Downtown Grocery.com, Blaine Tornow, Kevin Korpela

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"In the News" and "On the Internet"

* Downtown Grocery ™ , Blaine Tornow, and Kevin Korpela are "In the News " and "On the Internet " :

Wausau, 11/30/2009, Daily Herald Frontpage (PDF)
--- The front page features an article titled Downtown Grocery Cultivates Awareness with a Q & A with one of its co-owners, Kevin Korpela, about how it recovered from a downturn in sales in late 2008 along with much of the rest of the economy while continuing to push "buy-local" movement.
--- Also, the article above was published on 11/30/09 in the following newspapers: Appleton Post Cresent, Marshfield News Herald, Stevens Point Journal, and the Wisconsin Rapids Tribune.

Wausau, 11/29/2009, WAOW News Channel 9
--- In report titled, Shoppers attended alternative holiday market featured the Alternative Holiday Market taking place in Downtown Wausau over the Thanksgiving Holiday Weekend at two downtown Wausau churches, Unitarian Universalist and First Presbyterian, to provide a market for local non-profits, artisans and businesses that offer gifts that follow Fair-trade, Humanitarian, Local, and Sustainable practices that follow a long-view approach, "Don’t just make a purchase - Make a difference!"
--- Background video included the vendor stand for Downtown Grocery staffed by co-owner, Kevin Korpela.

St. Paul, Minnesota, 11/23/2009, Heavy Table, Gastro-Tour
--- An article titled, If You Find Yourself to be in the Wausau Area, features The Mint Cafe and Downtown Grocery. Heavy Table is a Twin-Cities Magazine about food & drink in the Upper Midwest.

Wausau, 11/08/2009, Daily Herald Sunday, Section C1, Community Conversation
--- The front page of Section C features an article titled, Downtown moves toward full-time, about past efforts and the potential future to offer downtown Wausau visitors more evening and weekend hours. Downtown Grocery is one fo the several shops open on Sunday, Co-owner Kevin Korpela states, "We wanted to be open on Sunday because that was just an important thing to do for a grocery store."

Wausau, 10/22/2009, Conference Presenter: "Recapturing Your Downtown 2009"
--- Kevin Korpela (Co-owner, DowntownGrocery.com; Architect, ObservatoryDrive.com) presented a lecture:
         Title: Small City Downtowns. Once Forgotten, Now Found - Downtowns are the historic city...
                   ...centers but they need “more feet on the street” to return these centers to the city."
         Sponsors: Wisconsin Main Street, Wisconsin Department of Commerce, Wisconsin SBDC Network,
            Wisconsin Downtown Action Council, UWSP-Continuing Education, Vierbicher Associates,
            Wisconsin Public Service, Jefferson Street Inn.
          Download Conference 2009 Brochure

Wausau, 8/18/2009, WSAW News Channel 7
--- Architect Kevin Korpela, Co-Owner, Downtown Grocery.com, is interviewed in a Channel 7 News Report titled, Buying Locally Can Boost Your Local Economy, on how you can help your local economy get into an upswing through buying from independently owned stores pumps 20 percent more money back into your community than buying from a big box.

Wausau, 8/02/2009, WAOW News Channel 9
--- Architect Kevin Korpela, Co-Owner, Downtown Grocery.com, offers information in a Channel 9 News Report titled, Organic food no healthier than conventional? , on a new study suggesting organic is no healthier than conventional. Korpela disagrees. The study didn't look at the big-picture, such as pesticides or key nutrients. When organically-grown plants de...fend against stress and disease, they "...build higher levels of antioxidants and polyphenols...Then of course the humans benefit."

Wausau, 5/26/2009, WSAW News Channel 7
--- Farmer Blaine Tornow, Owner, MoonShadow Farm and Co-owner, Downtown Grocery, gives insight in a Channel 7 News Report titled, Proposed Food Safety Regulations Could Hurt Small Farms, on the new Food Safety Modernization Act, or H.R. 875, that may place more restrictions on growing local-organic produce. It's an important report about our local food & farm economy.

