Comments on: Humboldt Square: Brooklyn Center, MN

By: nora

nora — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 03:21:06 +0000

Pep Boys is still there

By: The Old Scowl

The Old Scowl — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:37:05 +0000

I am surprised that I forgot about another past tenant of Humboldt Square: The Brooklyn Center Police Department! In the early 1990′s (circa ’93 or ’94) the BCPD decided to put a substation/ community office in the mall. It was closer to the laundromat than it was the tax service establishment (previously the Main Street Video). I think that it was there for 3-4 years, and the new police station was put in literally across the street, so the substation/office was redundant, and I believe the early childhood testing and development center went into it’s place.
I do remember that directly north of the mall (across 69th) is a small building that is a church or spiritual center that had been a gas or service station, but that has been nearly 30 years in the past. Anyone remember what it had been?

By: The Old Scowl

The Old Scowl — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 05:10:30 +0000

A little memory return. Kitty corner (as in NW corner) of Humbolt Square there is a building that is a community building of some sort (I have NEVER seen anyone, much less several persons of a community entering or exiting this place in probably 20 years) that had once been a 711 store. 711 must have been very pre-cognitive in seeing that their store would be a very popular ‘stop and rob’ establishment, because they were out of there by 1985.
Back in 2000, My ex and I forgot a quilt that we were laundering at the self-serve laundromat. I went back a day or two later and the watcher/helper had it in his/her office, so I can say that no one did take it, and it was nearly new, so a plus one for the laundromat and it’s patrons back then.

By: TheOldScowl

TheOldScowl — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 05:24:46 +0000

Okay, here’s a true sign of the times. You know that your in a dysfunctional community when not only the local cop shop is by your dumpy strip mall, but the FBI (THE Federal Bureau of Investigation) plans to move it’s regional office from the city (Minneapolis, I think) to a mere quarter mile from your dumpy strip mall site. The plans were announced in 2008 that construction will commence in spring 2009 for a building on the corner of Humbolt Ave. and 67th or 65th Ave. (where the old Holiday Inn and Cracker Barrel stood) that will be leased to the FBI. I am uncertain if this is good or bad news for the city to trumpet, but I don’t know if they G-men and G-women will be so hot for getting lunch at Denny’s every day of the week, or hitting the Donut Delight. There is Barnacle Bill’s, but dining in a bowling alley is depressing if you aren’t bowling there too. Oh, sorry, there is the House of Hui’s as well as Scoreboard.

By: Old Scowl

Old Scowl — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 00:10:55 +0000

About 25 years ago there used to be a used bookstore in Humbolt Square. It was called ‘Tradewinds Bookstore’. Maybe the name should have been something more like ‘PrairieWinds’, since Brooklyn Center is not a shipping port in any sense of the mind.
I think there should be a listing here on the past tenants of Humbolt Square, though I cannot recall any other tenants that a tanning place that was owned by the original owners of Mainstreet Video.