BUNNY'S
and the Aretz Family

One of the legendary bars in the Park opened in 1933. Henry Aretz established Bunnys at 4730 Excelsior Blvd. (at Natchez). The story goes that the place was intended to be named Aretz’s Place, but Henry got a good deal on the sign that the signmaker had messed up. Which is understandable given the grammatically impossible word Bunnys. Not Bunny's. Not Bunnies. Bunnys. Here is a picture of the famous sign, just before demolition.  Whatever happened to that sign?

Henry J. Aretz was born on November 8, 1894. A Caroline Aretz, perhaps his mother, died on January 12, 1947. Henry’s wife’s name was Charlotte, but she went by Lottie and Lu. It was a large family, with nine children: Harold L., Lorraine, Betty, Beverly, Lawrence, Anthony F., Sarah, Rose, and Cele. It’s said that they lived in the back of/in the upstairs of the Bunnys building for a time, but by 1935 they lived at 3305 Huntington, in Minikahda Oaks. In 1942, Henry built a house, also nearby, at 4701 W. 40th Lane. In 1962, the Aretz family lived at 2230 Flag Ave. In the 1950s, Henry had become a developer on the North Side, with five subdivisions on Flag and Gettysburg. Henry died in 1973.

One of the features of Bunny’s was a slot machine, which was legal in Minnesota until Lester Youngdahl became Governor in 1947 and spearheaded a successful effort to shut them down.

In November 1957 they added a liquor store, which was later moved to Miracle Mile and run by Henry’s son Harold. Harold married Dorothy Phillips and had five children: John, Steven, Daniel, Joseph, and Susanne. Harold died on April 19, 1995 at the age of 70, and was buried at Fort Snelling.

In 1983, Danny Stevens made an unsuccessful attempt to buy Bunny's.

In 1988, Gary and Sherman Rackner bought the bar and added a kitchen. Sherman passed away in 1997, and Gary moved the bar to 5916 Excelsior in 1998 to make way for Park Commons. The new sign included that long-missing apostrophe.

Bunnys circa 1966


                                                                 

                                                                               Bunny's ad, 1939

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This information comes from a variety of sources: newspapers, books, yearbooks, phone directories, interviews, etc. Given the varied sources, we cannot guarantee that all of this information is correct, and welcome any additions and corrections. Please contact us with your contributions and comments.