The legal thread in this post is, admittedly, a thin one, but it provides an excuse to lament the closing of a unique and wonderful Minnesota business.
Shinders, the newsstand/bookstore/collectibles dealer that was a 91-year presence throughout the Twin Cities, closed its few remaining stores Monday after years of apparent mismanagement by Robert Weisberg, the attorney who bought the chain from the Shinder family (to whom he was related by marriage) in 2003.
The business began falling apart last year when Weisberg was arrested after police found methamphetamine, Ecstasy, needles and a .40-caliber rifle in his van. Weisberg failed to appear for at least two recent court appearances, and also faces disciplinary action before the state Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility board for negligence in his law practice, which closed this year.
The chain was losing $100,000 per month when a court-appointed receiver turned control over to its banker, Wells Fargo. The bank liquidated some of the company's assets to repay a pair of loans to Weisberg originally valued at $1.7 million.
Shinders got its start in 1916 with three Shinder brothers - Harry, Daniel and Al - selling newspapers on the street. Many of us recall the pair of Shinders stores that sat on either end of Block E (back when that block, in the middle of which sat Moby Dick’s bar, was considered the “dangerous” part of downtown Minneapolis).
Between the rows upon rows of specialty magazines, oddball books, exotic and brilliant comic books and graphic novels, out-of-town newspapers, piles of sports cards – and yes, the back room of adult publications – there’s never been a better place to kill a lunch hour.
RIP, Shinders.
Showing posts with label office of lawyers professional responsibility. Show all posts
Showing posts with label office of lawyers professional responsibility. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
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