Business Feature: Pilates Underground

Pilates Underground, located at 3153 Hennepin Ave S (above Black Walnut Bakery) was founded in 2015 and moved to its current location in South Uptown in  2019. After training and apprenticing in New York, Megan Cairns moved to Minneapolis and began working at a physical therapy studio, helping people with chronic pain, injuries and surgeries recover, reform, and reclaim their bodies. She then founded Pilates Underground in 2015 to take her passion for body work to the next level. 

Pilates Underground, is not a gym or a fitness studio; they are a small band of well trained, highly experienced body mechanics and consultants whose aim is to subvert the physical status quo in order to help engineer smarter, better bodies. They use primarily Pilates, but don’t limit themselves to a single method in the quest to help people navigate their best lives in their best bodies.

What is pilates, you ask? Pilates exercises focus on strengthening the core muscles (the abdomen, back and pelvic girdle) through smooth, continuous motion and powerful, muscular breath. The focus is on quality of  movement rather than quantity of repetitions, which helps to train the body more efficiently and effectively, leaving you feeling invigorated and energized after your practice.

Megan says that since moving to South Uptown, business is better than ever. "The enthusiasm and energy that our neighbors bring with them to the studio is inspiring. We have the best jobs ever—working with fascinating, curious, dynamic people surrounded by lakes, trees, and community. As much as I love New York, this special, unique studio never could have happened there.” 

Interested in more information? Check out their website at https://www.pilates-underground.com/

Brand new and experienced students are always welcome at Pilates Underground, where they celebrate diversity, one body at a time.


Meet Up with the South Uptown President

Saturday, November 12, 10:00AM- 12:00PM

Lake & Bryant Cafe - 821 W. Lake St.

South Uptown President, Katy Briggs, will be setting aside "office hours" each month to meet with neighbors. Stop by anytime that morning to chat about the neighborhood, your concerns and ideas to improve the South Uptown area. This is a good opportunity to connect with South Uptown Neighborhood Association leadership in an informal and semi-private setting…

Suds for South Uptown is November 10

Give to the Max Today to Support the South Uptown Neighborhood Association!

Early giving has begun for the Give to the Max Day fundraiser on Thursday, November 17. Please consider contributing $25, $50 or more to the South Uptown Neighborhood Association to support our work. We hope to raise $5,000 through the fundraiser to partially make up for loss of funding from the City of Minneapolis. 

Donate here https://www.givemn.org/organization/South-Uptown-Neighborhood-Association/welcome 

Plus, KRC Apartments has generously contributed a $500 matching grant to double the impact of your donation…

The only way our neighborhood will recover and heal from the challenges of the last few years is by coming together. So, South Uptown will invest funds raised during Give to the Max Day in community-building initiatives like SUNA’s Luminary Skating Party event, public safety projects, Bryant Square Park, home improvement loans and more. 

Thanks for your neighborhood support! 

South Uptown President Office Hours

South Uptown President Office Hours
Sat, November 12, 10AM- 12PM
Lake & Bryant Cafe 821 W. Lake St.

South Uptown President, Katy Briggs, will be setting aside "office hours" each month to meet with neighbors. Stop by anytime that morning to chat about the neighborhood, your concerns and ideas to improve the South Uptown area. This is a good opportunity to connect with South Uptown Neighborhood Association leadership in an informal and semi-private setting…

Fall Street Sweeping is Underway

Minneapolis Public Works started fall street sweeping this week, and it will continue for about four more weeks. Crews will sweep more than 1,100 miles of Minneapolis streets from curb to curb keeping debris out of waterways. Watch for “No Parking” signs on your block that go up at least 24 hours prior to street sweeping. Parking restrictions run from 7:30AM- 4:30PM with signs coming down soon after sweeping is complete. Cars that are out of compliance will be ticketed and towed to the Minneapolis Impound Lot, so watch carefully for the signs.

Check out the City’s Street Sweeping Locater Map to determine which week your street will be swept. https://www.minneapolismn.gov/getting-around/parking-driving/street-sweep/street-sweep-map/?utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_name=&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term=

South Uptown Board Chooses Leadership Roles

The South Uptown Board of Directors met this week and selected officers for the organization. Katy Briggs is the new President and Scott Moss has taken on the role of Vice President. Newly-elected Board Members will fill other leadership roles. Gretchen Sieger is the Secretary, Joel Chechik is the Treasurer and Rachel Starcher is the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion officer. Attend the next South Uptown Neighborhood Meeting on October 18 to meet the new Board.

Fall Clean Up is Saturday, October 8

South Uptown Fall Clean Up

Saturday, October 8, 10AM- Noon

Bryant Square Park- 3101 Bryant Ave S.

Come out to help your neighbors pick up litter around the community ensuring it doesn’t end up in our lakes and rivers. Stop by the park anytime that morning to pick up gloves and trash bags and get an assigned area to pick up trash. This is an easy way to make a difference and the more people involved the bigger impact we have. Bring your friends and family for a morning of community service!!

