Karo’s now open on West Seventh

Hassan Al-Khatib’s undergraduate degree is in international business from Metro State, and when Community Reporter spoke with him in December he had just been awarded his Master’s of Business Administration by St. Mary’s. Hassan has worked in wholesale and importing, but always thought about opening a restaurant. A combination of circumstances led him to assess the former Ray’s Mediterranean site and to meet Steve Ramlow, an experienced chef, and he decided that the potential was there and to lease the space.

His vision is to provide high quality food at reasonable prices, with a fairly simple menu based on steak and chicken. The menu reflects the food he likes to eat — and he eats out a lot. Anan Barbarawi is general manager, and Chef Steve has been in cooking and food services for many years. He provided all food services for the U.S. Bank Business Center on Shepard Road for twelve years, and also owns “Simple Steve’s Gourmet Food Truck,” which he takes to events in downtown St. Paul and Minneapolis.

Hassan basically did all the renovations himself, and has created a bright, comfortable space with thirty seats. Parking on-site is handy.
Initially, Hassan is working to get all his systems working well, and plans to be revising his menu regularly, developing new recipes and adding a catering menu. He sees the possibility of expanding to other locations, using his model and growing reputation for good food, good prices and good atmosphere.

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Soapy Joe’s Car Wash Plans to Clean Up West Seventh

Soapy Joe’s Car Wash (1340 West Seventh, 651-493-1304), which opened for trial runs in December and provided more than 1,000 free washes to the savvy West Enders and Facebook friends who got the news through the grapevine, is a fascinating world of high technology and environmental concern.

Co-owner Bill Lindsay, who has decades of experience in various kinds of cleaning business, explained that they are using the Express Wash model, which gets you in and out in under five minutes, yet has the ability to perform more than a dozen discrete operations. The machinery can reach every surface of the car — over, under, tires and wheel wells, mirrors — and can clean, condition, shine the tires, flush the underbody and add rust inhibitor, clean the side mirrors, apply surface protectant and assure a spot-free rinse and dry — all while you relax and let the conveyer pull your car through at exactly the right speed.

Soapy Joe’s has equipment that reduces the dissolved solids in water to zero parts per million—this is the water used for the final, spot-free rinse, stored in four large tanks to avoid ever running out.

St. Paul’s Ecolab, Inc. supplies all the washing products used, through its RAIN-X line. Their motto, “Hard on dirt—easy on earth” points to products designed to minimize impact on the environment. Applications are computer controlled for efficiency as well.

Co-owner David Olshansky, who has extensive experience in operating Adult Day Care centers and Home Care agencies laughed when asked how a car wash fits into his business plan. “I met Bill and we hit it off. There is trust between us, and excitement about this effort,” he remarked. “There’s also an interesting connecting in that Bill’s son Joe is our General Manager, and my son Mark and I also work closely together.”
In addition to the car wash, an express detailing shop is being created, where fast, simple and specific services can be arranged — carpet shampooing, body waxing, wheel and tire treatments, upholstery, and special RAIN-X body and window protectants are among the options.

When asked whether they knew that SophieJoe’s Emporium is a few miles down the street and that some locals were wondering about the similarity of names, Bill smiled and said, “We just wanted to be clever. Our legal name — All American Car Wash — is just not that catchy for people.”

Soapy Joe’s has three levels of wash and also offers unlimited monthly plans.

Hinding Company Celebrates 75 Years of Service

The Hinding Heating and Air Company, a neighborhood fixture located at 915 West Seventh Street, is celebrating its first 75 years in business. The company has serviced, repaired and replaced furnaces, boilers, air conditioners, humidifiers and air purification systems since its founding in 1936.

Co-owners Pat and Tom Costello point to their customers as the primary reason they have survived and prospered. Pat Costello said, “We have literally served three and sometimes four generations of homeowners, and we could not have succeeded this long without their friendship and loyalty. It is simply amazing to get phone calls from folks who were referred to us by their grandparents!”

