Alissa S.
Yelp
I moved here from another Greco property in Uptown that was a lovely building but was just not my scene at all - too many empty beer cans in the elevator on Sunday morning, too many weeknights where I had to bang on my wall at 2 am to tell my 23-year-old neighbor to turn his music down. ElseWarehouse was a much better fit - mostly 20- and 30-somethings, but a nice smattering of older singles and couples as well. Overall, I thought everyone in the building was very respectful - I NEVER had a noise issue with neighbors (and yes, if you keep your windows open, you'll hear people leaving Bunkers or BLG - welcome to the North Loop, folks!) As a dog owner, I did find it a little bit annoying that some people would get lazy about picking up after their dog in the dog park, but I've found that to be the case everywhere I've lived.
I thought the units themselves were great. LOVE the warehouse windows and all the exposed brick. Now, are the cabinets from IKEA? Maybe ... is that a terrible thing? I guess that's supposed to infer low quality, but I never had an issue with my cabinets. I'm fairly particular about finishes, and considering this is a rental property, I found the finishes to be perfectly acceptable. I liked the counters and the appliances worked fine. Everything was functional and aesthetically pleasing. The floors did seem to be a little cheap - I think they actually are real wood, but it's thin little slivers of wood, not the typical plank wood flooring. I can see how that marketing claim is a bit misleading, but the floors are fine. Didn't have an issue with the carpeting, either. At least all the doors are solid wood, and the washer/dryer is really nice. I'm not sure what basis for comparison other people are using, but if you compare this to your typical rental unit, these ARE high-end finishes. I had no complaints on that front and, now that I've moved into another apartment that bills itself as "luxury" but has the hollow doors and the crappy stacked washer/dryer with zero functionality, I'm missing the amenities at EW. Although I am not missing the loud HVAC units - on that point, I agree with other reviewers. It is too loud. You get used to it to a degree, but even with surround sound, I would have to adjust the volume of the TV up and down as the unit would kick on and off.
Speaking of amenities - the gym is fantastic, it's awesome to have a small dog area on the 4th floor. I love the keyfobs to get in/out, and I was grateful for underground parking (although that is one TIGHT garage - plan to be VERY careful or to get a few scratches on the wheel wells of your car). And while the concierge isn't there 24 hours a day, they are there A LOT and are very helpful. They deliver packages to your unit if you so choose, and they generally will bend over backwards to be accommodating. There is a party room - and yes, residents are allowed to rent it out, that is the point! It's a gorgeous space and while it is usually rented on the weekends, a) there are plenty of weeknights when it's empty and b) there is a calendar in every elevator that shows when it is rented out, so you don't have to haul up there in order to check. I rented it for a full day for a department off-site meeting I had, and I was so happy with the whole experience, as were my coworkers. It's a gorgeous, functional space. They also have guest suites available for rent - AWESOME perk for when you're hosting guests. I stayed in a guest suite after my movers took my furniture but before I actually relocated into my new place, and it was so nice to stay in a fully-functional apartment that was homey and well-decorated.
Also: LOCATION. The North Loop is my favorite hood in Minnie, and you're walking distance from everything here - the best restaurants, cute shows, the river walk/bike trails, etc. There's not a lot of traffic congestion in this block of Washington (except for people slowing down to valet at Borough/Bar LaGrassa) and I enjoyed being able to zip right out of my apartment and either over the bridge to Northeast or down Lyndale to Loring Park/Uptown or onto 94 for more distant locales. And even Washington Ave traffic closer to downtown wasn't as bad as I'd anticipated - I could walk to Whole Foods, but I usually drove because it was hassle free.
Bottom line: I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Else Warehouse as a great place to live.