More Changes Coming to Downtown Robbinsdale
Downtown Robbinsdale continues to evolve. Take a stroll on West Broadway and you quickly discover there are plenty of bar and restaurant options.
“It’s not only grown,” said Jeff Phillips of Minneapolis, “but the variety of shops and restaurants has been very pleasing to us.”
From well-known hot spots like the Wicked Wort, to future eating locations such as the relocated trendy Travail, people are flocking to Birdtown.
“I think so,” Phillips said. “It’s a place where people feel comfortable.”
“It looks trendy to us, yes,” said Penny Acker of Minneapolis. “But it’s always been where we like coming.”
Wicked Wort is a popular brew house and a whole lot more. They are celebrating their fourth year of business this weekend. Owner Steve Carlyle is happy with the progress Wicked Wort has made in the ultra-competitive bar and restaurant business. His hands on, down-to-earth approach is paying off.
“They all know me,” Carlyle said. “I’ll shake everybody’s hand and they all start knowing each other. We’ve touched a lot of people.”
Downtown Robbinsdale gets a business bounce
The unique restaurants bring people to downtown Robbinsdale, and that helps boost other businesses.
Ace Hardware has seen a bounce.
“Definitely,” said Jeremiah Spizale from Ace, which is located on West Broadway. “A lot of times even when people go there sometimes there will be like a 30 minute wait at some of the bars. So they come in here and they usually find something they can’t live without.”
All that means downtown Robbinsdale is trending up – which is good news for those who remember when the city wasn’t quite so cool.
“When we got here there was a lot of grass in the cracks,” Carlyle said. “On the sidewalk, in the parking lot. There’s no more. We have enough traffic to keep everything cleaned up.”
“Actually I remember when I was in high school it wasn’t the greatest area to be in,” Spizale said. “Kind of had to watch out being around here after dark. Now I’m here for the nightlife all the time myself.”
These days when you hit a fork in the road in Birdtown, it doesn’t matter which way you go. There are plenty of eating and shopping options.
