Downtown St. Paul program pairs small businesses with empty storefronts (and zero rent)

Source:
Star Tribune
https://www.startribune.com/downtown-st-paul-program-pairs-small-businesses-empty-storefronts/601190023

Author:
Katie Galioto

Article Excerpt:
The St. Paul Downtown Alliance filled vacant retail space by setting up businesses with free six-month leases.

Alexandra Johnson was searching for a storefront to move her dog sporting equipment business, Jack and the Pack, out of her garage. The old Heartthrob Cafe space on the ground floor of downtown St. Paul’s Wells Fargo Place had been vacant for more than a decade.

All they needed was a matchmaker.

Enter the nonprofit St. Paul Downtown Alliance, which has been pairing small businesses with empty storefronts through its Grow Downtown program since 2022...

...“Even though we have this large building, we’re still considerably a small business,” said Lillie Rosen of Halverson and Blaiser Group, which manages the building. “Being able to work with other small businesses and help them out is a great benefit.”...