Minneapolis’ Nicollet Mall doesn’t have to stay stuck at second-rate 

Nicollet Mall, the 1960s-era transformation of downtown Minneapolis’ main shopping street, has stagnated for so long that even saying so has become cliché. Go there outside of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. and it compares poorly to main streets of comparable cities like Denver, Madison, Portland, Milwaukee and Des Moines. Its quiet stems from its lack of storefronts and the subsequent lack of activity. But the lack of vibrancy is ironic because in other ways – theaters, great restaurants, and a strong economy – downtown Minneapolis is doing quite well. Nicollet Mall hasn’t contributed to that vitality for years. “It s just not working,” Mayor Jacob Frey told me a few weeks ago. “We also have a massive opportunity with the changeover of several of these buildings. We have to try something different here.” The puzzle remains: How can Minneapolis fix Nicollet Mall? How can the city lure people into spending time and money in its central office district when it has so few storefronts?