Minneapolis, MN

Minneapolis’ Uptown neighborhood at a pivot point: “People need to start coming back”

Published

2 years ago

March 11, 2024

Press Room

Minneapolis’ Uptown neighborhood at a pivot point: “People need to start coming back”

MINNEAPOLIS — Some might say the Uptown neighborhood of Minneapolis is at a bit of a pivot point right now.

Kuva Salon is a business struggling to hang on.

“That’s what Uptown was: everybody came here to get their hair done,” said Will O’Hara, Kuva’s owner. “That’s why we opened here. It was a cool place to get your hair done.”

Several businesses though have closed the last few years.

O’Hara says foot traffic is down, stylists have left to work elsewhere and Kuva also now faces the possibility of having to close.

“My business is hurting, so it’s difficult when we owe back rent,” he said.

Aidan McCluskey, who lives in Uptown, says he’s noticed more vacancies recently.

“It’s not fun anymore,” he said. “Not as fun as it used to be.”

MORE NEWS: 3 shot on Lyndale Avenue in south Minneapolis

Lisa Ricci, another neighbor, says she’d like to see independent small businesses come to Uptown rather than corporate stores.

Scout was a clothing and gift store that just moved into Uptown last summer, but it’s already gone.

Its neighbor two doors down, Paper Source, is on its way out too. Julia Celley, the manager, says it’s because sales are down.

“Between not having enough places to attract people and then not having parking for the people who do want to come here from outside of the area, it’s just been a decline in customer traffic,” she said.

But people who know Uptown best say things are absolutely turning around.

For example, the Uptown Theater was packed for a concert Saturday night.

“We’re creating a renaissance and there are so many things going on here,” said Natasha Greiling, the president of the Uptown Association. “We have three live music venues now.”

O’Hara, the owner of Kuva, says Uptown is making a resurgence.

“There are new businesses coming back,” he said. “It’s going to be fine. People need to start coming back.”

Ricci says Uptown still has a strong feeling of community.

“I feel like the people that are meant to stay here will stay here, and that gives me hope,” she said.

Adding to navigation and parking issues is the Hennepin Avenue reconstruction. Greiling says the project will take two years.

David Schuman

David joined the WCCO team in April 2020, previously working at CBS 58 in Milwaukee. Prior to that, he worked in Las Vegas. While there, David covered several stories in the national spotlight, including the October 1 mass shooting and political visits from President Barack Obama and candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.

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Minneapolis, MN

What is a data center?

Published

10 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

What exactly is a data center and why are so many being proposed across Minnesota? Professor Manjeet Rege, chair of Software Engineering and Data Science and director of the Center for Applied Artificial Intelligence at the University of St. Thomas, joins us to explain how these massive facilities store and process the world’s data and what the economic, environmental, and infrastructure questions are as Minnesota considers hosting more of them.

Posted March 4, 2026 4:27pm CST

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Minneapolis, MN

Minneapolis Ranked Among U.S. Cities With The Most People In Financial Distress

Published

22 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Minneapolis Ranked Among U.S. Cities With The Most People In Financial Distress

MINNEAPOLIS — Minneapolis is ranked among the American cities with the most people in financial distress nationwide, according to a recent analysis by WalletHub.

The personal finance website, which defines financial distress as having a credit account in forbearance or with deferred payments, looked at the country’s 100 largest cities without data limitations across nine metrics, including average credit score, change in bankruptcy filings year-over-year, and share of people with accounts in distress.

Minneapolis came in 44th on the list, between Stockton, California, at 43rd and Fresno, California, at 45th, according to the ranking.

Nationwide, the cities with the most people in financial distress were Chicago at No. 1, Houston at No. 2 and Las Vegas at No. 3, the ranking said.

“Getting out of the downward spiral of financial distress is no easy feat,” according to WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo.

“You may get temporary relief from your lenders by not having to make payments, but all the while interest will keep building up, making the debt even harder to pay off. People who find themselves in financial distress should budget carefully, cut non-essential expenses, and pursue strategies like debt consolidation or debt management to get their situation under control.”

Read more from WalletHub.

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Minneapolis, MN

Whitefish council creates proclamation in solidarity with city, citizens of Minneapolis

Published

1 day ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

Whitefish council creates proclamation in solidarity with city, citizens of Minneapolis

WHITEFISH, Mont. — The Whitefish City Council in February presented and signed a proclamation expressing solidarity with the city and citizens of Minneapolis.

The proclamation states that Whitefish mourns the loss of life that occurred in Minneapolis and stands in solidarity with its residents.

It reaffirms the city’s commitment to equal treatment under the law and emphasizes that peaceful protest is a fundamental American right.

The proclamation was supported by five of the six council members.

Mayor John Muhlfeld said the action was meant to reaffirm the city’s values.

“A mayoral proclamation that is supported by five of six City Council members supporting solidarity with the city and citizens of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and reaffirming our supportive, just, equal and welcoming community,” Muhlfeld said. “I think this is somewhat overdue. Our town’s been through a lot over the years, This is more importantly to reaffirm our values as a council with our community because we care deeply about you.”

Over the last year, Whitefish has faced criticism amid rising tensions surrounding the Department of Homeland Security.

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View the full proclamation below.

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