Within the past several years, Hinding has completely renovated its headquarters on West Seventh. The upgrade indicates the company’s commitment to steady growth, and sends a message to its customers that it is preparing for another 75 years.

With its clean brick edifice and stylish black awnings imprinted with its new company logo and brand, the building restoration harmonizes with the architecture of the area. Said Pat Costello, “The renovation not only adds value to the building and the neighborhood, but it was accomplished almost entirely with the know-how and craftsmanship of contractors within the surrounding community.”

While the building has been renovated and the website updated, the Costello brothers insist that very little has changed in the manner in which Hinding conducts its day-to-day business. “We are an old-fashioned company,” said Tom Costello, “that prides itself on providing great value and great customer service. We have a reputation to uphold and it is our pledge that the next generation of customers will be treated with the same courtesy and respect as that first generation was 75 years ago.”

Hinding Heating and Air Company, 915 West Seventh, 651-228-1303.

Photo: Hinding’s adds to the ambience of West Seventh in its side yard.

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Donut as Art

by Christopher G. Bremicker

That is the motto of Mojo Monkey, the new donut shop, at 1169 West Seventh. Mojo Monkey is a rich mixture of handcrafted donuts, organic coffee, current music, friendly employees and bright atmosphere. The name of the shop comes from a character in a favorite television show of owner Lisa Clark’s daughters.

Lisa worked at Breadsmith for five years. She learned the pleasure of giving someone something she had made there. On a trip to Seattle to visit her sister, a graphic artist who designed Lisa’s logo, she noticed the many donut shops there. She realized there were few donut shops in the Twin Cities. Lisa looked for a year for a suitable location before she decided to start Mojo Monkey on West Seventh Street. She said she loves the neighborhood and the sense of community here.

Families come into Mojo Monkey and children leap with joy as they look into the glass cases containing the donuts. They select donuts from a large assortment, such as cake and raised donuts, peanut butter-and-jelly Bismarcks, maple Long Johns with a strip of bacon on top, red velvet donuts with chocolate ganache, and donuts with cream cheese frosting, organic coconut, or pecans. Often, customers buy boxes of a dozen or more.

On weekends, Mojo Monkey makes, to order, beignets, French donuts that are popular in the south. Beignets are quick-fried and covered with powdered sugar. They should be eaten immediately and dipped in hot chocolate or coffee, Lisa said.

The organic coffee at Mojo Monkey is made from beans bought from farms that support the Fair Trade Agreement. This agreement requires growers to pay its employees fairly and provide fair working conditions

Mojo Monkey’s music is selected by a programmer who spends hours at the library researching music from local artists. Lisa calls the music jazz, blues, urban, and independent. The music fills the shop as customers sit at the tables and enjoy a cup of coffee and a banana fritter, for example, and the employees arrange the cases with freshly fried and frosted donuts kept in a rack behind the counter.
Lisa believes in treating her staff well and working them hard. Lisa starts frying the donuts at nine o’clock at night. Her finishers, her mother, Laura, and friend, Julia, start work at four in the morning. Ivy, Rose, Dria, and Julia’s sister, Laura, who work the counter, arrive later. Lisa’s sister, Helena, and her daughters, Bella and Hannah, help customers from behind the counter too. Lisa considers herself a mom providing work for her family.

On the big window above the door are stenciled the words, Delight, Indulge, Handcrafted, Sweet, Fresh, and Bliss. A window to the small kitchen in back shows employees working at the fryer, the oven, for making Danish, which are expected soon, the mixing table and the finishing table. Big bags of flour and sugar are stacked on the floor. There are containers of pistachios, Oreos, M&Ms, toffee, peanuts, black walnuts, blue and red sprinkles, pecans, and organic coconut.

