GiGi's Playhouse and Andrew Zimmern: SLP Business Roundup

New yarn shop

Linden Yarn & Textiles is moving to St. Louis Park to gain more store space and a parking lot.

The store plans to be settled in its new location at 5814 Excelsior Blvd. by the end of February. In addition to more space, there will be comfortable seating, a classroom area and new yarn.

Honeyshine, a home furninshings and gifts boutique currently based in the Bryn Mawr neighborhood, will replace Linden Yarn in its current Minneapolis location near the corner of 43rd Street and Upton Ave South.

GiGi's Playhouse

A resource center for children with Down Syndrome and their families opened last week in St. Louis Park. 

GiGi's Playhouse is located at 4740 Park Glen Road in St. Louis Park.

"GiGi's for us is life changing," Chris Ackerman, the mother of a 2-year-old with Down Syndrome, told KSTP. "It's empowering for me as a parent to know he will come to a positive place that accepts him and be around people that understand him."

All of GiGi's programs are free and are therapeutic in nature. Each of them are designed to work on specific skill development in areas including speech and language, social development, and fine and gross motor skills.

Travel Channel's Andrew Zimmern

Andrew Zimmern, the host of Travel Channel’s Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern, was recently featured in Twin Cities Business.

Zimmern's company, Food Works, Inc., is located in a small office suite on Excelsior Boulevard in St. Louis Park. Zimmern is not in house very often, but four of his employees are there daily.

"Zimmern’s taupe office is decorated with ribald photos, strange souvenirs from his travels, bottles of barbecue sauce, and magazines piled everywhere. On office days he comes to work in a flannel shirt, jeans, and shoes with no socks," according to the article.

The article goes into depth about Zimmern's past struggle with addiction and his rise to fame.

More business stories on St. Louis Park Patch:

• Use Our Twin Cities-Area Map to Find Fish Fries This Lent
• Wells Fargo Plans Closure of St. Louis Park Mortgage Center
• Should We Raise the Minimum Wage to $9 an Hour?
• TowerLight Childcare opens in St. Louis Park
• Half Price Books Will Give Away $100 to a School or Library
• Should Liquor Be Sold on Sundays?

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