St. Paul Corner Drug closing historic soda fountain
St. Paul Corner Drug will be hosting a 'retirement party' for its old-fashioned soda fountain from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. The fountain's final ice cream scoops will be served at the event.
Owner John Hoeschen said the fountain is closing due to financial pressure in the pharmacy industry and a lack of physical space in the building at the corner of Snelling and St. Clair avenues.
The fountain has been out of service since October 2020, when the independent pharmacy needed room to provide vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic. After removing the fountain, the drug store will rearrange to maximize its 1,200-square-foot space for vaccination services.
'It (the fountain) wasn't a profit center, it was more of a community builder,' Hoeschen said. 'We had to ask, 'If we reopen the fountain, can we generate enough revenue to justify its space being there? And the math just didn't add up.'
Hoeschen said the soda fountain's closure represents the tough decisions community pharmacies must make to stay in business amid rising costs and low reimbursement rates.
According to the Minnesota Pharmacists Association, 61% of independently owned and 39% of chain pharmacies have closed since 2013. In St. Paul, the West Seventh Pharmacy will be closing June 30 as the owners retire without finding a buyer for their business.
At the farewell party, community members will share memories and stories of the soda fountain, which has been a community gathering place since the pharmacy opened in 1922. Hoeschen said his neighbors met at the fountain, got married and raised their children two blocks away from the pharmacy.
'It's touched million of lives. It was a great thing, I loved it,' Hoeschen said. 'But unfortunately, the times are changing, and we have to retool and focus on trying to keep this pharmacy open.'
Officers in Minneapolis raid wore distinct patches. One was authorized, another wasn't, feds say.
Longtime Grand Avenue fabric shop Treadle Yard Goods has closed amid owner's cancer battle
'We feel relief': Derrick Thompson found guilty in Minneapolis crash that killed five young women
Minneapolis man sentenced for stabbing, hanging St. Paul woman's dog after argument
Snelling and St. Clair intersection fully reopens after construction
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
An Inside Look At Disney's Affordable Housing Development In Florida
Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. If someone asked you to play a word association game using the term "Walt Disney World," your first response might be "Magic Kingdom" or maybe Mickey Mouse. It's a safe bet that "affordable housing" would be way down your list, but the economics of Florida's housing market have forced a paradigm shift. Florida living has become so expensive that Walt Disney World is building an affordable housing community for its employees in Florida. Florida used to be synonymous with affordable housing, but several factors have changed the Sunshine State's housing market. First, a post-COVID influx of new arrivals from Los Angeles and New York with deep pockets caused property prices to spike statewide. If that weren't enough, a home insurance rate crisis and high interest rates have made buying a home in Florida harder than ever before. Don't Miss: Maker of the $60,000 foldable home has 3 factory buildings, 600+ houses built, and big plans to solve housing — Invest Where It Hurts — And Help Millions Heal: The affordability issue is felt most acutely by workers at the middle to lower end of the wage spectrum. That's historically the economic demographic that staffs Walt Disney World and the company's other Florida attractions. Business Insider reports that despite paying its employees $15 per hour, they still have trouble keeping pace with rising rents and property values. Disney responded by teaming up with a real estate development company, the Michaels Organization, to build a new affordable community on 80 acres of land near the city of Horizon West. According to Business Insider, the community will include 1,400 housing units, and 1,000 of them will be designated as affordable units. Walt Disney World already owns the land, which is about 20 minutes west of the theme park. 'We selected this land because it is part of a thriving community, close to employers, shopping, services, public schools, and areas of rest and recreation. We feel there is no better-positioned community in Central Florida to provide residents the opportunity to start a new chapter of their story,' Disney said in a statement. Trending: If there was a new fund backed by Jeff Bezos offering a ? It sounds like a great deal for Walt Disney World employees, but the plan is not without its detractors. The Horizon West area has experienced rapid population growth and development in the past several years. Area residents are becoming more vocal in expressing their belief that their community can't handle any more development. Orange County District One Commissioner Nicole Wilson has heard those complaints, and Business Insider says she voted against the project last year. Business Insider cites U.S. Census data showing Horizon West's population has grown from 14,000 people in 2010 to 58,000 in 2020. The post-pandemic era brought about another boom, and now 75,000 people live in Horizon West. Area real estate agent Nicole Mickle told Business Insider that the Horizon West real estate market was so hot during the post-pandemic boom that she was selling homes via is constant in real estate, and those changes can be incredibly jarring to local residents when markets get overheated. Naturally, that causes residents to fret that their community is losing the small-town feel that originally attracted them to the area. 