Mojo Monkey is located in the same retail space once occupied by Rudies Coffee House. Lisa kept Rudies’ black-and-white-checked tile floor and replaced the red-and-black color of its walls with a bright robin’s egg blue. She added a window in back by the kitchen and new tables and chairs. Alcoves of tables and chairs look out on West Seventh. Fresh flowers are on each table. Mojo Monkey has Wi-Fi.
Mojo Monkey’s hours are 5:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. They are closed on Monday.

Owner Lisa Clark hand-making donuts in the back baking room.


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Bryan Tschida’s American Family Insurance
by Jerry Rothstein
For many years, Bryan Tschida’s American Family Insurance sign at the corner of Cleveland and Randolph was a familiar sight. Recently, he purchased and renovated the building at 1560 West Seventh and is open for business.
Of the many Tschidas in St. Paul, Bryan’s father grew up in Frogtown and started Tschida Plumbing. Bryan was raised in South St. Paul, graduated from Gustavus Adolphus, and started out holding a number of jobs in business and banking. He began with American Family in 1996.
American Family Insurance, based in Madison, Wisconsin, is a mutual company owned by its policy holders. Now more than 75 years old, it operates in 19 states and is one of the few remaining insurance companies to have its own agents. So Bryan is not a broker who handles many different companies. His contract is with American Family only, and he in turn employs his staff.
When he decided to move, needing more space and room to grow, he didn’t find many Internet listings, so he began driving around St. Paul. With its easy access, many existing clients in the West Seventh area, and the chance to own his own place, the location was a good fit.
Bryan is happy with what American Family provides. He offers annuities, life, property and automobile policies and commercial coverage. Claims are handled promptly — the company presents a trustworthy and best value philosophy. In fact, almost all his employees are also policy holders. The office is staffed and a real person answers the phones. Cindy Bryant has been with the agency for eleven years; Kim Nutzmann, who grew up in the West End, for three.
Bryan Tschida Agency, 1560 West Seventh, 651-690-5334.

Claddagh Coffee Opens on West Seventh 

by Paul Bard

“Mom!” he said. “You want something that sounds Irish and friendly, right? Okay, here’s the name — Claddagh Coffee!” And that, explained Mary Hogan-Bard, is how her teenage son Liam picked the name for the West End’s newest coffee shop, Claddagh Coffee, at 459 West Seventh.

The Claddagh (pronounced kla’-dah) is the familiar Irish symbol of two hands holding a heart, surmounted by a crown. The symbol represents love, friendship and loyalty — qualities that Mary and her staff hope their new enterprise, which opened its doors on August 13, will come to represent for all of their customers and neighbors. “We want Claddagh Coffee to be a cheerful, relaxing place where people can come in, meet with friends and have really great coffee, tea and food at affordable prices,” said Mary.

Mary Hogan-Bard grew up in Minneapolis, but she’s lived in St. Paul since 1983. She dreamed of running her own coffee shop for years. But raising four children (and restoring the family’s three-story Victorian home) took priority. Then, a year and a half ago, as her youngest was preparing to enter high school, she decided it was time to take the plunge. Mary and husband Bill Bard began putting together a business plan and scouting locations. An acquaintance told her about a storefront in the historic Otto W. Rohland building on West Seventh, so she went to have a look. When she saw the space, with its exposed brick walls and soaring 14-foot ceilings, it was love at first sight.

Jeff Austin and Scott Syberlic, the buildings owners, thought a coffee shop was a perfect fit. Their help was indispensible in both designing and building out the space, including Claddagh’s basement conference room, which can be reserved for meetings. “Jeff and Scott have been just great,” said Mary. “They went the extra mile to make sure that everything was done right. Look at the beautiful wrought-iron railings on the stairway. I love details like that.”

From its brand new kitchen, featuring top-of-the-line equipment such as a La Marzocco espresso machine, Claddagh serves coffee from three different roasters, so there’s always something new to try. In addition, Claddagh prepares coffee using the “pour over” brewing method, which brings out the best in the coffee.