Wausau, 4/19/2009, Daily Herald Front Page
--- In the Sunday front page story, Green's changed since first Earth Day, Downtown Grocery is mentioned as one of the signs of the growing green movement in Central Wisconsin.

Stevens Point, 4/7/09, UWSP-Center for the Small City, Spring Lecture
--- Kevin Korpela, Co-owner, Downtown Grocery and Owner, Observatory Drive.com, presented a lecture:
         Title: Small City Downtowns. Once Forgotten, Now Found - Downtowns are the historic city...
                   ...centers but they need “more feet on the street” to return these centers to the city."
         When: Tuesday, 4/7/09, 7-8 PM
         Where: Rm 227, Collins Classroom Ctr, 1801 4th Ave, UW-Stevens Point
         Sponsor: Center for the Small City, UW-SP
         Download poster: Click link above

Wausau, 3/18/2009, Food with a Face from Buy Local Central Wisconsin
--- Video of Blaine Tornow talking about organic farming and Community Supported Agriculture.

Wausau, 3/10/2009, Thanks Kevin! from Buy Local Central Wisconsin
--- Photo of Kevin Korpela preparing for a race. Also, "Thanks, Kevin" for supporting "Buy Local" movement.

Wausau, 3/4/2009, Educational Assistance Through Scholarships from Buy Local Central Wisconsin
--- A new "Buy Local" website reports on the forthcoming 2009 UW-MC "EATS" event to be held March 7, 2009, to raise funds for student scholarships. The event will feature culinary samples prepared by various "Guest Chefs" from local businesses and citizens. The report also called attention to "Downtown Grocery" being a local source for Indian food such as the Indian-style samples they'll prepare for the event.

Wausau, January 8-15, 2009, The City Pages, Cover Feature " Persons to Watch in 2009 (PDF)"
--- Kevin Korpela, Co-owner, Downtown Grocery and Owner, Observatory Drive.com, was one of five people featured in the 1/8/09 issue. The "Cover Feature" stated:
        "They might be considered fascinating people, or up-and-comers, or spirited personalities.
       But most of all, they're simply interesting individuals making a mark in the Wausau area.
       The array includes:
          - A young architect who co-founded an organic grocery store that
            some are amazed is still after two years in this market."
          - [Plus four more interesting individuals.]

Wausau, October 2008,Conference Co-Presenters: "Recapturing Your Downtown 2008"
--- Blaine Tornow and Kevin Korpela (Co-owners, Downtown Grocery) Co-Presented a lecture:
         Title: Downtown Grocery in Nine Parts: How does a Farmer and an Architect
                   Build Community by Growing a Local Food Economy?
         Sponsors: Wisconsin Main Street, Wisconsin Department of Commerce, Wisconsin SBDC Network,
            Wisconsin Downtown Action Council, UWSP-Continuing Education, Vierbicher Associates,
            Wisconsin Public Service, Jefferson Street Inn.

Wausau, September 2008, The City Pages, Best of Survey
--- Downtown Grocery was voted by the readers as their "Favorite New Store" and "Best Vegetarian Deli."

Wausau, July 2008, Daily Herald: Keith Uhlig's "Life in Wausau Blog"
--- Keith writes about his "...experiences with the wonderful kohlrabi..." found in his Summer Share Box for Moonshadow Farm CSA that he picked-up this past week from Downtown Grocery, the Wausau pick-up site for the farm.

Wausau, 6/26/2008, WAOW Newsline 9 Political Blog
--- Producer Katie Rosenberg writes in an essay titled The Young and Restless: Where Do We Go From Here? that "...the Y&R are bent on making society are better place economically, aesthetically and even environmentally, and that young people like Kevin Korpela, co-owner of Downtown Grocery, can identify with these concerns."

