Girlpond Shop & Bookshelf opens on Central
Girlpond, a “production” of Nikki and Paula Scavo, has opened inside Z’Amore Vintage, 3303 Central Ave. N.E. The shop features “alternative gifts made by local and international women, lesbians and queer creatives” and is open Wednesday-Friday 11 a.m.-6 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Psychic readings are offered every Saturday 11 a.m.-2 p.m. The two women will host the Girl on Girl Game Show at the Wolf House, 3359 Taylor St. N.E., 6-9 p.m. Feb. 24. Apply online at lestalkgirlpond.com/the-girlpond-shop.html.
Columbia Heights permits church to build at 3836 Stinson
The empty lot on Stinson Blvd. may soon be filled. The Columbia Heights City Council granted a conditional use permit to Minnesota Family Church to build a 14,152-sq.-ft. building, which will house a 202-person capacity sanctuary, as well as office spaces, a gymnasium, kitchen, education room, lounge and indoor and outdoor gathering spaces at 3836 Stinson Blvd.
Kaskaid Hospitality predicts Quincy Hall will open in September at old Kurt Manufacturing site
Quincy Hall, a new 20,000-sq.-ft. event center is slated to open in September. Housed in the former Kurt Manufacturing building at 1325 Quincy Street N.E., it will accommodate 1,000 seated guests and 2,500 people reception-style. The venue features soaring 40-ft. vaulted ceilings and an 8,000-sq.-ft. outdoor patio.
The building was built in 1910; before that, the area was used as a corral for the horses that pulled Minneapolis’ trolleys. It sold for $1.56 million in October 2017 to Kaskaid, the parent company of CRAVE Catering. CRAVE founder and CEO Kim Talebi said, “We decided to create a place for large non-profit galas, weddings and corporate events as an alternative to hotel ballrooms.”
The building will get a test run during Super Bowl when private aviation company Wheels Up hosts a 1,500-person private party there.
In other business news:
B-Corps are to business what Fair Trade is to coffee. Learn about this certification Thursday, Feb. 8, 7:30-8:30 a.m. at the Eastside Food Coop. More info on the Facebook event page The Northeast Network: What is a B Corp?
If you haven’t lately, take a ride out East River Road toward 694 and you’ll see practically a whole new city has developed at the site of the former Northern Pump Co. The 122-acre infill development, called Northern Stacks, is mostly offices, production and shipping facilities, but there’s also the MB2 Raceway go-kart track and a cafe that’s open for breakfast and lunch. The promo video at www.northernstacksmn.com touts “industrial meets ecology” and acknowledges the draw of bike trails, downtown, Northeast Minneapolis and its strong labor force nearby. Some space still available to lease.