Architect Scott Ervin launches Norseman: Minneapolis’ first micro-distillery
“So many people think premium vodka has to come from Europe,” Ervin says. “It doesn’t. Some of the best ingredients are grown right here in the Midwest.”
The Line
The Line tells the story of the new economy in The Twin Cities — a narrative of creative people and businesses, new development, cool places to live, and the best places to work and play.
Read more from The Line.
Bogobrush: a bamboo objet d’art for social good
Buy one, give one: When someone buys a Bogobrush, the “give” is a free toothbrush sent to someone in need via a handful of community partners.
Galtier Community School embraces design thinking for greater flexibility in learning
Come next autumn, when Galtier reopens, the school “is going to be a magnetic place,” says Kate Wilcox-Harris, who describes the initiative as transformative.
The dish on heritage restaurants: food, families, neighborhoods
We take a look at four Twin Cities restaurants, their origin stories, their participation in their neighborhoods, and why diners keep coming back.
Q&A: David Graham, the city-building architect, and his ecosystem approach to density
His practice is based on urban-planning principles that marry modern architecture’s spirit and invention with a profound understanding of history, urban evolution, and context.
Made in Minnesota: The makers coalition and the renewal of our industrial sewing heritage
A new generation of industrial sewers is emerging as part of the national makers movement, which is finding a unique toehold locally.
New art meets old masters: a conversation with MIA curator Elizabeth Armstrong
Armstrong is operating at the curatorial edge, working with colleagues to help redefine the traditional, “encyclopedic” art museum.
Nice Ride’s next roll: a conversation with Anthony Ongaro
A Q&A with the bikeshare initiative’s marketing director tells where the system stands and where it’s headed.
The new thrift store: from old and dusty to green and creative
While the old-paradigm thrift store was a somewhat seedy end-of-the-line for unwanted objects, what we might dub the “new thrift store” is an optimistic, artistic place,
Brewers and architects spark the next brewpub boom — along the Green Line
A slew of new breweries have built out spaces in which patrons can sip and sample while observing the brewing process.
The real-estate developer as artist: Peter Remes
In three years, since Remes founded First & First, he’s transformed several downtrodden sites in Minneapolis into creative hubs for work and play.
Twin Cities parks 3.0: Bold new initiatives coming to our green spaces
With their respective plans, which together cover 22 miles of the Mississippi corridor, both cities are balancing needs for ecology, access and development.
Ivey Awards founder Scott Mayer: Let’s make the most of our theater power
Scott Mayer has also been a key player in establishing the Charlies, the awards that celebrate our rapidly evolving (and nationally recognized) restaurant scene.
Hive minds: urban beekeeping in high places
Since May, when the Minneapolis City Council approved an ordinance making it easier to keep bees in the city, an ever-increasing number of rooftop hives have been buzzing.
Regina Vong’s family businesses: a quintessentially American story
Her restaurant is just one of the family’s businesses at 315 University Avenue, St. Paul, a building that enshrines the enterprise of a clan whose patriarch fled Cambodia as a teen.
These entrepreneurs chose the Green Line
It’s been an article of faith that the Green Line will become a magnet for local entrepreneurs. Here are three ventures that were lured to the line by light rail’s promise.
Minnesota’s funniest nonprofit board
At HUGE, board membership involves more than just the usual committee and development work — it also requires the willingness to perform improv.
In Minneapolis, garages serve as galleries, theaters
For artist/gallerist Pete Driessen and the theater artists of Off-Leash Area, turning their garages into art spaces provided opportunities for innovation, experimentation and freedom.
We Can Grow: building urban gardens, helping gardeners thrive
The nonprofit installs low-cost or free gardens, and supports the efforts with classes that cover growing topics, cooking, food preservation and community engagement.
Two food cities: Restaurateurs compare Minneapolis and St. Paul
Three local restaurateurs compare the Twin Cities from a food-business point of view. The results? Minneapolis rocks, but St. Paul is on a roll.