Customers can pick up a quick coffee to go, or linger at one of the church pews that line the walls, and enjoy one of the signature specialty drinks with names like “Drop-Kick Murphy,” “Sister Mary Claddagh,” and “St. Paddy’s Aloha” (made with coconut milk). Along with the many varieties of coffee and tea, Claddagh will also offer panini sandwiches, soups, salads, pastries and small plates.

Mary credits numerous friends, business professionals and coffee experts for helping her get this far. But from now on, in running the business day to day, she will depend on managers (and long-time friends) Patrick Gavin and Candace Gislason. “I absolutely could not have done it without them,” Mary said. “Their dedication, along with all the great young people we have working here, is what will bring us success in the long run.” Mary’s confidence is also buoyed by the warm welcome she’s received from customers and especially from her immediate neighbors at Sophie Joe’s Emporium, RiverGarden Yoga Center, and St. Vincent de Paul’s. “We only just started,” Mary said. “But they’ve already made us feel like old friends.”

Claddagh Coffee is open daily. Summer hours are Monday-Thursday 6:30am-8pm.; Friday-Saturday, 6:30am-10pm; Sunday, 7:30am-5pm. 651-600-3400.

Editor’s Note: Paul Bard is a freelance writer and editor. Although he is Mary Hogan-Bard’s brother in law, and thus partial to her enterprise, you can verify his information by visiting Claddagh yourself.

Highland Nursery: An Urban Oasis 

by Sharon Mccord

As you walk into Highland Nursery on 1742 West Seventh amid shady oak trees, flowers and plants artfully integrated with metal work, statuaries, running fountains, and gazebos, you forget about the busy street a few steps away. Highland Nursery is known both for its extensive plant selection and unique accessories that people can’t find anywhere else. “We try to make every inch of space the best it can be,” said owner Sue Hustings.

As we walked through the 1.5 acre gardens, she pointed out the unique offerings of her business. A large circular hosta collection sits under a tall bur oak tree. Hustings said that they are known for healthy hosta plants because they maintain the proper acidity in the soil, which rids it of the slugs. In the nearby herb and vegetable garden are 20 types of basil and 15 types of mint. As we approached the water plant area, peaceful running fountains gurgled in the background. The Asian garden features foo dog statues, lanterns, and yew trees. A wide variety of perennials, roses and unusual vines are offered. There are alpine plants that grow no bigger than six inches tall, miniature dish gardens, decorative bamboo poles in all sizes and many varieties of trellises.

But running a gardening business does not come without major challenges, such as fewer customer purchases in a down economy and competing with big box stores like Home Depot and Menards. However, Ramsey County property tax assessments and increases have been the biggest headache for Hustings the past few years. Recently Hustings reconciled with the County to have 80% of her property classified as agriculture and 20% as commercial which led to a 2/3 reduction in her tax bill. But the property tax battle has been ongoing for almost three years with increases of 1000% in 2009 and a feeling that the assessments along West Seventh have been done unfairly.


Hustings said that other businesses on West Seventh have been assessed at considerably lower rates than hers. Furthermore, she has been told by the county assessor that the Highland Nursery is not the best use of the land. Hustings said her business should have had the agricultural classification earlier than now, but the county said they did not know she was a “nursery.” The 2/3 reduction that she just received “will just keep us in business,” said Hustings, “but we are still over-paying.”

Highland Nursery has been in the family since Lois and Henry Harich, Hustings’ parents, opened their business on Cleveland Avenue with a borrowed tent and a cigar box as a cash box. In 1978 the business moved to the current location. Hustings took over full ownership of the business in 1993, and now her daughter, Teri Otteness works at the nursery as well.
A bur oak statue sets Highland Nursery apart from other garden centers. Carved from a landmark bur oak, the sculpture commemorates John Smith and Elizabeth Ryan Smith, early pioneers who cleared this area in 1850 so they could plant crops. The remaining bur oaks at the nursery are likely saplings that they preserved.

