New hip-hop record store on the North Side

Reversing the recent trend of record store closings in North Minneapolis (Low Cost and Soul Survivor R.I.P.), the hip-hop-centered Classic's Studio (MySpace page) opened last month across the street from El-Amin's Fish House (best fast food in the neighborhood) and down the block from Bean Scene (best coffee), at 2124 W. Broadway Ave., Minneapolis, MN 55411; 612.588.0414. With a small stage perfect for the mic battles (which have been discontinued at Digital City), and a wall of CDs (including a section of local and mixtapes), the store will "focus in on the community," says owner LeMarco Bell, whose studio in back provides production services for aspiring rappers. "Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis brought the city to the suburbs," he says, referring to the departed Flyte Tyme Studios in Edina. "We want to make this neighborhood a suburb."