Minneapolis, MN
Luxury retail store in North Loop is a one-stop shop for apparel, interior design
![Luxury retail store in North Loop is a one-stop shop for apparel, interior design](https://images.foxtv.com/static.fox9.com/www.fox9.com/content/uploads/2023/06/1280/720/MartinPatrick3.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Luxury retail store in North Loop is a one-stop shop for apparel, interior design
In the North Loop of Minneapolis resides a retail business that defies conventional descriptions. MartinPatrick3, as its owners say, isn’t a department store, but a “lifestyle” store. The gay-owned business has received both national and international recognition, thanks in part to its commitment to its constant evolution. FOX 9’s Rose Schmidt takes us inside this unique retail experience.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – You’re immediately surrounded by beautiful things the moment you step foot into MartinPatrick 3, and that’s by design.
The retail business in the North Loop is hard to conceptualize if you’ve never been inside. Greg Walsh and Dana Swindler, the owners of MartinPatrick 3, say it’s not a department store or a boutique; it’s a “lifestyle” store. The name is a family name.
“My dad is Martin Patrick. My grandfather’s Martin Patrick,” said Walsh. He added that either he or his brother was supposed to be Martin Patrick III, but his mom disagreed.
The “three” in the name is also a nod to the three categories the store’s best known for: men’s apparel, home furnishings and interior design. The gay-owned business has received national and international recognition, in part because it never stops evolving.
Walsh has had a store in the North Loop neighborhood in some fashion since 1995 and started working with Swindler in 2008. They’re partners in marriage and in business.
“I’ve always been on the art side. (Dana) you’ve always been more on the numbers side,” Walsh said.
They’re not ones to toot their own horn, but Forbes had no problem doing so when it called MartinPatrick 3 the “hottest retailer” in 2018. As other big stores have left downtown Minneapolis over the last few years, it’s opened a door for Walsh and Swindler.
“He’s not from retail. I’m not from retail. I think that made (people) like, ‘Who are these guys buying these brands? Why are they here?’” Swindler said.
From the variety of merchandise, it’s hard to deny the store is wide-ranging, and the owners say their customer base is, too.
“Very diverse. All colors, walks of life, everything. And that’s us. We hire that way. Everything is inclusive and has been,” Swindler said.
If you thought those initial three categories weren’t enough in the 20,000 square foot space, add in jewelry, housewares, a barbershop and soon, maybe a coffeeshop? The store also added women’s apparel at the heart of the pandemic in 2020. It was a way to fill a gap as the dress and suit market was devastated.
“Womens is probably the most exciting add that we’ve had,” said Robert Elder, who works in sales at the store.
“There’s always something going on. Never stale, and we don’t want the store to ever be stale. So, it’s always changing. Always projects going on,” Swindler said.
Perhaps the best part of their story is Walsh started in interior design, and retail was never part of the business plan.
“Then the opportunity came and we said ‘Well, maybe we should put our toe in the water and see how that works.’ And that worked,” said Swindler.
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Minneapolis, MN
“We’re back”: Summer events draw crowds to downtown Minneapolis
![“We’re back”: Summer events draw crowds to downtown Minneapolis](https://assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com/hub/i/r/2024/07/08/02a21b2b-2277-45df-a47a-d2f8068e8b45/thumbnail/1200x630/57b4a74458ad1c518b572edff207e355/video-2-downtown-reboun-wcco5q5a.jpg?v=57e8061b2038d609da26e467de5ddfb8)
MINNEAPOLIS — For a second weekend in a row, events are drawing major crowds to downtown Minneapolis. To meet demand, Taste of Minnesota was doubled in size this year.
“There’s 50 food vendors and 50 artist vendors, but then we also have about 20 community supporter vendors,” Taste of Minnesota Community Ambassador Teke O’Reilly said.
O’Reilly said events like this fuel the future of downtown Minneapolis, which has struggled to rebound since the pandemic.
“I feel strongly that this has really revitalized downtown Minneapolis. In a significant and total way,” he said.
Preliminary numbers from Meet Minneapolis show hotel occupancy in the last week of June, during the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, was at 74.6%, the third highest week since 2020.
Hotels reported earning more than $11.6 million that week — the highest since the week of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour last summer. The numbers don’t include Sunday, June 30, which was the last day of the trials and Twin Cities Pride.
“We’re back. It’s a safe environment, it’s a very welcoming environment,” O’Reilly said.
Minneapolis hotels have recorded more than $40.9 million in total guest room revenue in June 2024. The last time Minneapolis hotels surpassed $40 million was in October 2018.
Minneapolis, MN
Organizers for Taste of Minnesota expect large crowd for event's last day
![Organizers for Taste of Minnesota expect large crowd for event's last day](https://kstp.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/TASTE-OF-MINNESOTA_PKG_00.01.06.34.jpg)
It’s the last day of Taste of Minnesota in Downtown Minneapolis and thousands are expected to attend after organizers revamped the festival to accommodate more people.
Organizers said at least 70,000 people came out on Saturday for food, fun and entertainment.
They’re expecting a big turnout Sunday with some big-name artists Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis and Morris Day and the Time take the stage.
Organizers revamped the food festival this year to make it bigger and better.
“It kind of felt like the mini ‘Minnesota Get Together’ in a sense. Super busy, a lot of family a lot of fun. Our line didn’t stop the entire time and so it was super fun and the weather was great,” Amira Osman, of Pharaoh’s Gyros food truck, said.
Thousands of Minnesotans prepared their taste buds and lined up for the Taste of Minnesota on Saturday.
