Kiger's Notebook

Local whiz kid duo launches new social media gadget

The two 20-something Rochester whiz kids — Zachary Garbow and David Fowler — behind the social networking site of Social Browse launched a beta version of what is essentially the successor to their previous projects.

They introduced Qwisk (it is not a 1970s cereal or kitchen utensil) to a crowd of Silicon Valley heavy hitters like execs from Google and Facebook earlier in November.

“When you find interesting content online, you naturally want to share it. However, sharing currently requires too many steps to be convenient,” explains Garbow, an ex-IBMer. “That’s why we created our ‘mini-browser’ technology for integrating your social network into any browser with no installation required.”

That means if you find an interesting business on a local newspaper Web site, you’ll be able to “show” it to Twitter and Facebook friends or whoever immediately without copying and pasting or awkward linking.

What was the reaction from the West Coast technorati at the conference?

 “We had numerous people approach us and say we were the best demo at the conference. We had interest from investors who attended as well,” he said.

Timber Lodge Steakhouse closed Sunday

I had a ton of tips on this while I was out of town early last week.

No one was available at Taher Inc. to talk about it Friday.However, worker answering phone said it was closing at Dec. 2.

Then on Sunday, a note went up on the Rochester restaurant's Facebook page saying that was the last day.

Here's what I have in my column today.

--------------

After many false alarms, this one is for real.

Timber Lodge Steak House at 4144 U.S. 52 N. shut off its grills for good in Rochester Sunday. The eatery’s Facebook page announced the closing.

Employees at the northwest restaurant, near the IBM campus, have been telling customers for a while that the final day was imminent.

However, there was no official word  from Minnetonka-based Taher Inc. to confirm or deny the comments.

When asked about a similar story in January, CEO Bruce Taher said, “We have no plans on closing.”

Sometimes recipes don’t work out as planned.

New biz focuses on old

This new business is all about the old.

Chris and Erik Kujath are taking their more than 15 years of experience and “passion” for antiques and opening Old River Valley Antiques in Rochester.

They plan to open the shop Tuesday at 3727 Commercial Drive along U.S. 63 South.

“We decided there was a need to have another shop in the Rochester area,” says Chris Kujath.

“That does not mean being competitive. When it comes to antiques, it really is the more the merrier,” she says.

Kujath expects to have between eight and 10 dealers displaying their wares when it open. Look for items ranging from furniture to fishing lures to toys to books to Red Wing pottery as well as other antique categories.

The hope is to eventually fill the 3,200-square-foot building — it is bigger than it looks — with 15 to 20 dealers.

The Kujaths have recruited or “roped back in” a retired Red Wing antique dealer, Arlone Crowson, to manage the mall.

For Chris Kujath, Tuesday’s opening has special significance. It is also her birthday.

Rochester kicks off holiday festivities

A bundled-up crowd of about one hundred people ranging from a two-month-old baby to grandmas and grandpas cheered as the traditional city tree lighting kicked off the holiday festivities in Rochester’s Peace Plaza Sunday evening.

Mayor Ardell Brede stressed to the crowd how important lights are every culture in celebrating the holidays as he flipped the switch. Later this month, a menorah is slated to lighted in the Peace Plaza in honor of Hanukkah.

This is the first year for The Night of Winter featuring lights, an outdoor showing of “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas,” hot chocolate and holiday cheer.

“People seem to love to be outside to celebrate the holidays,” said Heidi Mestad, director of communication and community engagement for the Rochester Downtown Alliance.

A joint effort by the Downtown Alliance and the Festival of Trees, Mestad said the new event “embraces” all of the annual holiday activities in downtown Rochester.

“This is wonderful,” said Sandy Frame of Pine Island as she stood with her husband Bill and their granddaughters, Amanda Swintek and Mollie Peck, as well as her great-grandchildren.

She smiled proudly as she explained that coming out for the event was “truly a family affair.”

This Rochester celebration kicks off what will be almost a month-long series of festivities.

Next up is the start of the Winter Market Thursday in the Peace Plaza.

Designed to look like an authentic German winter market, regional artists and businesses will be selling hand-crafted items from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday for the first three weeks in December

The big day of the market will be Saturday, when Santa Claus will arrive and will yet again be “rescued” from a downtown rooftop.

Mestad encouraged people to keep an eye on the store windows in downtown Rochester as a storefront decorating contest will kick off Thursday.

