Oar Folkjokeopus (commonly known as Oar Folk) was a Minneapolisrecord store that operated on the corner of Lyndale Ave and 26th St from 1973 until 2001. The store was considered one of the staples of theMinneapolis rock scene in the 1980s, along withJay's Longhorn Bar, and became a popular hub for musicians in theTwin Cities and the Midwest. The store was one of the only stores in Minneapolis, along with Harpo's/Hot Licks and Northern Lights Music, that soldpunk rock records in the 1970s and early 1980s, which made it a popular hangout for members of local bands such asHüsker Dü,The Replacements, theSuicide Commandos,Soul Asylum and many more.Bob Mould of Hüsker Dü called it the city's "preeminent record store" and an important venue for him to find a fellow music-loving community.[1]
Martin Keller, writer for the MinneapolisCity Pages, said about Oar Folk: "A lot of people trace the whole rock scene (in the Twin Cities) to Oar Folk. I was living six blocks away at the time, and you'd always run into [Peter] Jesperson there because he worked the counter most days. [Bob] Mould was in and out on a regular basis. It was a real nice hangout."[2]Lori Barbero, drummer forBabes in Toyland said concerning the store: "I have about 8,000 records, and I bought 7,000 of them at Oar Folk."[2]Grant Hart ofHüsker Dü was not so fond of the store: "Oar Folk had a real snobbish attitude. It was a place to be condescended to."[2]
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Vern Sanden purchased what was then North Country Music in 1973 and renamed it "Oar Folkjokeopus." (The name was based on the solo albumOar byAlexander "Skip" Spence, a founding member ofJefferson Airplane andMoby Grape and an album by British folk musicianRoy Harper,Folkjokeopus.)[3]Peter Jesperson managed the store from 1974 until 1982. Jesperson co-foundedTwin/Tone Records during this time and the store as well as the label thrived due in large part to each other.[4] Between Twin/Tone, local venueJay's Longhorn Bar and Oar Folk, this trifecta largely fueled the punk and rock scene in Minneapolis during that era. Bands such asThe Replacements,The Suburbs, Flamin' Oh's,Hüsker Dü,Soul Asylum,Jayhawks, andCurtiss A all maintained links between the three.
In 1985, a fire gutted Oar Folk.[5] Vern Sanden reopened the record store with the help of Bill Melton and Mark Trehus, who ran his own indie record label, Treehouse Records.
After Oar Folkjokeopus closed in April 2001, Mark Trehus opened a store at the same site known as Treehouse Records.[6] Much of the original store's character remained. Treehouse specialized in vinyl LPs, vinyl 45s, and both new and used CDs. Treehouse closed on December 31, 2017.[7]
After Treehouse Records closed, the building sat vacant for several years until the space was rented by Michele Swanson and was converted into Lucky Cat records in 2024.v[8]