Bookhouse sells by the yard for its 30th

Take a stroll down 14th Street SE in Dinkytown this time of year, with the grey skies and the damp air, and you can be carried back a little in time. Most of the buildings are centenarians. Some of the businesses have been around for generations, too: Vescio’s restaurant, Al’s Breakfast, The Podium music store.

Near the corner, just before the House of Hanson grocery store, white carts of books priced at 25 cents to $1 tumble out onto the sidewalk. It’s The Bookhouse, this month celebrating 30 years of rescuing and recirculating books. One can never judge the true value of a dollar book. At the store’s Birthday Sale Feb. 10–19, buy at least a yard (36 inches) of books and you get 30 percent off.

Prospect Park/East River Road resident Bob Roscoe tells of his first week at the University of Minnesota. “I took a walk around Dinkytown to get the lay of the land,” he says. He found the now legendary McCosh’s Bookstore with $1 books in wooden boxes out front. “I spotted a well-thumbed copy of ‘On Architecture’ by Frank Lloyd Wright. That book lead me to a career in architecture.”

The Bookhouse opened after Melvin McCosh had moved his store to the West Bank. Kristen Eide Tollefson, the present owner, with Jim Cummings Sr. and Rob Wasniak, grabbed the empty storefront and with family and friends, including Melvin McCosh, moved fixtures and shelving from the recently closed Perine’s Bookstore and The Dinkytown Dime. The Bookhouse has remained the haunt of bibliophiles, artists, writers, musicians politicos and friends, going on three generations.

Mixed Blood deals with neighbors

Mixed Blood Theatre invites its neighbors to see the opening of a new show Jan. 28 with a special deal: two tickets for the price of one. For $28, two people can see “Indian Cowboy” by Zaraawar Mistry, the misadventures of a young man who always seems to be a stranger in a strange land. Mistry’s compelling tale traces the often humorous steps and missteps of the young man from India to America and back, to his new place of awakening. Immigrants and native-born Americans alike will find resonance in his story of finding one’s place. Performed by candlelight with a live musical soundscape. Call the box office at 612-338-6131 or email boxoffice@mixedblood.com and use the code NEIGHBORHOOD. Show time is 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 28.

Did they float across?

Frank’s Plumbing Supply has relocated within Bridgeworld, from its location of 62 years at 1101 Washington Ave. S. to 721 Second St. SE on the Southeast side of the river.

Owner Milt Frank said the new building has more space and now is all on one floor—a real convenience when your inventory consists of bathtubs and other plumbing fixtures. He said he had to leave behind the handpainted signs that adorned the old building, which new owners plan to convert to offices; he hopes to commission new painted signs for the new location.

Pressed for a “Grand Reopening” sale item, Frank said pink toilets would carry a special discount on Valentine’s Day.

Frank’s Plumbing, 721 Second St. SE, 612-338-7609. z

last revised: February 22, 2006