Open year-round, the nursery offers something for every season and holiday. For Halloween they offer heart-shaped and blue pumpkins. Displayed in the winter are 32 varieties of amaryllis bulbs and winter twigs and berries. The cedar siding and shakes shop, reminiscent of a rural setting, features a cupola and squirrel weather vane on the rooftop. The shop is filled with pots and artwork, flower fairy dolls and houses, wall sculptures, and wreaths that are all color coordinated. The bathrooms are decorated like ones in an expensive home and every accessory in them is for sale.

According to Hustings, some customers compare Highland Nursery to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum or the McNeely Conservatory because of the garden layout and plant variety. Others come for solace when a loved one dies. The nursery received praise by a partner of architect Ian Baldwin, who said it was one of his two favorite garden centers in the world. Hustings feels honored that Midwest Magazine asked Highland Nursery to exhibit at the Home Show this coming November at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Their display will include flower fairies, a large giraffe, and pergolas and many other offerings. “We are all word of mouth, we do not advertise,” said Hustings. She encourages customers to come every month to see something they haven’t seen before. However, the accolades and her love of gardening don’t remove tax worries. She said, “If they keep raising the taxes, it will be a problem.”

Highland Nursery, 1742 West Seventh. Information at thehighlandnursery.com or 651-698-1708.

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Timberwolf CrossFit Opens on West Seventh

by Joel Vadnais
Early in June, Tony Koens opened Timberwolf CrossFit at 1044 West Seventh at Randolph. The new fitness center is small, but provides a niche workout facility. With kettle bells, gymnastic strings, plyometric boxes and massive tires, Cross Fit is aimed at a different kind of fitness. With multidirectional movement and fast movement exercises, workouts here are aimed at getting potential customers into the kind of shape Olympic athletes possess.

Tony trained with two medal winners in the Vancouver Olympics in 2010 and many other contenders on a professional level. He is certified by three different accreditation associations. Tony grew up in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and later moved to Orlando to join a personal training school, later receiving certification from the National Personal Training Institute. While there, he also taught as an assistant instructor, and later in Champlain, Minnesota, training others at the Velocity Sports Performance center. He then moved to Utah, where for three years he taught at the Utah Olympic Park. Now married with two small children, he decided to open a gym of his own here in St. Paul, bringing his expert knowledge of the art of fast movement and multidirectional movement.


In high school, Tony found himself weighing more than 220 pounds, but through exercise and a complete change in eating habits, lost weight and now is a rock solid 185. He does not use the word diet as, to him, the word seems temporary. In high school he did not know about weightlifting, but cut out sugars and binge eating by the age of 17. He began lifting weights ten years ago, and now at 28, he has been teaching professionally for the last five.

Lady and the Lion Hair Salon | 5.11 

by Jerry Rothstein

Jaymes Taylor has opened Lady and the Lion at 489 West Seventh (651-644-5898) and has been busy recreating the former tattoo parlor into a welcoming and stylish salon that has room for four stylists now, and five eventually.

Jaymes is a Master Barber who has been practicing in St. Paul for more than 35 years. He worked at The Barbers with Joe Francis, who also started the Cost Cutters chain of family hair salons, and in 2008 opened Lady and the Lion Hair Institute on Selby. Jaymes was also a model and product development expert for the Lustra Silk line of products. With Lady and the Lion, he can take on apprentices to help them get a start.

Jaymes’ clientele includes people of all ages and ethnic backgrounds — he offers a place where everyone is welcome. Widely known in St. Paul, his regulars include Police Chief Tom Smith, State Senator John Harrington, University of Minnesota Oncologist Dr. Stan Williams and former Minnesota Viking Joey Browner.

Stylists include Nika and Topaz (braids, weaves, dreadlocks, twists and extensions), Tracy (barber/stylist), Robert Keim, who is also an instructor at the Minnesota School of Cosmetology and Shirley Williams (experienced master barber and stylist).