Organizers switched things up this year adding more food vendors and artists while doubling the festival’s footprint.
Over 50 vendors showcased their best menu items and some visitors took advantage of the new zip line ride on Washington Avenue.
Last year, event organizers ran into a few hiccups with the hot temps and unexpected high attendance, but this year, festival leaders say they’re prepared.
“It takes a little bit to grow the festival, but we’re hoping each and every year we can make it a little bit better and more improved and more fun for everybody,” Scott Gerlicher, Taste of Minnesota head of security, said. “We have just fantastic weather and we had fantastic music, tons of great food and a big crowd.”
Festival organizers said were no major incidents on Saturday, but there were a few minor heat-related incidents.
Last year, the event drew more than 100,000 people over the course of two days.
With the new flavor, organizers hope this year they can top that number.
Minneapolis, MN
Sundance In The City Of Lakes?: Minneapolis’ Multi-Prong Bid For Robert Redford Founded Fest Sets Sail
![Sundance In The City Of Lakes?: Minneapolis’ Multi-Prong Bid For Robert Redford Founded Fest Sets Sail](https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Minnapolis.jpg?w=1024)
EXCLUSIVE: The snowy streets of Minneapolis are seeking to snatch Sundance from the snowy slopes of Park City.
Leading with a tagline of “You Could’n’t Cast A Better Location,” Minnesota’s most populous metropolis is among the select cities and jurisdictions that has submitted a detailed bid for the Robert Redford founded film festival.
With CEOs from Target, Best Buy and the parent company of U.S. Bank backing Minneapolis’ proposal, the host committee is promising at least $2 million annually “to sustain and grow the festival,” says Film North Executive Director, Andrew Peterson.
“With our thriving arts and entertainment scene, diverse cultural heritage, and passionate film community, Minneapolis is the ideal backdrop for the Sundance Film Festival,” City of Lakes’ Mayor Jacob Frey tells Deadline.
Pitching itself in a slick coffee table overview presentation as “home to one of the largest urban Native American communities” and having a “long history of inclusion, forward thinking policies, and of being a proud pioneer in embracing the LGBTQ+ and Two-Spirit community,” the hometown of Prince may also have the distinction of being one of the few contenders that’s colder than Park City in January.
But look at the other geological upside.
Sure, the city is a three-and-a-half-hour flight from LA, but along with the prestige of Purple Rain and giant murals of state native Bob Dylan, Minneapolis lacks the altitude of Park City and the corresponding ailments that has brought for many a filmmaker and festivalgoer low over the years.
The midwestern city is also seeking to plug into the ethos of Redford’s festival – something that many prove a hard sell for other contenders.
“We know festival goers want to be able to meet each other and connect, as is the long-standing tradition of Sundance’s commitment to fostering a network which will continue throughout the year,” Ben Johnson. Minneapolis’ Director of Arts & Cultural Affairs says. “Hosting the Sundance Film Festival would showcase what those who live here have long known – that Minneapolis is a world-class destination for arts and cultural expression,” adds McKnight Foundation President Tonya Allen, who is backing the bid.
With all that, Sundance is “nowhere near a decision” on a potential new home, a festival insider tells me. However, a search committee, which includes board member and founder scion Amy Redford, is already going through the proposals and plans to visit candidate cities like Minneapolis over the next few months.
Officially Sundance is saying nothing right now.
Still, Minneapolis could prove a serious player.
Along with the support of corporate chiefs, local and state officials, the city of nearly 500,000 has a variety of venues amidst its downtown historic theaters, as well as public transportation and other infrastructure that address some of the very issues that have bedeviled SFF in Park City over the last five years. “The festival has outgrown Park City,” a Sundance insider says. “Price point, parking, venues, it’s all gotten out of control,” they note.
Sitting aside the Mississippi River and neighboring state capitol of St. Paul, Minneapolis reckons they can more than easily accommodate Sundance’s requirements, financial and otherwise, and enlarge the franchise, so to speak.
“There is no city that embraces the arts quite like we do – and Minneapolis already has a long history of supporting independent filmmakers and their art of storytelling,” the two-term civic leader added. “Sundance would be a welcome addition to our theater community, and we’re excited to throw our hat in the ring to host this world-renowned festival.”
Michael Buckner/Deadline via Getty Images
After the past few years of declining attendance, shaky sponsorship and a revolving leadership door, Sundance finally said the quiet thing out loud in April and announced it was looking to set up shop in a new location – as Deadline exclusively reported in July 2023.
Under Sundance’s current contract with Park City, which has be the festival’s home for decades, the shindig will stay in the tony Utah resort town for 2025 and 2026. Wherever Sundance eventually ends up, or if the united and well-funded Utah bid keeps the festival, nothing changes until 2027.
Deadline first reported back in May that Minneapolis was among the potential contenders that had put in a Request for Information submission. Culling down those submissions to a Request for Proposal process that ran from May 7 -June 21, the Sundance Institute received comprehensive bids from Minneapolis as well as from a trio of Hollywood South a.k.a. Georgia cities (Atlanta, Athens and Savannah), Boulder, CO, Santa Fe, NM, Nashville, TN and others. Sundance also received a muscular Utah Sundance Film Festival Host Committee pitch that aims to shift the focus of the fest from Park City to Salt Lake City, as Deadline has detailed.
A decision on where Sundance may move, or not, in 2027 is expected to be made public near the end of the 2025 festival.
To that, the 2025 Sundance Film Festival will take place from January 23–February 2 next year with screenings in Park City and SLC.
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