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CATHY WURZER: A Saint Paul icon, Tiger Jack Rosenblum may have a street named after him after today. The St Paul City Council is expected to approve a measure today that would co-name a short stretch of Dale Street, Mr. And Mrs. Tiger Jack Street. Now, Tiger Jack, who is 93, has operated a tiny store for over 50 years, first in the Rondo neighborhood, and now on the corner of Dale and Saint Anthony. He's known in the area as a storyteller, and a philosopher, as well as a businessman.

Lucky Rosenblum is the chair of the Minnesota Black Republican Coalition, and he's Tiger Jack's son. He's worked for a couple of years on getting this going through the city council. And he's on the line with us right now. Good morning.

LUCKY ROSENBLUM: Good morning.

CATHY WURZER: What does your dad think of this honor?

LUCKY ROSENBLUM: Well, you know, my mom told me yesterday, my dad said, oh man, it's nothing. I don't need that. I mean, my dad is like that. He works hard, and he comes from a generation where you're expected to work hard. You're expected to work hard all day and support your family. Now, the other hand, my mom is like really tickled about it. Now, I would think that deep down, my dad is tickled about it, but he's not going to show it right away.

CATHY WURZER: Oh, no.

LUCKY ROSENBLUM: I mean, he comes from that hard school of, we're expected to work, we're expected to do these kinds of things. [LAUGHS] I'm like, yeah, OK.

CATHY WURZER: Now, you mention your mom. How is she involved in the store?

LUCKY ROSENBLUM: Well, let me tell you, my mom, she worked a job for over, I think, 41 years. She just retired. And she would go to work at 8:00 in the morning. She would get off at 4:00 PM. And by 5:00 o'clock, she would bring my dad dinner. And she would be up there until 8:30, 9:00 o'clock at night. On her days off, she would be up there with my dad all day. So I mean, man, I mean, seeing parents work like that, and still some real good family values, and some really good work ethics.

CATHY WURZER: Oh, I bet it did.

LUCKY ROSENBLUM: Yeah. I mean, imagine that, imagine working. I mean, some people, they work 8 to 4, and they go home, and they go, man, I'm not doing anything. My mom will go home, fix dinner, and take it up there, and would work at that store and help out to at least 8:00 o'clock, 8:30 at night. I'm talking seven days a week.

CATHY WURZER: Now, for folks who've never seen your mom and dad's store, it is a little, tiny store. And I can't picture both of them in there.

LUCKY ROSENBLUM: Man, you get two people in that store and about three kids, you think you have a packed Target.

[LAUGHTER]

CATHY WURZER: Yeah, I know.

LUCKY ROSENBLUM: You're not going to get a whole lot of people in that store. But I think, again, that is what made the store a real family place to be. I mean, people would come in there. Even if you didn't know Tiger Jack, or if we didn't know you when you came in, you'd be so close to everyone, that by the time you left out of there, you almost had a feeling of family. Because that's how close you were. And you cannot go in Tiger Jack's, OK? You cannot go in Tiger Jack's and spend one minute. If you go in Tiger Jack, you better have at least 25 minutes because he's going to talk to you.

CATHY WURZER: That's true. And because of that, what does he mean to Saint Paul, to that area of Saint Paul?

LUCKY ROSENBLUM: Well, I think to the area of Saint Paul, he's an icon. He's a symbol in that neighborhood. I mean, you can go in that store and people that live in that neighborhood, he will know generations of people, your mom's dad's dad. You know what I mean? He knows people.

And I think the people who may not live in that neighborhood, but surrounding areas, they go in there, and the same thing. My dad would know them. He'll know their dad's dad. I mean, my dad will know people in the West Side. My dad has people coming from Stillwater. I mean, people who come there on a regular basis from Stillwater, just all over, not to buy anything, but to say hi.

My dad told me a year ago, I said, you know, dad, why are you still up here? My dad goes, I'm not up here to make money. I'm just up here now to visit with my friends and wave at people when they go by.

CATHY WURZER: What does he sell, by the way?

LUCKY ROSENBLUM: Oh man, all kinds of stuff. My dad had this saying that I would never forget. My dad used to always say, I will sell anything that's not illegal. And I will not sell my family. But if I can get anything else to sell that's legal, he says he's going to sell it.

CATHY WURZER: What would you like to see happen to that little store when your dad decides to retire?

LUCKY ROSENBLUM: Well, you see, I would like to see that corner declared an historical site. Someone called me yesterday with a good idea. And he says, you know, Lucky, what you guys should do is take that shack when he passes and get it down into the Minnesota Historical Center, have it moved down there so that people could actually come by and see it. I think that's a good idea.

But, you know, that is something I don't want to think about right now. I mean, you know your parents are going to pass away. But it's something I don't want to think about. What I want to do now is just do as much as I can for both of my parents while they're there. And the reason I did this is because when people pass away, then people come up with great ideas. And I'm saying, no, I want my mom and dad to see something they can enjoy while they are still here with us.