What Should Go Here?: 812 Mainstreet

Hopkins has several exciting development projects on the horizon, but vacant properties still dot the community’s real estate landscape.

While there’s little doubt residents would like to fill those properties, they also offer the opportunity to remake Hopkins’ landscape.

In this feature, Patch asks you to imagine the future of these spaces. Do you see a new restaurant? A new store? Something no one else has considered? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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812 Mainstreet

Current owner: H.J. Cho and Y.S. Cho

Age of structure: 1900

Area: 5,918 square feet

Market value: $396,000

History: This downtown property has been the site of numerous businesses over the years, according to the Hopkins Historical Society. The site was home to the Charles Blomquist Grocery store. By the 1920s, it was the Shonka Variety Store. It had changed to Anton Olson Grocery by the 1940s and then to Knutson’s Liquor Store by the 1950s. At the beginning of the 21st Century, it was part of Best Buy Liquor Warehouse with adjoining 810 Mainstreet. Last year, the city used to beautify vacant storefronts.

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