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After Aldi exit, new grocery store set to open in North Minneapolis
The locally-owned Colonial Market will open by December in the former Aldi on Penn Avenue in north Minneapolis.
MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota — For a year and a half, the building on 3120 Penn Avenue North has set empty.
In February 2023, Aldi left the northside — leaving a food desert in its place.
“There are a few things that every neighborhood needs. You need a school; you need a park or a recreation center… you need a grocery store. And for more than a year now, this community here on the northside has largely been without a grocery store after the ALDI closed,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said.
“I just remember us having conversations after we found out Aldi was going to close and just feeling like, what’s next? How can we ensure that people don’t go deeper into a food desert?” said Minneapolis City Council Member LaTrisha Vetaw.
Mayor Frey said since Aldi’s abrupt exit, the city has been working to find a new grocer for the space.
Now Daniel Hernandez, owner of Colonial Market, and developer Wellington Management are teaming up. They announced their plans during a press conference inside the building on Tuesday morning.
“It’s for the whole community as a whole here in North Minneapolis,” Hernandez said.
Hernandez owns the Colonial Market on Nicollet Avenue in south Minneapolis and another south Minneapolis grocery store. This year, Hernandez will open two Colonial Market locations — another in south at the Hi-Lake Shopping Center in September and the north Minneapolis one in the beginning of December.
“One of the things that we really specialize in is fresh fruit, and vegetables, and meat. So I believe that our northside here is in great need of food and we are going to deliver one of the best foods in in the nation. Because we buy Grade A, which is the best grade there is for food, for the same price as any other other grocery store,” Hernandez said.
Hernandez said he is also committed to hiring local, with 40 jobs to fill.
“They’re also going to help build community, making sure that the investment is returned to this northside community,” Frey said. “That we’re not shipping profits overseas, but they’ll end up right here in Minnesota.”
Besides selling groceries, Colonial Market will include a restaurant, ice cream shop and butcher shop.
MINNEAPOLIS — How much do you know about your grandma’s upbringing?
“The Stories From My Grandmother’s Hands” is a book that aims to show young Black children how their grandmas lived through beautiful illustrations and descriptions.
KARE 11 News at Noon shared more on Thursday about the impact that this book will have.
Gary Peterson and his friends are collecting donations to help people in their community.
ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. — A St. Louis Park pumpkin display is raising money for their local food shelf.
Gary Peterson started carving and painting three pumpkins over a decade ago. It’s now grown to over 100.
“I’ve heard people say they’ve come from Hutchinson,” he said.
Peterson along with two of his neighbors have spent the last 14 years growing their display, turning it into a neighborhood event.
“It’s been incredible, I just can’t believe how much this has expanded,” he said. “We did it just because we like to and then people were asking to give us money to cover the cost.”
The trio refused to take people’s money, but then one of them had an idea.
“My neighbor, Steve Leensvaart, just mentioned how about we just do it for the STEP program and the STEP program is our local food shelf in St. Louis Park,” he said.
So, they started to collect donations to help families in need. They’ve raised hundreds of dollars and donated hundreds of pounds of food over the last few years, carving for a cause.
“It is more gratifying every year,” Peterson said.
He estimated they have over 100 unique pumpkins in their yard. They’ve created the displays and come up with new family-friendly concepts for people to enjoy. Peterson said about 30 of their neighbors carved their own pumpkins to be put on display, and it’s been a big hit.
“It’s great. In the last couple of years, it’s turned into more of a neighborhood event,” said Sarah Durch.
“We love this Halloween display, we come every year to see it. We love that the whole community gets involved to craft and carve the pumpkins,” said Jami Gordon-Smith.
“The shading and the details are unbelievable,” said Elizabeth Hanson.
Hanson hopes to take her 2-year-old son trick or treating for the first time but is worried the cold temperatures might keep them indoors.
“We’re going trick or treating hopefully,” she said. “He’s going to be a firefighter, but we’re probably going to have sweatshirts maybe like two pairs of sweatpants underneath. We’re going to be bundled up.”
Gordon-Smith said her family will be out Halloween night no matter the weather.
“Halloween only comes once a year, so you really have to take advantage and enjoy the evening no matter what the weather brings,” she said. “Guess it’s not totally unheard of in Minnesota to have a cold Halloween, but we are going to try and modify and do a lot of layers underneath our costumes and then we might add some hats and maybe some warmer socks.”
Durch also isn’t surprised they’re in for another chilly night.
“Well, what would Halloween be without Minnesota cold? I feel like every time you plan a costume you have to plan for how you can make this work if it’s snowing,” she said.
Peterson said they will have a bonfire and some hot chocolate and cider on Halloween to keep trick-or-treaters warm while they look at their pumpkins.
Click here to learn where you can see the pumpkins and how you can donate.
Jeremy Jourdain was 17 when he was last seen on Halloween 2016.
BEMIDJI, Minn. — The search for Jeremy Jourdain, who was last seen on Halloween in 2016, continues now eight years later.
Jourdain was last seen at a family member’s house in Bemidji, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior Indian Affairs. He left the residence near the 500 block of Wood Avenue after midnight and while people followed him, no one was able to find him.
Jourdain was 17 at the time.
Officials said he was wearing a blue and grey sweatshirt, and blue jeans when last seen. He is Native American and is described as 6 foot 5 and 175 pounds.
If you have any information on his whereabouts, you can contact the Bemidji Police Department at (218) 333-9111. Tips can also be sent to 1-833-560-2065, or you can email ojs_mmu@bia.gov.
