Downtown Minneapolis

Where do you shop?

Like many of you, I remember when the answer was “downtown Minneapolis.” It was the place to be, not only to take in the stores, but to feel the very essence of a city—the energy from all the people, busses, cars, window displays, signs, lights. It felt like a mini Manhattan.

Sure, it can still feel that way off and on during business hours in the summer months (primarily during lunch and when people are coming to or leaving work). But Saturdays and Sundays in downtown Minneapolis can be downright depressing: It’s like a movie set showing what happens after everyone’s been killed by a virus or taken away by aliens. Perhaps if movies could be made more often here than in Canada, we could take advantage of this attribute. Preferably, we find a way to bring daytime life and energy back to the state’s largest downtown.

A bustling city streetscape complete with retail customers is the most visible sign of a healthy downtown. In turn, it helps attract visitors and can serve as a recruitment tool for prospective businesses, employees, and residents. And while some may think it’s okay to not have such a scene here, several cities—including Austin, Texas; Chicago; Portland, Oregon; and San Francisco—are aggressively reinvigorating their downtown retail environments, or already have done so, to attract and retain employers, and the young urban professionals they need to hire.

Our cover story this month examines how retail in downtown Minneapolis is evolving. We originally set out to look at whether it will ever come back to the levels seen pre-1990s, but we discovered it’s already coming back, just differently and—surprisingly—without much help from city leaders. In fact, there is no individual or group dedicated to supporting and increasing retail in downtown Minneapolis.

We also found some things that could help spur retail activity.

Market what we have: There are more than 30 retail stores in the central business district, but you’d never know it as you walk down Nicollet Mall. Most are inside buildings without storefront windows; some are in the skyways.