Wausau, 5/13/2008, City of Wausau Historic Landmarks Commission
--- At the beginning of the City Council Meeting this day, the Historic Landmarks Commission of the City of Wausau presented a Certificate of Recognition to Kevin Korpela, Architect for Downtown Grocery. The two Co-owners of Downtown Grocery, Kevin Korpela and Blaine Tornow, restored of the 1500 SF interior storefront during the Spring of 2006 for use as the new Local-Organic Grocery Store called Downtown Grocery that opened in July 2006. The Certificate stated the following:

City of Wausau
Presents this
Certificate of Recognition
to
Downtown Grocery.com
in acknowledgedment of the restoration of
607 Third Street
by the City of Wausau and the
Wausau Historic Landmarks Commission
DATED: May 13, 2008

Wausau, 2/21/2008, WAOW News Channel 9
--- News Reporter Jessica Sirl interviews Kevin Korpela for a report "Environmentally Friendly Grocery Bags" and how Downtown Grocery has designed a series of locally-made reusable grocery bags.

Wausau, 12/13/2007, City Pages Page 15
--- An informative article titled "Wines and Cheeses" written by Ingrid Clark Zavadoski features several cheeses and a wine from Downtown Grocery.

Wausau, 11/21/2007, Daily Herald Life/Style Section Page 2
--- Photo of Blaine "planting" the store Christmas tree in our garden along Third Street.

Wausau, 11/18/2007, Daily Herald Life/Style Section
--- Blaine is quoted in the article titled Holiday market offers earth-friendly gifts on the importance of local food in regards to the upcoming "Alternative Holiday Market" to be held the day after Thanksgiving.

Wausau, 11/13/2007, Daily Herald Editorial
--- Editorial titled This holiday season, spend your money with locals

Wausau, 11/12/2007, "Someone You Should Know" on You Tube
--- Blaine Tornow's feature on Channel 9 is available for viewing on www.youtube.com .

Wausau, 11/11/2007, "Someone You Should Know" on WAOW Channel 9
--- News Anchor Pam Warnke interviews Blaine Tornow for the "Someone You Should Know" series on Sunday, November 11th, 10 PM News.

State-wide, September 2007, Country Today
--- Downtown Grocery and Moonshadow Farm featured in a full-page article with photos of store and farm.

Wausau, September 2007, The City Pages, Best of Survey
--- Downtown Grocery voted as the readers "Favorite New Store".

Wausau, August 2007, Buyer's Guide
--- Article titled "Downtown Grocery starts second season"

State-wide, 2007 Fall Sampler, Taste of Wisconsin
--- Taste of Wisconsin - Where to find the good stuff (PDF) . This color brochure found at travel centers state-wide offers a Fall event schedule and locations for unique food experiences. The "Wausau/Stevens Point" section features events such as Artrageous Weekend Sept 8-9th and three food places for Wausau: The Mint Cafe, Hereford & Hops and Downtown Grocery .

Wausau, 6/3/2007, Daily Herald Bulletin Board
--- "Students decorate Downtown Grocery" shows a photo of art teacher Kim Sample, her students and Kevin Korpela. The caption reads, "Kim Sample, art teacher at John Muir Middle School, and Kevin Korpela of Downtown Grocery met with art students from John Muir. Downtown Grocery will display about a dozen original paintings done by students for the next seven months. Paintings include fruit, vegetables and bread."

Wausau, 5/3/2007, News Channel 7 WSAW
--- How Dangerous are those Exotic Foods? A three-part report by Todd Hicks with video of Blaine inside the greenhouse and Kevin inside the store talking about sourcing local food to reduce transport costs, increase freshness, and maximize nutrition.

Wausau, 4/17/2007, Daily Herald Progress Section Wausau East
--- Article titled " Downtown grocery puts local first ".

Wausau, 4/17/2007, Daily Herald Progress Section Wausau East
--- Article titled " Downtown enjoys $100 million revival ".

Wausau, 4/10/2007, Buyer's Guide
--- Article titled " "Buy Local, Buy Wisconsin" initiative gaining ground (PDF) ".

Wausau, 3/6/2007, Buyer's Guide
--- Article titled UWMC Eats: What You See is What You Get! (PDF) with a photo of Blaine serving black bean salsa!

Appleton, 1/12/2007, Post-Crescent
--- Photo of store stocked with local produce.

Wausau, December 2006, Boomers
--- Article titled "Life on the Farm?"

Wausau, Nov/Dec 2006, Le Dernier Cri
--- Two page article about "Downtown Grocery".

