Sassy Pantz Closing Hopkins Store

The downtown retailer is becoming an estate sale business and will also sell some jewelry and gift items at a Robbinsdale space.

Hopkins’ downtown is soon going to lose another store. Sassy Pantz, which opened in October 2011, is hosting a store-closing sale May 21, according to a May 15 post on the store’s Facebook page. The store will not disappear altogether, though. It is “redefining” as an estate sale business. Its first sale will take place with the store’s new partner, The Mix & Park Lane Estates, on May 31, June 1 and June 2. More details will be posted on Sassy Pantz’s Facebook page closer to the date of the sale. The store will also sell some jewelry and gift items at its space at Finds On Broadway at 4180 West Broadway in Robbinsdale. Tuesday’s closing sale takes place from noon to 7 p.m. All remaining merchandise will be half off. Sassy Pantz will also …

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Maury Ballsteen

1:20 pm on Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Mike B, Why is it that every post you say Hopkins should get rid of their tattoo parlors? There is only 1 tattoo parlor in downtown Hopkins, and I think only 1 tattoo parlor in ALL of Hopkins. If you are going to complain about something that isn't an issue, you can at least be accurate in your complaint. A tattoo parlor and liquor store isn't scaring families away. I know, I frequent both, and …   more ›

Mainstreet Days Returns May 18

There will be more than 100 art and craft vendors.

Residents don’t have long to wait before Mainstreet Days returns to Hopkins’ Downtown. The annual event, sponsored by the Hopkins Area Jaycees, takes place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 18 on Mainstreet, between Eighth and 11th Avenues. More than 100 art and craft vendors will be present, along with several food vendors. There will also be family entertainment—including train rides, a balloon twister and more.  

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Met Council: Hopkins LRT Stations Would Need Over 800 Parking Spots

The Southwest Light Rail project needs park and rides so commuters can use the trains.

Early parking projections for the Southwest Light Rail Transit project estimate that Hopkins’ three stations would need to provide about 835 spots between them, the Metropolitan Council told Patch. Parking is among the City of Hopkins’ biggest concerns about the project. Officials’ response to the Southwest LRT’s draft environmental impact statement, the primary review document, focused heavily on the prospect of park and rides at the three stations—Blake, Downtown and Shady Oak. They worry that parking could create traffic problems and take land that could be used for redevelopment. The city has had particular worries about parking at the Downtown Station. Planners have long envisioned the station as a so-called “kiss and ride” that would…

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PHOTO TIMELINE: Follow Along as the Gallery Flats Project Progresses

Check out highlights from the project’s history and see photos of its progress.

After years in the planning and approval stages, residents started to see progress on the Gallery Flats project when demolition began last week. Developer Klodt Cos. is now embarking on a mixed-use project on the old Park Nicollet and the neighboring Lutheran Digest site. The two-building project will have a total of 163 apartments—and create nine jobs, increase the tax base by $480,525 and leverage $24.4 million in private investment, according to the Department of Employment and Economic Development. The project launched when the city snapped up the former Park Nicollet site on Eighth Avenue after the health care provider closed its clinic in 2009. Eighth Avenue is central to the city’s long-term plans because of the Southwest Light Rail…

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New Jack Yee Owners Transform Rundown Property

Samuel Stiele and Ed Stiele faced foul smells and floors covered in grease after they bought the shuttered building.

If you didn't know anything about the old Jack Yee property, you’d think Samuel Stiele and Ed Stiele got a deal. They bought it at an April sheriff’s auction for $95,000, the minimum bid the county set. It had a walk-in cooler, a 988-pound rice cooker and a spacious kitchen. Unfortunately, the cooler is out of date and must be taken out, the rice cooker had to be removed and the floor of that spacious kitchen was covered in about three-quarters of an inch of grease. Samuel Stiele estimated the place was so dirty they went through about 25 pairs of gloves in their initial period working on the building. “If this business wasn’t in Hopkins, we wouldn’t have done this,” he said. The Stieles—father and son—don’t just have money tied up in the …

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Raspberry Festival Today: July 12

A look at what’s happening today with Hopkins’ biggest festival.

In order to help you maximize the 78th-annual festival, Hopkins Patch is highlighting each day’s activities. Many of the events are free with a $3 Raspberry Button, so be sure to purchase one to guarantee a fun-filled week! Click here to find out how. Be sure to click here to see all of Hopkins Patch’s coverage of the festivities, and say hi if you see Patch enjoying the festival! Here’s what’s happening today. *** Music in the Park Enjoy two concerts in Hopkins’ downtown as part of the free summer concert series Royalty Coronation and Royal Ball Young women 17 to 25 will compete for three positions in the Royal Family.

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Met Council Awards Hopkins $1 million for Downtown Development

Much of the money will fund enhancements around the Park Nicollet site.

Hopkins received a $1 million grant from the Metropolitan Council last month to assist with Eighth Avenue development. The grant was one of 19 grants, worth $16 million total, aimed at advancing “transit oriented development” in both existing and upcoming transitways, such as the Southwest Light Rail Transit project. Money for the Hopkins project will: Applications were scored on criteria set by the Met Council and had to receive scores of 60 percent or better to be considered for funding. Hopkins’ project scored 60.93 percent.   Stay up to date on all your local news. Sign up for the free Hopkins Patch newsletter, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Editor James Warden's Pinterest boards. Do you own a local business? Click …

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Undercover Sting Targets Two Hopkins Massage Parlors

Officers arrested two masseuses on suspicion of prostitution. They have been charged with gross misdemeanors.

Police arrested masseuses at two different massage parlors Tuesday after receiving an anonymous letter accusing the establishments of allowing prostitution on the premises, Hopkins Police announced Thursday afternoon. The arrests follow a separate prostitution arrest in August at Hopkins Asian Massage that resulted in a new ordinance requiring licenses for most massage business. The investigation began in March when the department got a letter that stated websites claimed prostitution was taking place at Hopkins Asian Massage at 1209 Mainstreet and Yinyin Massage at 901 First St. N., according to charging documents written by Police Sgt. Michael Glassberg. Police examining the sites found customer reviews claiming the businesses offered …

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What should go here?

What Should Go Here?: 812 Mainstreet

A feature that asks residents how Hopkins should fill its vacant spaces.

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. *** 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 …

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Matthew Kilanowski

11:53 am on Monday, April 16, 2012

Oh, this is sad... I should learn to wear my reading glasses when typing out responses like this on my phone. That way I can pick out my spelling and grammar errors.   more ›

'American Iconic' and 'Potpourri' open at Hopkins Center for the Arts

Artist Nathan Stromberg's paintings explore past to comment on the present. Students and teacher are also on display.

Five years ago, vintage photos from 1950's America inspired St. Paul artist Nathan Stromberg to further explore that era through his painting. Hopkins residents will get to see Stromberg's artistic musings through his exhibition, American Iconic, opening tonight at the Hopkins Center for the Arts. "His pieces are images anyone from the baby-boom generation would remember from their childhood, and they're painted in a style that is also evocative of that time," said Executive Arts Director Susan Hanna-Bibus. On his website, Stromberg describes his work as a navigation and commentary of 1950s America, as seen in discarded snapshots and slides. "Paint and brush become the tools for possessing a photograph and the memories of people and …

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