Friday, November 23, 2012
The first day of this weekend is dedicated to the businesses that call Hopkins home.
Black Friday might be all about big-box stores, but Saturday is all about Small Businesses. American Express and Patch are trying to get the word out to support local businesses on Saturday. So if you plan to shop Saturday, check out lists of Hopkins businesses here and here. If a local business is missing from the list, share it in the comments so your fellow Hopkins residents know where to shop.
Monday, November 19, 2012
City Engineer John Bradford shared estimates on what the change would mean for the downtown.
The main focus of a proposal to remake Eighth Avenue into a beautified one-way street has so far been on enticing light rail riders and Excelsior Boulevard drivers into Hopkins’ downtown. But the proposal isn’t just about attracting those who haven’t yet made it into the downtown; it’s about showing off the downtown to those already in or near the area. Planners estimate a northbound one-way would increase Mainstreet traffic by preventing those headed to Eighth Avenue businesses, like Chipotle or Curry ‘N’ Noodles, from simply turning around and heading back to Excelsior when they’re done. Just how much would that change Mainstreet volumes? City Engineer John Bradford on Monday shared his estimates with Patch for volumes between 4 p.m. to …
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Target, Best Buy and Walmart are included in turkey day sales. Check out the deals here.
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Saturday, November 17, 2012
If you have a black belt in Black Friday shopping, listen up: Area big-box retailers are gearing up to dazzle bargain hunters even earlier this year—starting Thanksgiving Day. Walmart, Toys "R" Us, Target and Best Buy are planning all-out holiday shopping assaults. Beginning at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 22, Walmart will offer holiday doorbusters, while supplies last. These include deals on TVs, iPads, an electric scooter for $79 and a steam mop for $39. Toys R' Us also offers doorbusters beginning at 8 p.m. Deals include $80 off an Android tablet and 50 percent off on Power Wheels. Target's deals begin an hour later, at 9 p.m. According to an ad leaked online, the best deals will be for a Nook, TVs, a Nikon camera and an XBOX 360 …
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
The sandwich chain, which has a franchise in downtown Hopkins, will have the new products available by early December.
Erbert & Gerbert’s has become the latest restaurant to embrace the gluten-free movement. The national sandwich chain, which has a franchise in downtown Hopkins, announced Monday that it’s launching a new gluten-free menu. The new menu has three gluten-free soups and a selection sandwiches made with Udi’s gluten-free rolls, will launch nationwide beginning in early December. “Introducing these new gluten-free options will allow a whole new group to enjoy the flavors we offer at Erbert & Gerbert’s,” a news release quoted Chuck Schwalbe, director of marketing. “That is truly exciting for our brand and franchisees, but even more importantly so for those who suffer from celiac disease or choose a gluten-free lifestyle.” The focus will be on …
44.924387
-93.409338
Erbert & Gerbert's Subs & Clubs
740 Mainstreet, Hopkins, MN
/articles/erbert-gerbert-s-launches-gluten-free-menu
979075
/locations/8136275
Friday, November 2, 2012
There will be shopping, dining, pampering and other surprise activities.
Hopkins’ downtown will once again be filled with mothers, daughters, sisters and girlfriends as retailers and eateries open their doors Saturday for Girls on the Town. The twice-yearly event is a relaxing day that offers something for everyone. The first 350 women to register at the Hopkins Center for the Arts receive a goodie bag with valuable coupons. Dozens of businesses will offer unique shopping and dining experiences. And for every $25 shoppers spend, they will be entered into a drawing filled with great prizes. Girls on the Town runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. Participating businesses will have pink bows on their doors. Click here for a full list of participating businesses. (Still skeptical? Read about how much fun Patch …
Friday, May 4, 2012
Samuel Stiele and Ed Stiele paid $95,000 for the site at last month’s auction.