People will be able to vote for online their favorites of the many stores expected to participate. For voting, people will receive a coupon  good for any of the participating stores.

Black Friday rolls on - Old Navy hub bub

 

The wildest of the four store openings I saw in Rochester today was @ Old Navy.

Store employees did a good job managing long line.,Went smoothly at first, then mob from parking lot rushed the doors. Pushing and scuffling ensued. Police called.

No one hurt, but was not Minnesota NIce.

Black Friday starts in a big way @ Toys R Us

"The things we do for our kids."

That sentiment from Mary Rydman, who was about 10 or 15 people back in the line in front of Toys 'R' Us at midnight, was echoed by most of the estimated 300 people shivering in the cold early morning air behind her.

When Chris Jessen, the manager of Toys 'R' Us, opened the doors the line of bargin hunters streamed from the store all the way to the stop sign by Arby's and around the corner toward McDonald's.

Black Friday shopping was officially underway in Rochester.

Josh Clappier of Rochester was the first shopper through the doors. He'd arrived in the toy store parking lot about 8 p.m.

And what brought him to a dark lot parking at a time when many people were still washing Thanksgiving dishes?

The North Pole Radio Control Train set. From midnight to 1 a.m., it was selling for $29.99 compared to the usual $49.99.

Many others in the front of the line, like Rydman, were there for this year's Christmas toy craze, Zhu Zhu Pet Hamsters. The first 100 people in line who wanted the little robotic critter were given vouchers to make sure they got one.

After waiting in the cold for two or three hours, many of the early Black Friday zealots had changed their minds about what they wanted most. They still wanted gifts like thre Three Musketeer Barbie or iPods, but something else has become more urgent.

A bathroom.

For Toys 'R' Us manager Jessen who was playing ring master and line monitor, the whole experience was educational.

The line of shoppers erupted in laughter when he jokingly announced, "I've decided that when I retire, I will never go out shopping this early."

Chinese food cooking again in Stewartville

Jacky Dong is extending the reach of his Chinese food beyond Rochester with a planned opening of a third restaurant.

Dong, who with his family owns Hunan Garden and Kingdom Buffet in Rochester, is gearing up to open New Hunan in Stewartville. He hopes to open the doors at 106 First St. by mid-December.

“We have a lot of customers from Stewartville. They talked to me and asked me for it,” he says.

The Stewartville eatery will offer take-out and dine-in service from the same menu as Hunan Garden. He expects to have about four people on staff to start.

The deal was brokered by Darci Fenske of Paramark Real Estate.

The work in Stewartville follows a renovation project earlier this month in Rochester that added windows to the exterior wall of the 26-year-old Hunan Garden in the Northgate Shopping Center, 1120 Seventh St. N.W.

“Customers are coming in and saying it looks totally different. It is a lot brighter in there now,” Dong says.

He plans to also replace the carpet and tile in that restaurant in the spring.

Home Fed Bank sells building, keeps branch

Home Federal Bank sold its building at 3900 55th St. N.W., which houses one of its branches.

Les Nelson of Clear Lake, Iowa, who owns many commercial buildings in the Med City, bought it for more than $2 million in mid-October.Home Federal built the 9,800-square-foot building in 2002.

The bank branch will remain open and will lease 700-square-feet of space from Nelson.

A U.S Veterans Administration clinic leases the rest of the building.

“We’re looking for efficiencies, and it had become more challenging to find tenants,” says bank president Brad Krehbiel. “This was a timely opportunity. We were made a fair offer.”A staff of about five work in the 55th Street branch.

Miracle Mile store closing/ closed?

Word is that a store in Rochester's Miracle Mile Shopping Center is going or has gone out of business.

I'm checking on this one.

What are your Black Friday shopping tips?

As usual, I'm looking for help.

I'd love to hear your Black Friday shopping tips.

"I don't shop on Black Friday. I stay home and sleep" does not count as a "tip." I know you people. Heh.

I'm looking for advice from the strategic, serious shoppers out there.

How do you deal with the crowds, lines and general chaos to get great deals and maybe even the free stuff being handed out for the first people in line.

I am planning on compiling this for print. If you want to give your name, I'll say where the sage shopping advice came from.Thanks for any help you might be able to give me.

You can post the tips as a comment here or e-mail me at jkiger@postbulletin.com. If Twitter is your thing, my Twitter account is @whereskiger.