In the January issue of the Hill & Lake Press I wrote that Guse Hardware, at 46th and Bryant Avenue South, had closed. It hasn’t, and I regret the error!
In several articles, Tom Thomson, the owner of Guse Hardware, had spoken about how the conversion of Bryant Avenue into a bicycle highway had contributed to a decline in his business:
Southwest Voices, August 31, 2023
“The Bryant Avenue redesign, which narrowed the street to add a two-way bike lane on a curb and doesn’t allow for turns onto 46th Street, eliminated one of Guse’s four parking spots.”
“Customers tell him that they don’t drive by the shop anymore because of the street reconfiguration and they forget to come in. Furthermore, many of Tom’s customers are contractors with big trucks.”
Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, October 8, 2024, headline “Guse Hardware sells building, owner plans retirement.”
I concluded, wrongly, that meant the end of the hardware store.
Helpful Feedback
Reader Cathy Fuller wrote to tell us that Guse Hardware is still very much open, and that one can still make turns from Bryant onto 46th.
Craig Wilson, editor of the Hill & Lake Press, visited Guse Hardware to apologize and to check out the new intersection. He learned that Mr. Thomson has sold the building, but he will continue to operate the hardware store, at least for now.
To make amends, the Hill & Lake Press will run an ad for Guse Hardware in this and the next two issues, gratis. As for that intersection, yes, one can turn off Bryant onto 46th. Southwest Voices had it backward and I repeated the error. However, the new intersection is hardly conducive to customer convenience! But don’t let that stop you from walking, riding or even driving to this enduring gem of a neighborhood hardware store.
Eating Crow, Secondo. Parking Meters!
Reader Fuller told us that we had it wrong again – this time about parking meters.
As a member of the Hill & Lake Press investigative team (full disclosure, there isn’t one) I had written that according to the staff of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, there are no meters planned for Lake of the Isles Parkway, and that contrary to rumor, none are installed on Bde Maka Ska Parkway.
Ms. Fuller pointed out that there are meters on the west side of Bde Maka Ska, just south of the Minikahda slope. I regret the error. The bigger question remains. As parking meters continue to creep off Hennepin onto residential streets, how far will they go?
Reader Fuller told us that we had it wrong again – this time about parking meters.
As a member of the Hill & Lake Press investigative team (full disclosure, there isn’t one) I had written that according to the staff of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, there are no meters planned for Lake of the Isles Parkway, and that contrary to rumor, none are installed on Bde Maka Ska Parkway.
Ms. Fuller pointed out that there are meters on the west side of Bde Maka Ska, just south of the Minikahda slope. I regret the error. The bigger question remains. As parking meters continue to creep off Hennepin onto residential streets, how far will they go?
