For today’s newsletter, I sat down with Judy Longbottom at the Walker Library. A longtime business owner in Uptown, Judy remains optimistic about staying put and rebuilding. And she’s not alone—many others have invested more than money in this neighborhood. Uptown has shaped them just as they have shaped it.
Topics discussed include:
The impact of Hennepin construction
The Promise Act and how it could help businesses on Lyndale
The merits of the Special Service District
Loan guarantees and vacancies
The responsiveness of city government
The rebranding and relocation of the Uptown Art Fair
The Crime Factor
The reason we chose to interview Judy was to get a street-level perspective on what it’s like to run a business in Uptown. We’ve written extensively about its decline in this newsletter and thought Judy could help keep us honest. Is it really as bad as people make it out to be?
What we heard was a mix of hopefulness, anxiety, and determination. Customers, politicians, property owners, and business owners must come together with a shared vision to prevent the neighborhood—and the city—from lingering in stagnation.
Of course, any discussion of Uptown would be incomplete without addressing crime. While Judy didn’t dwell on it, she acknowledged its impact on businesses like La La Ice Cream, which suffered thousands of dollars in damages after thieves stole copper wire needed for their freezer. There were surely other reasons that caused them to close, but this incident was likely one of them.
What often gets overlooked in debates about new ordinances—such as the Labor Standards Board—is the cumulative burden on businesses: vandalism, petty crime, homelessness, rising taxes, wages, and Sick and Safe Time regulations all add up. Most business owners want to do right by their employees and customers. Yet many find themselves staring at a spreadsheet late at night after a long day, wondering: How am I going to make this work? Can I stay open?
Thankfully, experienced entrepreneurs like Judy find ways to adapt—but many others don’t. Before businesses can cover their operating costs, they must survive—something that is never assured.
Crime plays an outsized role in local business success because, like in La La Ice Cream’s case, businesses directly bear the costs—which often far exceed the crime itself. Replacing a smashed window, a broken door, or other acts of vandalism may seem minor to outsiders. But for business owners, it means calling in contractors, paying the bill, and sweeping up the glass—again and again.
Large businesses can afford private security. In fact, it’s a booming industry. An estimated $125 billion is spent annually on private security in the U.S., equating to .46% of GDP.
If you’ve ever tried to enter UnitedHealth Group or Target corporate offices, it can feel like stepping into a federal courthouse, with badges, scanners, and video cameras monitoring your every move. That .46% of additional security costs functions as an extra tax on all the goods and services we purchase from these companies.
Most small businesses cannot afford private security. They rely on the police, whom they already pay taxes to support. It can breed resentment when, on top of those taxes, business owners must also hire off-duty officers or private security contractors to operate safely. When there aren’t enough police officers to keep squatters out of stairwells or serve as a visible deterrent, businesses and residents are left vulnerable. The cost burden falls directly on them. Unlike a fortified office building, anyone can walk into a small business, and the owner and employees must respond to whatever situation unfolds.
The residents and business owners advocating for more police aren’t doing so because they want a racist army bashing heads. They want officers to follow protocol, treat people with respect, and do their jobs effectively. They also support substance abuse services and after-school programs.
The reason they continue to show up at hearings and write letters is because they—not politicians or police administrators—are the ones dealing with vandalism, stolen cars, bikes, and tools. On their own, these incidents are inconvenient, but when combined with rising property taxes, sales taxes, and fees, residents start to wonder: Is it worth it? Especially if their favorite restaurant has closed or they need to track down a cashier to unlock diapers and deodorant at the store.
Losing 30% or more of your income because of construction projects was the last in a series of stressors from many businesses.
The Shoelace Conclusion
We encourage you to listen in on our conversation with Judy. Our goal is to provide a platform for both elected and non-elected residents so we can work toward a pragmatic future for Minneapolis.
In the coming months, candidates will be promoting their plans for the city, but it’s crucial to put these ideas in the context of daily life for residents and business owners. Somewhere right now, someone is staring blankly at their home or business budget, numb with worry, wondering how they’ll make ends meet this month.
Maybe their home and car insurance have skyrocketed due to high crime rates. Or maybe, as a small business owner, they’re now paying higher unemployment insurance as the state tries to refill its depleted coffers. How can they save for an emergency or ever hope to start a business of their own?
There’s a cumulative effect to these quality-of-life issues. Businesses and residents can only absorb so many regulatory fees, tax hikes, and rising insurance costs before their budgets no longer work—forcing them to close their doors or leave. This is how, bit by bit, the city loses its vitality and struggles to remain competitive in the national talent market.
It doesn’t take one dramatic event to tip the scales. More often, it’s the slow build-up of everyday struggles—the background noise of stress—while you’re figuring out what to eat after a long day.
We’ll end with a paraphrase of one of our favorite quotes of unknown origin:
"It’s not the tragedies that finish us; it’s the messes. Not the major disasters, but the broken shoelace on Tuesday morning."
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