Building a stronger Midway

Cutting Ribbon

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Fall is upon us. The leaves change, the days get shorter, and the weather cools. But in and around the Midway this year, we are also excited at the number of openings and re-openings.
The past year and a half has been hard on everyone. In addition to a global pandemic, we endured civil unrest in May 2020 and the aftereffects of condemned and boarded-up buildings. With these recent memories, it is especially good to see doors opening at these locations. Bole Ethiopian Cuisine opened in a new location at 1341 Pascal Street, and Lloyd’s Pharmacy reopened a new building in the old location. Here is a sample of what’s to come.
TechDump, an electronics recycling nonprofit organization, is celebrating its 10th anniversary and opening up a retail store on Sept. 24. Every computer comes with a free one-year warranty and offers tech repair and support. Similar to when they moved into their space at 860 Vandalia Street, they will mark the retail opening with a “wire-cutting” instead of the traditional ribbon cutting.
Sharing a building with TechDump, New Vision Foundation also moved in and will take part in the Sept. 24 opening. New Vision Foundation is a nonprofit aimed at creating pathways to success by motivating disadvantaged youth in Minnesota through coding and digital literacy classes.
Neighborhood Development Center (NDC), in conjunction with Wellington Management, Inc., is opening up Frogtown Crossroads at the northwest corner of Dale and University. The building will house NDC and will be a commercial incubator space. The mission of the project is to “create opportunities for local entrepreneurs, while enhancing the vitality of the surrounding neighborhood.” Wellington’s portion of the project brings affordable housing to the corner.
With so many projects in the neighborhood, it may not come as a surprise that financial institutions are also moving in. Bank of America moved into the old Pawn America site on University Avenue recently, and two others are holding ribbon cuttings soon.
Bremer Bank’s former location was torn down to make way for another Wellington Management project, a mixed-use building called The Pitch. While construction occurred, Bremer moved into the Spruce Tree Centre but will reopen in the new building late October. The new design is intended to serve as a quick-stop location, helping customers get their banking done and on their way quickly and comfortably. The site, which will have four full-time jobs, will also serve as a meeting place for customers who set up appointments with a banker.
Minnesota Bank and Trust will be opening its third location in the Twin Cities this fall, with its newest office in the Court International building. The office will eventually house up to 10 employees, each working to service the local commercial banking needs of the community. While new to the Midway, the location will feature bankers who have many years of experience in our neighborhood.
WomenVenture, a nonprofit supporting women to achieve economic success through small business ownership, also recently moved to Saint Paul at 165 Western Avenue North.
The openings are a sure sign of investment in and near the Midway. We wish all the businesses and nonprofits supporting our community years of success.
Welcome to the Midway!

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