BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — The start of the holiday shopping season has been encouraging at the Mall of America and many more malls across America.

“A lot more retail therapy going on, if you want to think about it that way,” said University of St Thomas marketing professor Dr. Mike Porter. “We’re really looking for experiences now, and while we’re going to continue to purchase online there is something about getting out and shopping and engaging with others.”

Reports from Simon Malls and Placer.ai both indicate traffic up between 5-10% at all types of different malls nationwide during the long Thanksgiving/Black Friday holiday weekend.

Porter said some of that surge can be explained by the later, more truncated, start to the holiday shopping season.

Dr. Mike Porter: “Marketers have turned Black Friday into the beginning of that shopping season, well if that beginning starts later, then we have to accommodate with truncated sales and everything is kind of crammed together.”

Kent Erdahl: “It probably doesn’t hurt, in Minnesota, that it was also super cold.” 

Porter: “Colder than it certainly has been, it started late, just like Thanksgiving, so all of those triggers that get people to say, ‘Oh, it’s time to go Christmas shopping,’ it all come together at once.”

Though the timing may have played a role, in a year when many other physical stores saw traffic dip, shoppers certainly seem to be coming together more at malls. 

Jaxen Grey, the local men’s clothing retailer that began with a standalone store in the North Loop, now has several locations in area malls, and the owners are glad they did.

“Hearing from all of our mall stores and then hearing from our non-mall stores, the difference was substantial,” said Adam Bevis, co-owner and fashion director for Jaxen Grey.

Because Jaxen Grey features many brands that began selling their products online, Bevis said adding stores in shopping malls has been a natural progression as traffic has returned in recent years.

“We’ve definitely seen malls make a comeback,” he said. “With the pandemic and everything the scales tipped too far towards (e-commerce) and now I think we’re just seeing a leveling out,” 

In some cases that has involved leveling anchor stores. Porter said the push began when local malls started to rethink — and re-work — those pivotal spaces to make room for the likes of LifeTime Fitness, Kowalski’s Market and large-format Dick’s Sporting Goods stores.

From there, he’s seen the malls work to bring in new tenants, pop-ups and experiences to fill the rest of the vacant spaces that piled up amid the pandemic.

“If you just walk around here at the Mall of America, the number of empty storefronts is dramatically less,” he said. “And once you get to 90% plus occupancy, it looks like a place you want to go as opposed to going into a mall that’s half empty.”

“I feel like malls are making things more interesting,” said local artist Adam Turman, who opened his first pop-up shop at the Mall of America this holiday season. 

Turman said the experiment has already started to pay off after Black Friday. 

“I’ve really been enjoying the experience. It’s also interesting too, because I’m getting a new audience. I have a very big Minnesota audience, and I’ve heard from people who have worked the store that it’s about 50/50, with about half of visitors from out of town,” he said. 

Though store traffic in November was about what he had expected, Turman said Black Friday is proving the experience to be worthwhile.

“It ended up being a booming day,” he said. “We did at least 300% — if not more — in business than we would have done in a normal day.”

Neither Turman, nor Porter, knows where things will go from here this holiday season, but they’re both pretty sure the appeal of malls isn’t going anywhere.

Erdahl: “Three years ago, many people were asking were asking, ‘Is that mall dead?’ You said, ‘Nay.’ Do you want to take a victory lap around here?” 

Porter: “I’m not sure that I had a whole lot of clairvoyance there. Everything cycles and if we’re at the bottom, it’s pretty easy to say it’s going to come back. I’m not going to take any victory laps.” 

He is not the only one not taking a victory lap. Because this holiday shopping season is essentially a week shorter, multiple retailers say there is even more pressure on every day from here until the end of the year. They say only time will tell if the increased traffic will translate into increased spending overall.

MINNEAPOLIS — Another candidate has joined the race to be Minneapolis’s next mayor.

On Wednesday morning Minneapolis city council member Emily Koski officially announced her candidacy for mayor.

“It’s time for a mayor who isn’t afraid to make tough decisions and take a closer look at what’s working and what isn’t,” Koski said.