'What some want to do is keep the integrity of the community,' Mickle told Business Insider. It looks like they will have to adjust to the new reality. Wilson's "no" vote wasn't enough to stop the project from going forward. Construction is set to begin, and 1,400 new housing units are coming to Horizon West. This may also be a look at the future of real estate development. Attracting employees for regular jobs is becoming increasingly difficult due to the lack of affordable housing. Larger companies may take note of Horizon West and follow suit in other areas. . With over $1 million in dividends paid out last quarter and a growing selection of properties across various markets, Arrived offers an attractive alternative for investors seeking to build a diversified real estate portfolio. In October 2024, Arrived sold The Centennial, achieving a total return of 34.7% (11.2% average annual returns) for investors. Arrived aims to continue delivering similar value across our portfolio through careful market selection, attentive property management, and thoughtful timing in sales. Looking for fractional real estate investment opportunities? The features the latest offerings. Image: Shutterstock This article An Inside Look At Disney's Affordable Housing Development In Florida originally appeared on
Miami Herald
2 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Women's apparel chain makes a big move toward men
A shaky economy might not prevent people from getting married, but it may prompt them to streamline their wedding planning. That's yet another tough break for the wedding industry, which was severely impacted by the Covid pandemic. After all, social distancing pushed the pause button on wedding guests doing the Cha Cha Slide on dance floors for a long while. But one thing remains for many couples in love: They want to do everything possible to ensure their special day goes off without a hitch. Related: Top luxury fashion brands just made a quiet change About half (52%) of engaged couples start planning their wedding a year ahead, according to The Knot 2025 Real Wedding Study, which surveyed 17,000 U.S. couples who got married in 2024 and a number who plan to this year. After all, there's a lot that goes into putting together a memorable event. Plus, couples want to look as good as they feel on their special day. And that means making room in their budget for the perfect wedding wardrobe. Now a well-known brand in the space has just made it a bit easier. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter Image source: Getty Images David's Bridal has just revealed its partnership with Generation Tux, a tuxedo and suit rental shop, as an exclusive in-store shop-in-shop for menswear. The goal is to create a one-stop location offering great deals to outfit the entire wedding party. "Through our partnership with Generation Tux, we know we are offering the highest-quality product to our customers, and doing it at the best possible prices," David's Bridal's President Elina Vilk said in a statement. "For over 70 years, brides have trusted us to ensure they feel beautiful on their big day. We're ready and excited to offer the same to grooms online and exclusively in 10 select stores, with more to come." Related: Popular women's retailer closing 30% of its stores The Knot study said 90% of couples' wedding planning takes place online. That impressive stat points to the fact that couples want convenience as they prepare for their big days. Yet even in the age of e-commerce, many brides also want to "say yes to the dress" in person. By partnering with Generation Tux, David's Bridal is now extending the same courtesy to grooms. Unlike weddings of the past, where it was believed to be bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the ceremony, over three-quarters of surveyed couples who married in 2024 shared a "first look" before the ceremony, according to Brides. David's Bridal and Generation Tux appear to be capitalizing on this trend by inviting couples to shop together at the same store. Related: Another popular furniture retailer files Chapter 11 bankruptcy "We're thrilled to partner with David's Bridal to offer a seamless, head-to-toe wedding style experience for couples and their wedding parties," said Generation Tux President Jason Jackson. More Retail: Walmart CEO sounds alarm on a big problem for customersTarget makes a change that might scare Walmart, CostcoTop investor takes firm stance on troubled retail brandWalmart and Costco making major change affecting all customers In addition to the Generation Tux partnership, David's Bridal is rolling out a new store concept called Diamonds & Pearls, which will offer a more exclusive selection of merchandise that isn't available at other stores. The concept will debut in Delray Beach, Florida, with plans to expand. The company's new offerings come after it declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy in April 2023 with nearly $260 million in debt. It was acquired three months later by Cion Investment Corp., which lowered the retailer's debts to around $50 million and aimed to maintain up to 195 locations- and keep around 7,000 employees in their jobs. It wasn't the first time David's Bridal needed to take such measures. It also filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy back in November 2018. A restructuring plan helped revive it, but like many other retailers, it wasn't prepared for the pandemic. Time will tell whether these new endeavors will bring about the happily-ever-after the bridal retailer has been hoping for. Related: Veteran fund manager unveils eye-popping S&P 500 forecast The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
This week in Trumponomics: The looming import shortage
Few people pay attention to import and export data, which are among the weedier metrics of the economy's health. But these wonky numbers are giving some startling insights into the challenges everyday shoppers may be facing in a month or two or three. Imports plummeted in April, falling by 20% from the prior month. That's the biggest decline in data going back to 1992. It's considerably worse than the drop in imports at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Does anybody remember what shopping was like during COVID? Aside from the masks and sanitizer, there were widespread product shortages followed by soaring inflation. People didn't mind at first, since many were stuck at home without much to do. But inflation got quite irksome after a couple of years, and it sank Joe Biden's presidency, along with Democratic electoral odds in 2024. We're not yet facing COVID-style shortages. But we might be if President Trump's trade war drags on through the fall and summer. Imports plunged in April because that's when Trump started slapping new import taxes on practically every product entering the United States. So far, Trump has raised the average tariff tax on imports from 2.5% to about 18%. Read more: What Trump's tariffs mean for the economy and your wallet Prices haven't shot up yet because many of the American companies that import goods saw this coming and stocked up ahead of the Trump tariffs. Imports jumped by a record amount in January and were elevated for the first quarter as a whole. Swollen inventories have kept supplies ample and prices in check. If April represents the new trend line, however, a sharp drop in imports will inevitably lead to higher prices and some shortages. 'The impact of tariffs will continue to reverse progress on returning inflation to 2%,' Goldman Sachs explained in a recent analysis. 'Our forecast reflects a sharp acceleration in most core goods categories, where tariff-related increases in prices will be most acute in consumer electronics, autos, and apparel.' The firm expects overall inflation to rise from 2.3% now to 3.5% by importers are handling the Trump tariffs in a variety of ways. Some are taking normal delivery of goods and paying the higher taxes. We know that because tariff revenue collected by the government soared in April and May. The higher cost of imports will eventually make its way to consumers via higher prices. Many other importers have canceled or postponed orders, hoping that Trump will make trade deals and future tariffs will be lower than current ones. They're also watching two high-profile cases in which courts have said some of Trump's tariffs are illegal, while leaving them in place until appeals play out. Trump himself controls much of what happens next. He has set a July 9 deadline for dozens of countries to initiate trade concessions, or else a punishing round of 'reciprocal' tariffs will go into effect, on top of those Trump has already imposed. Some business owners hope for greater clarity by then, though the July 9 deadline is arbitrary and Trump could change it. Read more: The latest news and updates on Trump's tariffs Once current inventories are gone, the rest of 2025 could be rocky. 'Our perspective in terms of how this will affect manufacturers and workers is that we'll see a replay of the initial COVID shock,' Jason Judd, executive director of the Global Labor Institute at Cornell University, told Yahoo Finance. 'It may not be as severe, depending on the distribution of the pain. If Trump comes back with a 40% tariff on apparel, that would feel like a COVID-era shock.' Trump, for his part, acts like everything is hunky-dory under his watch. 'America is hot!' he said on social media on June 6. 'Border is secure, prices are down. Wages are up!' That came after the employment report for May showed the economy created a middling 139,000 new jobs. Many economists, however, think America is cooling. The pace of job growth has slowed this year, the economy technically shrank in the first quarter, and the stock market has been flat in 2025. Trump's tariffs already seem to be punishing the manufacturing sector, which lost 8,000 jobs in May and is in a three-month slump. If that's 'hot,' a cold Trump economy is likely to be miserable. Rick Newman is a senior columnist for Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Bluesky and X: @rickjnewman. Click here for political news related to business and money policies that will shape tomorrow's stock prices.
