The GABA Membership and Events committee has had a busy year! The Membership committee has a goal of returning to 50+ paid members and we are well on our way to achieving this goal. Please consider joining or renewing your membership today and help build momentum around the new mission to support Grand Avenue business success and promote our community as a unique destination experience.

The Events Committee is currently preparing for the execution of the 14th Annual PAWS on Grand event scheduled for September 11th from 11 am - 3 pm with a Happy Yappy happy hour concluding the event highlighting the Babinski Foundation at Red Rabbit. PAWS will include more than 15 nonprofit rescue groups partnered with Grand Avenue Businesses as far East as Frattalone's' and west to Wet Paint. The event will also have an author reading and puppet show at Red Ballon Bookshop, Pet portraits at Wet Paint, Dog Washes at Frattalone's East, Dog races at Macalester College, and a Pet Marketplace vendor show at 791 Grand. We expect hundreds if not thousands of dogs once again to parade down the avenue with their pawfect families!

Planning for Grand Meander is underway and scheduled for December 4th. The Grand Old Day committee is beginning their work on September 7th to discuss the return of Grand Old Day after a three-year hiatus. We have much to discuss and are hopeful we can work with the City of Saint Paul to collaborate to find the financial resources to provide a safe festival atmosphere for the community.

Grand Avenue continues to be a destination in which friends and families build memories and create shared experiences. We need you, our neighbors, to help us continue to build a vibrant corridor and could use your help. Are you retired, have a passion for marketing, for dogs, for the holidays, do you desire a reimagined Grand Old Day, or have ideas of how we can better build relationships between businesses? If yes, please feel free to email [email protected] and let us know your interests and we can get you involved.

Thank you for supporting our diverse business corridor throughout such dramatic change in the past few years. We are grateful to see each and every time you choose to spend your time on Grand!

Brian Wagner,

Coldwell Banker,

MGCC Representative

Membership Matters!

Your membership will help rebuild GABA and create an operational fund to ensure you are on our roster, can participate in upcoming events, and re-establish communication and promotion for our members through this newsletter and social media.

The future is Grand! Be part of the rebuilding effort and renew your membership or join today and help implement our new Strategic Plan, re-thinking Grand Old Day for 2023, securing the staff, financing, and oversight necessary to achieve these goals AND reengaging businesses through enhanced communication (like this newsletter).

Become a GABA Member!

Paws on Grand Rescheduled

for September 11th!

Celebrate our Furry Friends on the Avenue

Time for some fun . Register for Dog Races and our Fun Walk and visit the Paws on Grand Marketplace.

Featuring:

Adoption opportunities
Author reading
Dog Races
Dog Washes
Happy Yappy Hour!
Pet Portraits
Puppet Show

... And MORE!

View our Facebook page for more activities and location details.

Find out more!

GABA Happy Hour at eM Que Viet

Check it out!

We appreciate our members and want to continue to build community and our membership. Join us every other month for GABA Happy Hours!

September 15 | GABA Happy Hour | 4-6 PM

eM Que Viet, 1332 Grand Avenue

GABA Happy Hour

Upcoming Dates to Remember

September 11 | PAWS on Grand | 11 am - 3 pm

September 12 | GABA Board Meeting | 6:30 pm contact [email protected] for Zoom link.

September 12 | Grand Meander Planning Mtg |1:00 pm contact [email protected] for Zoom link.

December 3 | Grand Meander

Dan Casebeer

Grand Performance

"We are in the center of the universe! At least my center! We love Grand Ave and we are one block off Summit - a bike highway east and west. Grand Ave for us is a awesome place for business and there is everything you need form food to hardware to bikes!"

August Featured GABA Member

Grand Performance

1938 Grand Avenue

Grand Performance is a small friendly Local store that caters to everyone from the novice to the more experienced cyclist. Simply put - they love bikes!

Founded in 1983, Grand Performance is a long-standing cornerstone of the Twin Cities cycling community. Founder Steve Hed began building wheels in the Grand Performance basement in the mid 80s before leaving to build the renowned HED Cycling brand and passing the reigns to current owner Dan Casebeer.

In the 90’s and 2000’s, several GP shop mechanics raced professionally with teams across North America and Europe. You’ll find their jerseys hanging on the shop walls.

Before getting behind the counter in the bike business, Dan Casebeer started behind bars with his first race in 1973. His early success led to a spot on the US Cycling Federation National Team. Dan spent several years racing for the national program and competed in many international stage races, including the Tour of Guatemala, Tour of Chile, and Tour of Costa Rica. In 1983, Dan set the US national hour record in Indianapolis, covering nearly 45 kilometers (28 miles).

Today, Dan lives his love for cycling at Grand Performance, where he also leads weekly group rides and mentors junior riders. And our Italian obsession is no coincidence - Dan continues to visit family, friends, and vendors in Italy every summer.

Find them on Facebook and email at [email protected].

Shop Grand Performance!

Important Updates for Grand Avenue Businesses:

Help rebuild our photo library and promote your business!

Send us your photos of people living, shopping, dining, and enjoying Grand Avenue! Send photos to [email protected] and include a photo credit and we'll feature more imagery in our monthly newsletters and social media.

Public Property Ash Tree Update: If the ash tree adjacent to your property has previously been treated by the City it will have a metal tag on the trunk marked "ST PAUL EAB YEAR”. As the adjacent property owner, you have the option to take over that treatment regimen through Forestry’s permitting process. Permit applications for treatment must be submitted while the tree still has leaves to be considered for approval. (The notice did say, permits needed to be submitted by May 1, but we have confirmed that they are still accepting permit applications.) For more information, including the free permit application, visit WWW.STPAUL.GOV/EAB. These trees will otherwise be added to the existing EAB management plan for removal and replacement. Removals will take place in 2023 or 2024 with replanting to follow. To learn more about instructions for treatment or to see a schedule for removals, please visit STPAUL.GOV/EAB or call 651-266-6400.

See a map of the Ash Tree management program here and general info on the City EAB program here.

Check out Visit Saint Paul’s New website and opportunities to better promote your business

Get in front of people looking for things to do in Saint Paul via Visit Saint Paul’s new website. The site recently launched in combination with a digital ad campaign, driving never-before-seen traffic to VisitSaintPaul.com. Already, Year To Date (YTD) site traffic is up 68.06% compared to 2021, with the new site and additional visibility through the digital campaign renewing interest in planning a trip to Saint Paul. Find out more about advertising opportunities.

If you're a Visit St. Paul member, Visit Saint Paul has partnered with Locl to help Saint Paul businesses improve their presence in mobile web searches. Learn more about signing up with Locl to optimize your Google Business Profile listing, improve your presence in mobile web searches and measure how much business your listing drives.

News on the Ave

READ OUR NEW STRATEGIC PLAN

Grand Avenue Business Association

grandave.com