Earlier in the week Minnesota state senator Omar Fateh also announced plans to run for Minneapolis mayor.

“I’m running for Mayor with you to make Minneapolis a prosperous and welcoming city,” Fateh said during a press conference announcing his candidacy.

Minneapolis minister DeWayne Davis also announced plans to run for Mayor back in October.

All three candidates will likely face incumbent Mayor Jacob Frey.

A spokesperson for Mayor Frey says, “Mayor Frey has yet to officially launch his campaign or announce his reelection bid. But as of now, he is still preparing to do so.”

Larry Jacobs, a political science professor at the University of Minnesota, says the mayoral race will feature a wide spectrum of democratic viewpoints, from extremely left leaning, to more moderate candidates like Mayor Frey.

“We are going to see a significant display of differences among democratic candidates,” Professor Jacobs says.

“I think Jacob Frey may face a candidate or two who are moderate, who have business roots, I think Emily Koski is that kind of candidate.”

Professor Jacobs says it’s unlikely Frey will face a strong republican candidate, because looking into the history books, Minneapolis hasn’t had a republican mayor since 1973.

According to city records, former Minneapolis city council president Richard Erdall held the position of Minneapolis mayor for one day due to a formality after the previous mayor resigned.

To find the last elected republican mayor in Minneapolis, you must go back to Paul Kenneth Pearson, who was elected in 1957.

Before 1957 the city of Minneapolis saw several republican mayors.
 
“70 years ago, the Twin Cities was a moderate, even a republican leaning area. What we’ve seen is the urban areas in Minnesota and also in other states have become quite liberal or even left.”

Professor Jacobs  says mayoral candidates will face an uphill battle as they attempt to differentiate themselves among other democrats, especially if Minneapolis sees another race like we had in 2021, when 19 candidates received votes in the election.

“I would expect more candidates to jump into the race. I think it will be pretty crowded and I think that plays to Mayor Frey’s advantage because the left will fragment.”

Jacobs says the biggest challenges for Frey will be the economy, if the Minneapolis economy takes a hit in the coming months, a challenger could use that to their advantage.

Jacobs says Frey could also be challenged by a progressive who rallies the right people, or a business-focused moderate who offers an alternative.

“We’ve got a year of debate ahead. We have plenty of issues,” Jacobs says.

“We do have a lot of time so grab your popcorn, strap in, and enjoy the political theater.”

MINNEAPOLIS — As winter tightens its grip on the Twin Cities, local organizations are grappling with an increasing demand for homeless services amid a backdrop of rising homelessness rates.

At Catholic Charities’ Twin Cities Opportunity Center in Minneapolis, Chef Mis Bev serves warm meals to those in need. 

The kitchen bustles with activity as plates of spaghetti and oranges are prepared, offering sustenance and comfort on cold days

“Our numbers have been going up every winter,” said Bev. 

Tatyana Finklea, division director for adult emergency services with Catholic Charities, says every winter it sees an increased need for services. 

The organization, which provides a range of services including mail, food, shelter, and housing assistance, reports being exceptionally busy this season.

The surge in demand comes as Minnesota faces a growing homelessness crisis.

A recent study by the Wilder Institute reveals a troubling trend. 

Homelessness in the state has increased over the past decade. The 2023 survey of 1,300 people found that 23% of homeless individuals had spent at least half of the previous month outside, a significant jump from 13% a decade ago.

John Tribbett, service area director for Avivo, which provides shelter and wrap-around services, said the study reflect what him and his team already knows. 

 “Life has gotten harder in a lot of ways for many of us in our community,” he said.

The study also highlights the critical shortage of shelter space. “We’re seeing more people in need of shelter and less shelter availability,” Finklea notes. 

This scarcity becomes particularly concerning as frigid conditions threaten those living outside.

Tribbett points to broader economic pressures as a contributing factor. 

“People that are at the margins, more people are going to fall into harder spots as it gets harder for us to keep afloat,” he said.

To learn more about about Catholic Charities Twin Cities and to donate, click here.

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