Wausau, Fall 2006, Daily Herald Frontpage (PDF)
--- Slideshow by Corey Schjoth about Downtown Grocery.com .

Wausau, 9/21/2006, Daily Herald Editorial
--- Article titled " Keep an eye on your food supply ".

Wausau, 7/8/2006, Daily Herald Frontpage (PDF)
--- Article titled " Grocery aims to satisfy home-grown demand ".

Wausau, 6/2/2006, Daily Herald Business
--- Article titled " Downtown Grocery.com hosts open house ".

Wausau, 3/10/2006, Daily Herald Editorial
--- Article titled " Downtown grocery store will fill niche ".

Wausau, 3/7/2006, Daily Herald Frontpage (PDF)
--- Article titled " Grocery store coming to downtown Wausau ".

Wausau, November 2005, Daily Herald Business, "Breaking the Mold" Series
--- Article titled, Wausau architect also builds ideas , featuring Kevin Korpela.

On the Internet

Downtown Grocery ™ or its owners, Kevin Korpela and Blaine Tornow, have been referenced many times:

- www.wausaudailyherald.com, 3/26/08, Ann Liebmann, Cooking Blog: Smellavision --- Ann writes about how a walk in downtown Wausau with "...Zhou's Mongolian BBQ, Stir Fry 88, Peking, Chang Garden, Yao's Grand Dragon...[and the] City Grill, Back When, Prima Deli, The Mint and Downtown Grocery...trigger memories faster than any other sense and we know that it contributes a huge amount to how we taste food."

- www.beloitsustainability.blogspot.com, 3/15/08, City of Beloit with reference to local food --- Two Beloit College students write about their city and how to make it more sustainable such as the importance of "...Farmers’ markets featuring local produce are the fastest growing aspect of the American food economy [McKibben, “Downtown Grocery”] and reference Downtown Grocery in "Works Cited".

- www.wausaudailyherald.com, 2/8/08, Keith Uhlig, Life in Wausau Blog --- Keith writes about his Cheese of the week, Kasseri, and his experience with the cheese at Downtown Grocery.

- www.wausaudailyherald.com, 1/30/08, Ann Liebmann, Cooking Blog: Local food and drink gems --- Ann writes about "local food and drink gems" including Downtown Grocery.

- www.uwex.edu, Innovative Downtown Businesses , UW-Extension Center for Community and Economic Development --- Downtown Grocery is featured in this study of innovative downtown businesses.

- www.travelwisconsin.com, Travel Wisconsin Food & Drink Directory --- Downtown Grocery is listed in the Food & Drink Directory of this website.

- www.Wausaublog.com, 5/6/2007, by Kevin Korpela --- Deepening the Local Economy

- Jim Rosenberg's Blog, 3/31/2007 --- Get something to eat around here: locally produced food

- www.Wausaublog.com, 3/18/2007, by Kevin Korpela --- Now the Grass is Shifting . An essay about an approach to use a more sustainable method to care for a grass lawn.

- www.ImagesWausau.com, 2007 Edition, Biz Briefs --- Healthy Choices [scroll down a bit]

- www.Wausaublog.com, 2/4/2007, by Lisa Stahl --- The Green, Green Pastures

- www.SustainLane.com, 2007 --- Downtown Grocery

- www.LocalHarvest.org, 12/5/2006, listed under "Grocery/Co-ops" --- Downtown Grocery

- www.Wausaublog.com, 8/22/2006, by Dino Corvino --- Small Batch

- www.Flickr.com, Summer 2006, by illustriousbean --- Photos of Downtown Grocery

- www.Wausaublog.com, by multiple bloggers --- Why We Love This Place!

- www.Wausaublog.com, by multiple bloggers --- Local Business Showcase: Downtown Grocery.com

- www.Chowhound.com, by multiple bloggers --- Central Wisconsin, Chowishness in General

- www.Greenpeople.org --- Downtown Grocery

- Sprawled-out, 6/29/2006, by John Michlig (comments by Kevin Korpela) --- Re-visiting my hometown

- www.LocalHarvest.org, 3/21/2006, listed under "Farms" or "CSA" --- Moonshadow Farm