(UPDATED: 2:49 p.m. May 4) Samuel Stiele and Ed Stiele, owner of Hopkins Auto Body, bought the Jack Yee property at last month’s tax forfeiture auction, Hennepin County staff told Patch Thursday. The men purchased the 1016 Mainstreet property for $95,000 over the counter, the minimum bid the county set for the site prior to the April 27 auction. Samuel Stiele said he and his father are looking at a couple of different options for the property, one of which is the possibility of turning it into a restaurant. The goal is to lease it out to a business that wants to come in. “Certainly, nothing is set yet,” he said. They’d looked at the building for about three years before buying the property. Next week, people should be inside cleaning it up…
44.92436
-93.41357
1016 Mainstreet, Hopkins, MN
/articles/local-business-owners-buy-jack-yees-property
/locations/6939967
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Four U.S. dealers and an Israeli resort are selling the company’s watercraft.
Hopkins-based Go-Float has signed four new U.S. dealers and one Israeli resort to sell the company’s electric boats, the company announced Wednesday. The additional dealers are part of growing success the company credits in part to this year’s boat shows. Prior to the shows, it introduced four new models for 2012 with prices below $5,000. Its production team has doubled in size and expects to quadruple in 2012. “Our boat show results have been better than expected. We are signing new dealers and those dealers report that they’ve sold boats within days of receiving their first shipment,” a news release quoted Steve Hendrickson, Go-Float’s general manager. “Our vision of electric boating is connecting with all types of people and we are …
44.9055
-93.4278
10 1st Street S., Hopkins, MN
/articles/hopkins-go-float-signs-new-dealers-to-sell-its-electric-boats
/locations/6930140
The previously online-only business is now at 10th and Main.
When Josette Elstad started her vintage closing business, JoJo’s Retro and Vintage, in May 2010, it was an online-only operation. She tallied hundreds of new sales and tens of thousands of hits on her website over the intervening period. In December, the Minnetonka resident told Patch that someday she hoped to open a traditional retail store in downtown Hopkins. But she thought it would a year or so before she moved out of her Excelsior Tech Center office space and onto Mainstreet. Plans wound up moving faster than expected, though. When a new spot opened at 10th Avenue and Mainstreet, Elstad seized the opportunity to open a retail location. The new store will get a test run during Saturday’s Girls on the Town event. Elstad will then host …
44.924369
-93.412744
1002 Mainstreet, Hopkins, MN
Suite 207
/articles/jojo-s-retro-and-vintage-opens-mainstreet-location
/locations/6927888
Monday, April 30, 2012
The program offers free advice for business owners and potential business owners.
Staff from Open to Business will be in Hopkins talking with local entrepreneurs Monday afternoon. Open to Business is a program—funded by the City of Hopkins, the Hopkins Business & Civic Association and Hennepin County—in which experts work one-on-one with business owners and potential business owners to develop a plan to help the companies succeed. There is also a revolving loan program. The Metropolitan Consortium of Community Developers offers the program at no cost to business owners. Experts from the program visit Hopkins once a month to provide advice on topics ranging such as bookkeeping, marketing, and access to financing. Open to Business experts will be at The Depot from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Monday—and at those hours on the fourth …
44.924153
-93.398756
Depot Coffee House
9451 Excelsior Blvd, Hopkins, MN
/articles/open-to-business-offering-advice-at-the-depot-monday
979169
/locations/6904557
Sunday, April 29, 2012
About a dozen women visited the downtown Hopkins store to support local businesses.
Saturday was rainy and cold, but Something Safari started to get suspiciously full a couple minutes before 2 p.m. Pei-Lin Yap, the owner, became extra curious—even a little nervous—when this reporter walked in. Yap had no reason to be nervous, though. Soon afterward, Deephaven resident Bink Semmer surprised her with the news that Something Safari had been chosen as the site of a cash mob. “I think this is great,” Yap said. “I think the surprise is icing on the cake.” Cash mobs are events in which groups of shoppers flock to a single, local store in order to show support for small businesses in their community. At Something Safari, about a dozen women visited the store. The cash mob was organized by a group of friends who’ve dubbed …
44.924353
-93.414086
Something Safari
1110 Mainstreet, Hopkins, MN
/articles/cash-mob-surprises-something-safari
1889176
/locations/6904541
Norman Teigen
8:00 am on Tuesday, November 20, 2012
There is a rush of traffic during the lunch hour in that area. I would suggest that you follow-up and see how traffic might look during the busy lunch hour. I think that traffic patterns at different hours would also be a legitimate thing to consider. more ›