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When Paper Source left Uptown in Minneapolis, it created another hole in a neighborhood plagued by empty storefronts abandoned by national chains. But first-time business owner Angie Lee saw an opportunity. 

“I have played with the idea of having a small business, probably for the past 10 years,” she said. 

Her endeavor, Moona Moono (loosely translating to “culture octopus”) combines multiple worlds into one storefront, so you can have an imported Japanese notebook or some Korean beauty products along with your coffee and donuts. 

“We’re trying to introduce people to new things,” she said. “We’re always looking for recommendations or suggestions from our patrons so that we can make sure that we can are staying on top of the very best products.”

The now-renovated store doesn’t bear a resemblance to its predecessor — the open interior is a mixture of Japanese and Scandinavian design. The menu features similar fusions, with treats like yuzu poppyseed donuts, courtesy of a Bogart’s Donuts partnership, and lattes flavored with Dalgona, a popular Korean honeycomb toffee candy. Boba tea is also fixture. 

“The way that people are most receptive to new things is by anchoring into something they know, right?” Lee said. “So just putting a slight spin on it … makes it both approachable but also novel to folks.”

Lee moved to Uptown from New York just three years ago. When she was first pitching the idea of bringing a stationery store to Minneapolis, she said she was met with some resistance. But small-business owners like Bogart’s Donuts’ Anne Rucker and restauranteur Ann Kim, who is also the landlord for Moona Moono, convinced her to take the leap. 

“Anne Rucker kept saying to me, ‘Don’t listen to the naysayers. Trust your gut and trust your vision, and you can bring to life what you really want to do.’”

To listen to the interview at Moona Moono with owner Angie Lee, click the player above. 

Tom Crann

Host

Lukas Levin

Author

On the corner of 31st and Hennepin in Minneapolis, a new general store sells everything from imported pens to black sesame lattes. Moona Moono owner Angie Lee shared how she wanted to revitalize a part of Uptown with a fusion of flavors and concepts.

Appetites: A Korean stationary store brings life back to empty corner of Uptown

Appetites: Korean stationery store brings life back to an empty corner of Uptown

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