-op over the possibility that someday it might perhaps cause an increase in gentrification.

The co-op acceps WICs, donates to the community, provides local produce that for the most part isn't more expensive than the limp and rotting stuff they try to sell at Rainbow, and voluntarily said they would hire locals (although they are not/cannot be required to via a CBA as they aren't getting tax incentives) And while itt's not the job of the co-op to fix the problem of food affordability/availability, they are indirectly doing a lot more than this organization or Cub, Aldi, etc.

Feel free to move this to the Opposition to New Development or the Miracle of Minneapolis threads...

[acs]

They're just your standard race-baiters and poverty pimps. Best to just move on and not give them any attention.

[PhilmerPhil]

Really well done piece by Bill Lindeke here: http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/the-seward ... co-op-war/

[Didier]

Thanks for sharing. The neighborhood group seems counterproductive and, with comments like this, delusional.

It makes me sad that the community has not been given the same opportunity to create their OWN grocery store in the way that THEY want it.

[Yourpalborno]

I moved to Bryant just over a year ago. When I returned to Minneapolis after years away I felt disillusioned by how much Kingfield, the neighborhood I grew up in, had changed. It feels like Linden Hills East. More whites, more high-end eateries. It’s almost too clean. Walk in to Patisserie 46 on a Saturday morning and everyone is dressed in the same athletic wear, reading the same thing, talking about the same non-issue issues. But do I go to these stores yes. Do I hang out in Kingfield? Yes. But I can’t live in a monoculture like that.

This is why my wife and I bought a house in Bryant. It’s centrally located, has a few great shops, but most of all it is diverse. A neighborhood full of different races, ages, cultures, and incomes. I would love to have great restaurants, shops and parks but not at the cost of diversity. Until we can figure out a way to have commercial quality go hand in hand with cultural and financial diversity I have no problem mooching off the Kingfield, Field, and Nokomis neighborhoods when I need the occasional treat.

So yes I am excited for the co-op, I’m excited to walk to get groceries, I’m excited for the quality it will bring. But if ten years from now Bryant looks like Kingfield I’ll be disappointed and left to wondering if we’ll ever be able to be the diverse and inclusive city we claim to be.

[Wedgeguy]

Was by there yesterday and it looks very nice. Not so sure about the gray and orange color scheme, but I think that the store will be a hit in the neighborhood.

[zlkahn]

Haven't seen this posted on here but drove by the other day and they are set to open tomorrow, September 6th. The ribbon cutting ceremony information is here: http://seward.coop/posts/851

[Wedgeguy]

Haven't seen this posted on here but drove by the other day and they are set to open tomorrow, September 6th. The ribbon cutting ceremony information is here: http://seward.coop/posts/851

I think you mean October 6th as September was last month.

[jw138]

Haven't seen this posted on here but drove by the other day and they are set to open tomorrow, September 6th. The ribbon cutting ceremony information is here: http://seward.coop/posts/851

Looks like they won't be open to the public until the 7th. The 6th requires an RSVP and the RSVP requires an owner number.

[PhilmerPhil]

This is now open. Thoughts from anyone that's checked it out?

I'm happy to have it in the area, but it seems smaller than I was expecting--smaller than their Franklin store for sure. The produce section felt like a small room, and the deli isn't as expansive.

The urban design gets a D+ from me. Rather than looking into the store itself, most of the windows along 38th St look into either a blank stairwell or rooms that'll likely be empty 90% of the time. HUGE parking lot. Awkward bike parking that requires you to lift your bike vertically to lock it up. No door at the corner of 38th and Clinton, and the door from the parking lot is set back from the sidewalk quite a bit, rather than right at the corner like the Franklin Store. Overall, it's basically a decorated suburban style box.

[Tyler]

Too much parking.

But the store itself is great. Finally a decent seafood counter in the area. Smaller than the Franklin store but I was expecting that (Friendship Store just sounds small) and haven't noticed anything "missing."

[amiller92]

This is now open. Thoughts from anyone that's checked it out?

I'm happy to have it in the area, but it seems smaller than I was expecting--smaller than their Franklin store for sure. The produce section felt like a small room, and the deli isn't as expansive.

The urban design gets a D+ from me. Rather than looking into the store itself, most of the windows along 38th St look into either a blank stairwell or rooms that'll likely be empty 90% of the time. HUGE parking lot. Awkward bike parking that requires you to lift your bike vertically to lock it up. No door at the corner of 38th and Clinton, and the door from the parking lot is set back from the sidewalk quite a bit, rather than right at the corner like the Franklin Store. Overall, it's basically a decorated suburban style box.

Definitely smaller that the Franklin store. But now that I've realized that it's a two block detour on my ride home, I'm thinking of becoming a member.

I stopped in on Monday after work and the place was hopping. There are signs along 38th Street that say "bike rack coming soon" or something like that, so hopefully and alternative to the racks you don't like are in the works (btw, they have those vertical racks on Franklin too).

[mattaudio]

Does this justify use of the G-word?

[Wedgeguy]

If the G-word is good design, yes it think it is very nice townhouse.

[Nathan]

Yeah, I love those 70s semi brutalist modern townhomes, and that's a pretty decent reno!

[winterfan]

Honestly, 134,900 isn't a bad price. Though I would have rather buy the beat up one next door for 79,900, put in a little elbow grease and save a bundle. Looks like someone already snatched it up though.

[LakeCharles]

Why did he drive to the co-op? It's like 5 blocks away. Just show a nice time-lapse walk home and it'd be a lot more apparent that the co-op is a local amenity. As it is, anyone can drive there.

[aeisenberg]

Does this justify use of the G-word?

Hah. The guy in the video is the listing agent.