We’ve been customers of the UPS store on Hennepin for decades and have always enjoyed great service from the employees who cheerfully box up whatever we bring them.
Which is often a bit unusual. Like armloads of lilacs, mailed to our son in Los Angeles for his 40th birthday, because while in labor I had walked the neighborhood in a soft rain redolent of heavy wet lilacs. He is my lilac baby.
I was reminiscing about the lilacs recently with the owner, Judy Longbottom, when she mentioned that the shop had been tagged overnight. Again.
Normally she just paints over it, she said, but this time they’d hit her expensive new door, which is not so easy to clean. Ironically, a door with a sign on it reminding us to “Please Be Kind.”
“It’s never good to come to work and see a new batch, but I’m happy that our city makes it a priority to remove it and holds property owners up to a high standard.”
Wait. Graffiti is a regular thing? What else don’t I know about doing business in Uptown? I decided to find out.
How long have you owned your business in Uptown?
We first opened next to the Uptown Bar in 1993 as a Mail Box Etc. franchise. We purchased the UPS Store and moved in next to Kindho in 2002 and then moved to our current location at 2801 Hennepin Avenue in 2022. We also have a store in Edina, and we employ about 10-13 people at any given time.
Aside from graffiti, what have been the biggest challenges and rewards?
The graffiti is a constant nuisance in communities everywhere. But the physical moves were a real challenge. The biggest reward has always been employee and customer relationships. I’m also proud that we have supported many community partners by donating goods and services to the Minnesota Orchestra, Midtown Greenway, the Uptown Farmers Market, Grace Neighborhood Nursery School, and the Uptown Association, to name a few.
You recently agreed to serve on the board of the Uptown Association, which, according to its website, is “a nonprofit organization that promotes Uptown as a safe, prosperous, accessible, well-maintained and environmentally responsible commercial and residential area. It also exists to improve the economic stability and vitality of Uptown and to celebrate its unique spirit and sense of community.” That’s a pretty tall order given the current situation in Uptown! Tell us more about that.
I’ve been involved in the Uptown Association on and off over the last 20 years. I was honored to be asked to join the board again in 2022. I said yes, in part to help with the Uptown Art Fair that was started in 1964. That event, like so many others, was impacted by the pandemic and the social unrest that hit the city after the murder of George Floyd. It’s a well-attended event and puts us on the map, with great artists participating year after year. Who wouldn't want to see throngs of people enjoying our community on a sunny August weekend?
What do you think caused the exodus of so many businesses from Uptown?
Retail businesses have exited to some degree in all our communities. Part of the shift is due to how we purchase our goods and services. The impact of Covid is still being felt in the retail world, but the more serious issue for Minneapolis residents and businesses was the disruption brought on by the murder of George Floyd. My belief is that we are beginning to heal, and I hope we continue to make the necessary changes to ensure a safe and vibrant community for all who live, work and shop here. We are seeing new businesses opening on Hennepin Avenue, which proves that the entrepreneurial spirit is not dead and that retailers will continue to find a way back.
How are you preparing for the two-year construction on Hennepin?
There is no doubt that the Hennepin Avenue makeover is going to present challenges to residents and business owners and the surrounding neighborhoods. I keep telling myself that there are many aspects to the reconstruction that are desperately needed. It’s a pretty beat-up corridor that does need infrastructure improvements and revitalization, which always come at a cost.
But I won’t lie. I am concerned about how it will impact our small business. We are preparing for the worst and hoping for the best.
How can neighborhood residents help the Uptown Association bring vitality back to Uptown?
This neighborhood is an incredibly eclectic and savvy group of individuals who need a strong mix of restaurants, shops and services in their community.
Frequent your local businesses as much as possible, especially during construction, to ensure that the businesses along this corridor will survive during and after the construction.
And we all should keep our eyes and ears open when reading or traveling for what is working in other communities and apply it to Uptown. You can reach the Uptown Association at http://www.uptownminneapolis.com/
