Photo and blog post by John HoffConnie Beckers, known as the "Goddess of Glass," is opening a new shoppe (sic) at 2205 Lowry Ave. N., as announced on her own website, click here. Northsiders are excited to hear of an established artist moving into space on Lowry Ave. N., an area both needing and poised for commercial revitalization.
At the same time, word is a hot new "sit down" restaurant may open in the space next door, note the top two photos in this blog post. The owners of the would-be restaurant (not named here quite yet) were initially interested in the old Wafana's building, but decided to avoid that location due to variance issues which appeared insurmountable. (If only all would-be property owners could be THAT smart)
Some of us in NoMi were teasing Connie Beckers about her decision to go with the word "shoppe" instead of "shop." Where, goes the joke, did Connie find those two spare letters? Well, according to my sources...
The "E" is the missing letter from "Hawthorn (sic) Crossings" strip mall, which apparently went with a simpler spelling to accommodate their customer demographic of sparsely-educated thugs and drug dealers who hang around all day in the parking lot.
As for the extra "P," it is reportedly the "missing P sound" from the last name of the "other well-known Connie" in North Minneapolis, Connie Nompelis, which is pronounced "No-bell-iss."
It's Greek.
I'm very excited to see Connie's new shoppe (sic) open on Lowry Ave. N.
Hey this is great! Welcome to the neighborhood Connie. Please be sure to keep your glass clean we'll be watching.
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the neighborhood Connie. It's about time we get some more artists up here.
ReplyDeleteAnd John, I hate to be nit-picky but it seems that correcting grammar and spelling is an acceptable form of commentary and in that spirit I think you meant to say "scarcely" educated or some word other than "sparse". Sparse means occurring, growing, or settled at widely spaced intervals; not thick or dense. The thugs you are referring to don't get their education at widely spaced intervals, they don't get their education at all. Please take this criticism in the well meaning spirit that it is given.
I think that somebody who drops in and out of school at "wide intervals" and doesn't get much while they are in school is, indeed, sparsely educated.
ReplyDeleteYou're stretching the meaning of sparsely to its breaking point John. The thugs drop out, but they certainly don't subsequently drop back in. It's ok. Not everyone uses the language perfectly in all instances. We're all human.
ReplyDeleteJohn,
ReplyDeleteI would agree with your use of the term "sparse" if you indicated that, perhaps, 1 of every 1000 people who shops at Hawthorn (sic) Crossings is educated. But they way you're trying to use the word is simply wrong.
I otherwise thoroughly enjoy your blog.
Why aren't you willing to engage in a discussion of the proper use of the word sparse? You go after people for all sorts of trivial grammatical errors but are unwilling to reflect upon your own>
ReplyDelete1500+ hits on google for "sparsely educated"
ReplyDelete3600+ hits for "scarcely educated"
I would say either usage is pretty widely accepted.
This has nothing to do with the story... probably why John left it at one response. Waste of time...
Thanks JNS for the plug :-)
ReplyDeleteThe Shoppe is Open! Stop in Thursday thru Saturday, 10-6. You'll find an amazing array of art, gifts, cards and framing.
There are 18 artists' work in the shoppe right now and that will completely switch out every two months. When the restaurant opens, we'll be placing artwork there, as well.
I've lived in NoMi since I was 10 years old and have been a glass artist for the last 15 years. I'm very proud to bring this new venture to the community!