Several Minneapolis businesses are closed and residents are displaced in Uptown after a dumpster fire caused long-lasting damage.

Three businesses off West Lake Street near the fire had to shut their doors because of damage.

One of those businesses, Face Day Spa, is assessing damages and mapping out how to move forward.

“I’m still in shock. It just gets a little bit harder, especially as I see bills continuously coming out, and no money coming in,” Matisse Johnson, Face Day Spa owner, said.

It’s been one week since Johnson was told it’s not safe to have clients inside her spa.

The Black-owned business opened up in Uptown five years ago to provide a safe space for the Black community to experience luxury and relaxation.

“I put my blood, sweat, and tears into creating the space, and most importantly, it’s a safe space for my staff,” Johnson said. “People view this as a luxury and somewhere to come and have that experience in the Black community is huge.”

A place of relaxation turned to the center of stress on July 22.

Around 3:30 a.m. last Monday morning, a security camera caught a man walking up to a dumpster and lighting a fire. The video shows the flames crawl up the building burning everything in its path.

Johnson is now stuck with smoke damage and no electricity.

About 80 appointments per week are canceled and her team is unemployed until further notice.

“It’s hard, it’s really hard. I don’t mean to cry, but this is definitely my baby and I have nothing but this,” Johnson said.

On the top floor of the same building, tenants were sleeping in their apartments when the fire broke out.

“I was just faced with like a hallway full of smoke and fire coming through the back door,” Rose Opstad, building tenant, said. “It’s really overwhelming.”

Everyone got out safely. Now they’re packing up what didn’t turn to ashes.

The property manager tells 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS that repairing some of the units will take at least five months and cost tens of thousands of dollars.

Back on the first floor, Johnson has to replace furniture and wallpaper and throw out products battered with smoke damage.

Smoke damage can be an invisible threat. In some cases, it can’t be seen, but it’s often trapped in furniture, walls, and floors.

The damage is forcing her to tear down everything she’s built.

“This is something that I created and that I take pride in and it’s all I have. It’s my only form of income,” Johnson said. “I am going to trust in God and I’m going to work as hard as I’ve worked to get it open.”

A fundraiser has been set up to help the business cover lost wages and rent.

MINNEAPOLIS — Minneapolis residents and visitors might notice more squad cars around the city Monday.

“We’re just, we’re kind of overwhelmed when so many cases happen so quickly, with staffing being so short,” Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said in a rare Sunday evening news conference.

The city is reeling after a violent and deadly weekend of crime. Three murders, a stabbing and two fatal shootings, plus seven others were hurt in gunfire, all within four days. O’Hara pointed to what he called the Penn Avenue corridor, in north Minneapolis, as a problem area. Half of the incidents over the weekend happened on the northside.  

“My heart hurts for all the families involved and the people who have lost their lives,” Minneapolis Ward 4 councilwoman LaTrisha Vetaw said.

Vetaw says her community is scared. She says Ward 4, particularly near Penn Avenue, has made recent progressing addressing addiction and the subsequent issues that come with it.

“We’ve had a lot of challenges in these areas for a while,” she said. “And just the last couple of months, I’m seeing some positive change. So to have this big weekend of so much tragedy, it feels like a huge setback.”

Despite the weekend setback, Vetaw says she’s grateful that O’Hara moved quickly, asking outside agencies to step in and help with extra patrolling and investigations. She’s also grateful for the hard working officers in the Fourth Precinct.

“It didn’t happen overnight. It’s not going to be fixed overnight,” Vetaw said. “But what I know is, we have a commitment from everyone, including the people who live in that neighborhood, to see it better.”

While there’s deep pain over the recent tragedies, Vetaw and her constituents also feel hope.

“Overall, there’s a lot of sadness, but people are hopeful that it can be better,” she said.

O’Hara says more details about how the department and other surrounding agencies are working together will be released in the coming days.

Barack Obama said it was one of his favorites of 2020. The Minnesota Book Awards called it the best novel in 2021. And Friends of the Saint Paul Library think everyone should read “Sharks in the Time of Saviors” now.

Minneapolis writer Kawai Strong Washburn’s novel has been chosen for the Friends’ One Book / One Minnesota program, basically a book club to which everyone in the state is invited.

Through Sept. 22, readers can access “Sharks” at their local libraries, where the e-book and audiobook are free. Hard copies will also be available at libraries across the state as will reading guides and other materials. “Sharks” is about a boy who falls off a boat and whose family is transformed when he is rescued by sharks.

One Book culminates with one big discussion, on Zoom, at 7 p.m. Aug. 21. Washburn will take part in the Zoom call, as will thousands of Minnesotans. If you want to be one of them, register for the free event at thefriends.org.