New businesses burglarized in Longfellow

by Tesha M. Christensen

Two of Longfellow’s newest businesses, Forage Modern Workshop and Parka Restaurant, were burglarized in the early morning hours of Thursday, April 18, 2013.

The Blue Door Longfellow at 3448 42nd Ave S., had been burglarized four days earlier. 

The Blue Door building and the facility Forage and Parka are located in are owned by Michael Smith and James Brown.

Forage Modern Workshop and Parka Restaurant are located side by side at 4021 and 4023 East Lake Street. They share the space, with Parka occupying the west side of the room.

According to Business Manager Rebecca Cook, the glass front door at Forage was smashed and the frame of an inside door broken shortly before 5 a.m. on April 18. In the few minutes it took police to arrive, the burglars went through both businesses, stealing the till from Forage and the till and safe from Parka. 

However, no other items were taken.

Luckily for Forage, the till had only some change as money is stored off site, said Cook.

Parka was hit harder. Both the till and the safe, which had the night deposit and server tips inside, were stolen.

“We feel fortunate that everyone is safe. Stuff can be repaired. It’s just money,” said Cook. 

She expressed gratitude for “security systems and the Minneapolis Police Department.”

The door was repaired right away that morning, and both business were open as usual.

Via the Forage Facebook page, Cook encouraged their customers to order coffee, beer, and/or a meal from Parka within the next few days to help make up for what was lost. “As a new business, it can be super disheartening to have something like this happen,” observed Cook. “It would be fun for them to get a little extra boost for their business.”

Forage sells modern (1930 to present) furniture and home goods online and in the Minneapolis brick and mortar store. It opened in September 2012.

Parka opened in January 2013. It’s a three-part partnership between Victory 44, Dogwood Coffee Co. and Rustica Bakery.

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