Jaymes points out that a hair stylist is really an “artist-craftsman” whose goal is for the customer to have the right look and to feel like a work of art.

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Prototype Career Service | 2.11

by Jerry Rothstein

By the time she was 23, Amy Lindgren had worked at 50 different jobs. “I’m really good at getting jobs!” she says. As a very young girl she recalls pulling a wagon around her White Bear Lake neighborhood, finding cans and bottles to redeem or buying and selling things and setting up some trades. Her urge to do business was so strong that she would buy candy bars and sell them at a profit to her Girl Scout Troop before their meetings. For this she was expelled, but later in life was asked to serve on the Council board, which she did for five years.

As a college student, Amy started two businesses — a house cleaning service that lasted a year, followed by a house painting and tiling business for another year. With all her jobs and enterprises, she put herself through St. Kate’s, eventually (it took almost seven years!) graduating with a degree in English.

In 1985 she started Prototype Career Services to help others find the right job for them. At the same time she launched Banfil Street Press, which provided a business framework for her freelance writing, editorial coaching for writers, and publishing efforts. Banfil Street Press has also published a book for health professionals to help them understand the life issues of former prisoners of war (“Life after Liberation: Understanding the Former Prisoner of War,” 1992). With Prototype, Amy concentrates on helping clients find their career direction and strategizing their job searching process. Once she has a clear idea of what the client wants to do for a living, she also helps them to create focused résumés that strengthen the impression they make with potential employers.

Prototype also publishes books to help people with their job transitions. Their Pocket Job Series offers focused guides for job searching, including: “Five Steps to your Next Job,” “Résumés Etc.,” “Job Interviews,” “Job Search Over 40” and “Financial Survival Between Jobs.” In the Making the Leap Job Search series are “Job Search for Students” and “Job Search for Transitioning Military Personnel.” Customized newsletters and curriculum sold to government job search programs broaden the field of coverage so that resources are offered for just about any aspect of job seeking.

In her spare time, Amy teaches at The Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis and writes a weekly column published in the St. Paul Pioneer Press and other papers, called “Working Strategies” (see twincities.com/lindgren).

She and her husband Bruce Peterson live on Banfil. His bonsai are known around the neighborhood, and he took part in the 2010 West Seventh Neighbors Garden Tour.

Libraries connect residents to today’s job market | 2.11

The St. Paul Public Library, James J. Hill Reference Library and Goodwill/Easter Seals, in partnership with Workforce Solutions, are hosting free job seminars in February to help job seekers improve their networking and job searching skills.

• Between Jobs: Connect to Today’s Job Market seminars feature presenters with a wide variety of career and job-seeking skills and experiences to share. Registration is not required, and all programs are free. For more information, visit sppl.org/workplace.
• Entrepreneurship: The Famous Dave’s Story: February 2, 6:30 p.m., at James J Hill Library, 80 West Fourth Street. Famous Dave Anderson tells his amazing story of how he followed his dreams to become America’s Rib King! Call 651-265-5500 for  info.
• How a Staffing Agency Can Help You: February 10, 6:30 p.m. at James J Hill Library, 80 W. 4th Street. Representatives from local staffing agencies discuss the benefits to job seekers of applying and working with them. Using this approach can diversify and strengthen your employability, as well as connecting you with opportunities you may not otherwise uncover. Call 651-265-5500 for further information.
• What are Green Careers All About? February 17, 6:30 p.m. at Arlington Hills Library, 1105 Greenbrier Street. This session with Trina Maldonado highlights training opportunities for a career in various “green” industries and how to conduct a job search for a “green” career. Call 651-793-3930 for further information.
• How Social Networking Can Help Your Job Search: February 24, 6:30 p.m. at Rondo Library, 461 Dale Street N. Ivan E. Nunez, web professional with extensive experience developing interactive marketing solutions, explores strategies and offers tips for promoting your professional skills while developing your personal brand online. Call 651-266-7400 for further information.

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