NCE Wellness & The Yoga Room is a mind body wellness center that offers traditional talk therapy and counseling as well as holistic approaches such as acupuncture and meditation. Therapy is by appointment, 8 a.m.-7 p.m. NCE Wellness, 4151 Thomas Ave N, provides therapy and counseling for children, teens, families and adults. Accepts most major insurance payers. Info: northsidecenter.net 612-310-8683.
The Yoga Room, 4153 Thomas, is a relaxed community-based studio that provides yoga, meditation, acupuncture, Thai massage and wellness workshops. They offer classes at a very affordable rate; $10 drop-in rate and package five for $45. They have a variety of classes for people who are new to yoga, and the more experienced yogi. They also have classes for people who may have injuries or are new to physical activity. The Yoga Room hours are per the class schedule. Info: northsidecenter.net or 612-310-8683.
Local toy designers Kurt Marquart and Elaine de la Mata, working out of their Victory neighborhood home studio, are rebooting a brand of characters called Squaredy Cats. The name, Squaredy Cats is a play on “scaredy cat.” The artists merge adorable, cube shaped, plush kitties with popular, and sometimes notoriously scary characters. The first of the rebooted characters is Patches, the zombie kitty. She’s embroidered with the phrase, “I LOVE U 4 ur BRAINS” on her belly. The second is the Lovecraftian, Cathulhu, a tentacle-faced cat that is unexpectedly cute. It’s based on the cult favorite Cthulhu from H.P. Lovecraft. The third in the new series is Skellie. This one is a fuzzy cat made of bones, smiling at you with all its teeth and soulful oversized eye sockets. #snuggleasquare. The artists previously licensed plush companies to make the characters into stuffed animals. But Elaine and Kurt wanted more control over the brand by producing the toys themselves. The classic designs are available in limited quantities at the Goddess of Glass 4400 Osseo Road. The rebooted cats will be available to fund via Kickstarter thru March 22. Info: You can find it through squaredycats.com.
The Thirsty Whale is an up and coming custom bakery at 4149 Fremont. And they now have an official opening date for phase 1 – March 6! Getting the bakery up and running has been a huge undertaking with quite a few hoops to jump through. They look forward to bringing you all kinds of fabulous treats, fun new flavors, and of course some amazing cakes! In the meantime check out all the yummy goodies and place your orders for cakes, cupcakes, cookies and pies at thirstywhalebakery@gmail.com. Check out facebook.com/thirstywhalebakery/posts, or call 612-259-7168.
The Hennepin County board recently approved a design for an expanded NorthPoint Health and Wellness Center at the intersection of Penn and Plymouth Avenues. The board also approved a contract to continue design of the new facility, which will cost an estimated $39 million. The NorthPoint campus expansion is one component of a larger North Minneapolis Community Wellness Center project budgeted at $67.6 million. As part of the larger project, the Estes Funeral Chapel is moving to the southwest corner of Penn and Plymouth. Thor Construction is also developing a corporate office, parking ramp and retail space on the southeast corner of the intersection. NorthPoint will remain open throughout construction, slated to take place between fall 2018 and summer 2020. Info: northpointhealth.org/campus-expansion-updates.
Tootie’s has reopened! Tootie’s on Lowry (2706 Lowry) had a fire on July 9 and was closed for the restoration process. Folks have been waiting for the reopening – especially for the most famous burger on the menu, the Stuffed Burger. Nick and Lili have owned Tootie’s for 25 years, serving homemade specials every day and creating the best wings and burgers around. Info their facebook page or call 612-529-0200.
Know of a new business in our community or one that’s offering new products or services? Send the biz ‘scoop’ to editor@camdenews.org.