New eatery, old location
In August, Kamal Mohamed shut down Stepchld, a Northeast Minneapolis restaurant. Less than a month later, he has opened a new business at the same location. Mohamed described Kizzo, 24 University Ave. NE, his latest restaurant, as a “middle ground” between high-end restaurants and holes-in-the-wall. The restaurant’s website describes it as an “intimate restaurant & social club that masquerades as a sports bar.” Nothing on its menu will exceed $20.
Catering business earns MN Business Award
Mintahoe Events & Catering, 2850 Anthony Ln. S, earned a 2025 Minnesota Family Business Award from Twin Cities Business Magazine. The company provides catering services for weddings, corporate events, social gatherings and private aviation, though their wedding work has “surged” in the past few years, according to the Magazine. Jim McMerty, one of the company’s principal owners, said: “We’re financially strong, we have good credibility, we have good relationships. So if something comes up, we can get the deal done.”
Market Bar-B-Que closes
Market Bar-B-Que, which opened near the Minneapolis Farmers Market in 1946 before eventually moving to 220 Lowry Ave. NE in 2019, has shut down after 79 years.
A retail listing for the restaurant advertises a “prime location in Northeast Minneapolis” that is “ready for immediate occupancy.” The asking price of $1.25 million includes $150,000 of furniture, fixtures and equipment; the brand name and its four food trucks are available for a
negotiable price.
At time of reporting, Market Bar-B-Que’s website says it “will be closed temporarily.”
Restaurant in the top 50
Diane’s Place, a Hmong and Asian restaurant located in Northeast Minneapolis at 117 14th Ave. NE, was included in the New York Times’ 2025 Restaurant List, which features 50 restaurants from across the country. A recent piece from the paper said the restaurant was helping turn Minneapolis into “the American capital of Hmong food,” and another said “this is the kind of restaurant that turns you into a regular — if you’re lucky enough to live nearby.”
Restaurant ownership wrote: “We feel incredibly grateful to be part of this community that shares a passion for wonderful food and connection.”
Maggie Luck paints the “Music Conservatory” sign in front of Sarah Jane’s Music School on August 29. (Davis Steen)
Music school is fully open
by Davis Steen
Sarah Jane’s Music School moved from 2522 Central Ave. NE to 2847 Johnson St. NE. While the move has been gradual, the location is now almost completely renovated and ready to host music students.
“We’re really excited to be here,” Sarah Jane Perbix, owner of the school, said. “It was kind of a slow start getting moved in and turning a clinic into a music school, but we’re there.”
“Six months later,” Perbix added with a smile.
Signs appeared on the building as early as December of 2024 stating Sarah Jane’s would be moving into the space. Construction on the new site started in early 2025.
The school now occupies former Fairview Medical Clinic, but the small rooms designed for patient privacy fit well into their new use as practice and lesson rooms.
“The bones of it didn’t need a lot of changing, we just wanted to update the colors,” Perbix said. “We just wanted people to hang out here.”
On August 29, Maggie and Jake Luck were on a ladder painting the front of the space to say “Music Conservatory” accompanying a colorful sign that was installed in July.
Sarah Jane’s hosted an open house on Saturday, September 6 to introduce themselves to the neighborhood.
“We have about 600 to 700 students come in weekly for lessons,” Perbix said. “Now, we have more space for them and more gathering space for the community.”
To learn about the school and inquire about lessons, visit https://www.sarahjanesmusicschool.com/.