Welcome 2022/ 2023 South Uptown Board of Directors

The South Uptown Board election has ended and the results are in… Welcome to the following new Board Members:

  • Jerome Chateau

  • Joel Chechik

  • Jenna Egan

  • Phil Qualy

  • Gretchen Sieger

  • Rachel Starcher

They will be joining Board Members Katy Briggs, Hannah Friel and Scott Moss who are finishing out the remainder of their 2-year terms. The new Board will meet in the coming weeks to select officers for the upcoming year and get acquainted.

Jerome Chateau

Joel Chechik

Jenna Egan

Phil Qualy

Gretchen Sieger

Rachel Starcher

Vote for the South Uptown Board of Directors

It’s that time of year again to vote for representatives to serve on the South Uptown Neighborhood Association Board of Directors. The online election begins about 7PM on Tuesday, September 20 during the South Uptown Annual Meeting. Email info@southuptown.org to get the Zoom meeting link for the Annual Meeting where each candidate will introduce themselves. The online election closes at Noon on Wednesday, September 21.

Meet the 2022 South Uptown Board of Director Candidates

Seven neighbors have put themselves forward as candidates for the South Uptown Board of Directors. There are six open Board seats, so an election will take place starting about 7PM on Tuesday, September 20 during the South Uptown Annual Meeting. Additional candidates will have the opportunity to be nominated and added to the ballot during that meeting. The election will then be open through 12:00PM on Wednesday, September 21. Check out the list of candidates and more information in this Candidate Profile document.

Consider Running for the South Uptown Board of Directors

The South Uptown Annual Meeting is coming up on Tuesday, September 20, and there will be 6 open Board seats up for election. Consider becoming a candidate to get more involved with the community. Board Members oversee the South Uptown nonprofit, work on improvement projects and attend meetings to address neighborhood issues. The South Uptown organization is especially keen to recruit people of color, renters and women to the Board in order to reflect the demographics of the neighborhood. If interested, please fill out this short Application Form that will be used to create a Candidate Profile document for the election.

NRP Plan Modification Vote at August 16 South Uptown Meeting

During the August 16 South Uptown Neighborhood Meeting, community members will be asked to approve a proposed NRP Plan Modification to support administrative expenses of the organization over the next few years. The reallocation will supplement yearly City funding expected from the Neighborhoods 2020 Program that pays for office, insurance, staff supplies and other administrative costs. The City funding was reduced by nearly 30% in 2022 creating a challenge to sustain the capacity of the organization in the coming years.

Proposed NRP Plan Modification

Reallocate all $187,252 from NRP Strategy 3.1.5 Cycle of Life Housing to Strategy 11.1 Implementation: Office & Staff Support. The funding will support administrative costs over the coming years as the organization ramps up fundraising efforts. See more details about the proposed Plan Modification here.

25th Annual South Uptown Garden Tour

Saturday, June 25, 10:00AM- 12:00PM

Meeting Location: On Saturday, we will meet at Dunn Bros Coffee (3348 Hennepin Ave) at 10AM

Monday, June 27, 6:30- 8:30PM

Meeting Location: On Monday, we will meet at 5 Watt Coffee (3350 Lyndale Ave S.) at 6:30PM

Join the free neighborhood walking tour of fabulous South Uptown gardens! We’ll walk together along the route meeting other garden and landscape lovers.

Click here to see the routes for Saturday and Monday.

Earth Day Clean Up -> Rescheduled to Saturday, April 30

Earth Day Clean Up - Rescheduled

Saturday, April 30, 9:30 AM- Noon

Bryant Square Park Recreation Center

(3101 Bryant Ave S.)

We need you, your friends and family and your neighbors to pick up all the litter blowing around the neighborhood! Show up anytime that morning to the park to get free gloves, trash bags, snacks and directions. Together we can make South Uptown a cleaner place keeping trash out of our lakes and rivers. Please join us!

Recycle Food Scraps & Get a Free Starter Kit!

South Uptown is offering free “starter kits” to encourage neighbors to recycle food scraps, compostable products and other organic items. The kits include a choice from 3 bin options, compostable bags and resource materials. It is an easy way too reduce the amount of household waste going into the landfill. Register here.

Visit the Organics Recycling page on the South Uptown website for more info and links to resources: https://southuptown.org/organics

Organics Recycling Made Easy Workshop

Thu, March 31, 7 pm Online

Register here

Do you need help getting started recycling food scraps and compostable items in your house? Or, are you already doing it, but losing motivation? Join the free workshop to learn tips and tricks to make recycling organics easy and convenient.

South Uptown Chili Fest - 7-day online fundraiser Feb. 21 - 27

South Uptown Chili Fest

February 21- 27, 2022

A 7-day online fundraiser for the Joyce Uptown Food Shelf

We cannot gather this year to share delicious chili, but South Uptown folks can still help neighbors experiencing food insecurity through the Chili Fest fundraiser.

Donate here.

Contributions to the Food Shelf are doubled due to a challenge grant from the South Uptown Neighborhood Association with the first $1,000 of donations being matched dollar for dollar. Your donation will amplify the impact, Making sure our neighbors do not go hungry.

Supply Drive at Joyce Uptown Food Shelf (3041 Fremont Ave S.)

Sunday, February 27, 1:00- 2:00PM

Fill the van with these most needed items:

  • Diapers (All sizes) & wipes

  • Tampons & pads

  • Toothbrushes & toothpaste

For more info contact info@southuptown.org.