A Trip to "The Uncles" Was A Journey of Lost Trails and Complex Roadways - I Needed Aragorn

On Sunday, DH and I took a trip to the "Dark Side" - i.e., Minneapolis. We wanted to go shopping at Uncle Edgar's/Uncle Hugo's Bookstore - a bookstore that we frequented for many years. They got burnt to the ground in the riots following the George Floyd killing - a very bad time for Minneapolis, and one that caused riots throughout the Cities, even spreading quite close to my own shop (the pharmacy across the intersection from my shop was burgled and then burned to the ground. 

This is the old location of Uncle Edgar's and Uncle Hugo's 
bookstore in Minneapolis. It was 1/2 block north of Lake 
Street, right in the center of where the civil unrest led to 
riots and fires after the murder of George Floyd. It was a 
tough few days for the Twin Cities in general. 

The owner of "The Uncles" wasn't sure about reopening. But the bookstore is unique - very focused with a deep inventory and lots of signed copies and one-of-a-kind finds. Any book there has to be a mystery (Uncle Edgar) or deal in Science Fiction and Fantasy (Uncle Hugo). In the past, their old building had the two sections totally separate with a small hallway separating them. 

After the riots, this is what remained of Uncle Edgar's and 
Uncle Hugo's bookstore. Of course, most insurance policies 
have a clause absolving them of any responsibility in the 
case of civil unrest, so there was no insurance to help the 
owners start again. They were very unsure about bringing 
"The Uncles" back to life again. 

It was an adventure getting there. Although I had directions written down, I still managed to miss the correct exit off the freeway and that dumped us into roads we had never been on before. I found out where the Rapid Transit Maintenance station is located because I ended up on their grounds for a while until I found a place I could turn around to get back off their property. I'm quite sure I was trespassing! 

Don Blyly's a stubborn old goat, and he has a lot of support 
from customers and from authors around the world. "The Uncles" 
is unique as a store, and has always been strongly supported 
by the authors. This was no exception. They rallied around him, 
did fundraisers, auctioned off signed copies of their works, and 
dug into their own pockets to help Don open once again. Don 
found a space that had been used by a craft store and supplier, 
and moved in. He opened in late August/early September, less 
than two miles away from his old location. 

But finally, after going too far north, then too far West, and finally East and a bit South, we found the new location. It's actually not hard to get to, I guess Minnion just wanted an adventure - LOL. The store took over the location of a stained glass and handicrafts store that went out of business after COVID. It's a large open room, but looking around, seems as if it also has a basement with an elevator up and down - handy for heavy boxes of books. Of course, they had lost everything in the riots, so all of the shelving was new, and they already have boxes and boxes of used books available. There weren't a lot of customers, but it was a steady flow in and out, and the store "welcome" dog was as welcoming and sweet as always. 

They just got their new marquee mounted a week or two 
ago. Their space is now officially theirs. There's a US Post 
office directly to the left, and a church to the right. It seems  
like a good space for him. I'll have to contact him and 
resubscribe to his newsletter. It's good to have him back 
once again. And now that I've been there once, I know 
the route I want to take to return there. It'll be MUCH 
easier and won't require trespassing onto anyone's property 
any more - LOL. 

I ended up with a single book and DH purchased four. There was one Dr Strange book that I wanted, and it's still perched in my mind. I might have to go back and check again for that one - if it's there when I go again, I'll buy it. Their new books are always at a discount, and the book, originally $24.99, is listed at $15.40. A great savings. But where will I put it? That's the question. No books are allowed in this house unless we have the space for them. One more reason why I read e-books.