Goodbye Santorini and Forte Fitness Expands: SLP Business Roundup

Here are some of the top recent business stories in St. Louis Park:

Forte Fitness Expands

A St. Louis Park-based fitness center has expanded to Minneapolis.

A new location has been opened at 1024 Washington Avenue South, according to The Journal. Owner Hamish Ganga has plans to eventually expand into St. Paul.

Forte Fitness offers personal training and group fitness classes. Ganga is known for holding clients responsible for their health in unorthodox ways, such as stopping by to check out the contents of their refrigerators.

The club's newest incentive: Lose weight and win a trip to Paris. Starting Feb. 4, participants will begin the 90-day challenge to lose weight. By the end of the 90 days, the participant who lost the most body fat percentage will win a trip four-day trip for two to Paris.

The St. Louis Park facility is located at 6510 West Lake Street.

Demolishing Santorini

Santorini's Bar and Grille, located in the northwest corner of I-394 and Highway 169, in Saint Louis Park was torn down Wednesday, Jan. 23.

The restaurant opened its doors in 1995 and closed them in 2008, according to KAAL TV. Co-owner Bill Nicklow is hoping to score a deal with a hotel in the prime location, the station reported.

Santorini is now located in Eden Prairie.

Love for Southwest LRT

Support for the Southwest Light Rail Transit project has grown significantly over the past year and a majority of Minnesotans support a sales tax increase for transit, according to survey results announced Jan. 17.

The memo that the bipartisan survey team produced on behalf of the TwinWest Chamber of Commerce, St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce and Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce paints a picture of widespread support for transit in both the Twin Cities and greater Minnesota.