Wintry mix spreads across Minnesota

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Luke Breen isn't waiting to see if the name of Lake Calhoun changes to its original Dakota name, Bde Maka Ska. He rechristened his cycle shop about 18 months ago. It was Calhoun Cycle. Now it's Perennial Cycle.

"We wanted to disassociate ourselves from the John C. Calhoun legacy," said Breen. "We feel like the lake should be given back to the original name."

Supporters of the move say it's wrong to honor the nation's seventh vice president, because John C. Calhoun supported slavery and drafted the Indian Removal Act.  The proposal is in the hands of the Hennepin County Board, which could make a decision later this year.

Most at board meeting say yes

Breen was concerned that the switch would cost him business as he shed a name that customers had known for years. But he says the move paid off for him. Old customers stuck with him. And he won new ones.

"I'm not saying there weren't some people that pointed out that they were disappointed in us," Breen said. "But there were a whole lot more people that pointed out they were coming to the shop for the first time because of the fact that we made the change."

But Breen says he's not aware of any other area business that has rebranded itself. Many businesses and organizations have long had Calhoun in their names, some for decades.

"We've had the name for 25 years and it's just what people know us by, really," said Adam Lawrence, manager of the Calhoun Vision Center. "And we happen to be located in a place called Calhoun Village, across the street from Calhoun Commons. Lot of Calhoun around here."

Another business with the Calhoun name said it has no plans to change the name it's had for more than two decades, but didn't want to comment publicly.

A past director of the Lake Calhoun Sailing School has said he fears the school and associated yacht club could lose their widespread brand recognition with a change in the name of the lake. He believes signs the park board installed in 2015 that include both names are sufficient to represent the area's Dakota heritage.

Don't like Bde Maka Ska? Tough

"I personally have not heard any business that's considering making a change," said Maude Lovelle, executive director of the neighborhood business group, the Uptown Association. "But that doesn't mean that people are not maybe considering it now or in the future."

Should Calhoun businesses change their name too?

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