Photo and blog post by John HoffI received word today--word which appears legit and bona fide--that Friedman's Shoe Store is trying to do something about the "ugly ass butt glass" which this blog has made famous. And, I might add, I only started "beating on the butt glass" after many entities in the neighborhood repeatedly approached Friedman's about this aesthetic issue at the gateway of West Broadway, and finally people in positions of trust and responsibility gave this blog the "quiet nod" to go ahead and make a public stink because there just wasn't any progress.
But here's the new word I just received about planned improvements to the glass, as follows...
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"I participated on a panel yesterday evening to rank all grant proposals for this round of facade improvements. Friedman's proposal specifically mentioned windows, among quite a few other things. A few of the applicants had also received grants in the past, not only Friedman's. The proposal must specifically outline what you will do with the funds. Many proposals included quotes from various companies however that is not required this early in the process. From the ranking assigned to each proposal yesterday I would say, if Friedman's pulls through on their end, they're surely get the grant. Those awarding the grant specifically mentioned they do not want more Plexiglas installed."
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Based on this new word, I intend to "lay off Friedman's" for a while and hope for progress in the not-too-distant future which I can report in a positive manner. Meanwhile, I intend to double the amount of criticism I level at slumlord Keith Reitman's "ugly ass chocolate brown building," which he has been repeatedly asked to spiff up, but Reiman apparently prefers to continue marinating in the sauce of slum while so many others on West Broadway try to make the place better.
But here's the new word I just received about planned improvements to the glass, as follows...
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"I participated on a panel yesterday evening to rank all grant proposals for this round of facade improvements. Friedman's proposal specifically mentioned windows, among quite a few other things. A few of the applicants had also received grants in the past, not only Friedman's. The proposal must specifically outline what you will do with the funds. Many proposals included quotes from various companies however that is not required this early in the process. From the ranking assigned to each proposal yesterday I would say, if Friedman's pulls through on their end, they're surely get the grant. Those awarding the grant specifically mentioned they do not want more Plexiglas installed."
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Based on this new word, I intend to "lay off Friedman's" for a while and hope for progress in the not-too-distant future which I can report in a positive manner. Meanwhile, I intend to double the amount of criticism I level at slumlord Keith Reitman's "ugly ass chocolate brown building," which he has been repeatedly asked to spiff up, but Reiman apparently prefers to continue marinating in the sauce of slum while so many others on West Broadway try to make the place better.
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ReplyDeleteSo what now you wait for a "quite nod" from the man to get in the face of those bringing our neighborhood down? Come on that isn't the blog I started reading about in City Pages. I'm glad you're raising awareness of this stuff but don't wait for permission to start raising hell.
ReplyDeleteOh, trust me. I don't ALWAYS wait for the quiet nod. But in cases like this...I do.
ReplyDeleteHow much revenue do you receive when we click the Google ads? Maybe this could be donated to purchase new glass at Friedman's?
ReplyDeletehey anon 12:10...
ReplyDeleteHow much revenue do you receive from your job/unnemployment/social security? Maybe this could be donated to purchase new glass at Friedman's?
What a joke.
Ahem it was not the readers complaining about "butt glass" so if it bothers JNS so much maybe he should kick in.
ReplyDelete@anon - actually I think you are wrong, I think John picked up the dissatisfaction with the appearance of Friedman's store front from various different circles, settings, movers and shakers around the northside and the WBro community and the city hall community in general.
ReplyDeleteJohn just happens to be the one to write it on this blog.
Why should a private citizen kick in money towards a thriving businesses reasonable and necessary business expenses? That's just nonsense.
Friedman's already got facade money and chose to not replace the windows. I hope they get new facade grants or loans and they do what is needed for their store's sake and the betterment of the WBro community.
The number of people who read this blog and are unhappy with the butt glass is a fairly big number. Readers don't just communicate with me openly on this blog but through other means, and often privately.
ReplyDeleteMovers & Shakers are all a-buzz over the Karamu sign, but evidently it hasn't reached the remote outpost of the JNS Blog.
ReplyDeleteJohn, did you notice MeganG aka NoMi Passenger used plural "businesses" when she meant to use possessive "business's"? She should be held to account, if nothing else for the sake of the language. I'm sure an english/journalism/law scholar like yourself can appreciate such things even if you two have a "thing".
ReplyDeleteAnd I do agree that Freidman's should fix up their plexi windows. The whole area has to simply look nicer if it is going to be revitalized. Things like plexiglass windows make people think that there are vandals in that area and you might get shot.
To Mike T:
ReplyDeleteI have, in fact, written about the Karamu sign before. Do a search on the blog, and you will find it.
The Karamu sign is different than the Friedman's sign. Some people apparently LIKE the Karamu sign and think it's part of history or something. Friedman's "butt glass" is a different situation.
Anon 8:40 there ARE vandals and in NOMI it is entirely possible you could get shot.
ReplyDeleteThe people doing the shooting are mostly thugs targeting other thugs. Decent people in North Minneapolis walk around with an amazing degree of impunity, though clearly we have a long way to go to make our neighborhood decent and safe. But we're making progress all the time.
ReplyDeleteYes and thanks to John Hoff we know exactly what businesses deserve to be in business and what residents deserve to live here.
ReplyDelete"what residents deserve to live here"
ReplyDeleteMethinks this "Patrick" is Mr. Sarcasm Troll that Jeff was referring to several posts back. The one who is trying to make NoMi revitalizers look like snobs.
The NOMI "revitalizers" on this blog don't need anyone to make them look like Snobs, they do that on their own.
ReplyDelete