Nicollet Mall farmers market exits downtown Minneapolis, yet another workweek loss

From large bouquets of flowers to tangy containers of pickles, the Nicollet Mall farmers market was an oasis of nature amid the gray industrial backdrop of downtown Minneapolis.

But after more than 30 years, the market won't return next month to the pedestrian corridor, another departure showing how the pandemic continues to shadow downtown, even though there are plans to fill the void.

"There just wasn't the amount of foot traffic on Nicollet after the pandemic with everyone working from home," Ashley Nathe, executive director of the Minneapolis Farmers Market, said in an email. "While we understand this is a significant change for everyone who shopped at the Nicollet Mall location, we encourage those shoppers to join us at the East Lyndale location."

For years, Matt Linzbach would drop by the market on his breaks since his office was on Nicollet Mall.

"It was always really convenient," said Linzbach, who works as the director of information technology for the Merchant and Gould law firm. "It was always a treat to bring my wife a big bouquet of flowers."

However, the vibrancy of the market changed post-pandemic.

"They brought [the market] back last year, but it was a shell of itself," Linzbach said.

Since 1986, the Nicollet Mall market has been a popular lunch break destination for downtown workers in warmer months. The market was there on Thursdays from May through November.

Bruce Wry remembered helping his father run his Wisconsin Cheese Outlet stand on S. 6th Street and Nicollet during his childhood summers.

"I grew up there at the market," Wry said. "Over the years, Nicollet Mall was actually the best day of the week."

Wry and his father would arrive at about 4:30 a.m. and work until past 6 p.m.

Brian Fredericksen, owner of Delano, Minn.-based Ames Farm, began selling honey and apples on Nicollet Mall around 1998. He said he could make up to $3,000 to $4,000 a day. However, sales started plummeting after the market had to relocate during Nicollet Mall's $50 million reconstruction, which finished at the end of 2017 after more than two years.

"I couldn't even raise $500," Fredericksen said of the drop.

The market paused during the pandemic when closed offices and canceled events left downtown deserted. The recent Nicollet Mall closings of Marshalls and Nordstrom Rack prove the pandemic's lasting impact.

Several large employers have also consolidated downtown offices recently, including Target Corp., which cut its office space by a third during the pandemic. AT&T recently announced it would move its employees out of its namesake tower to a Bloomington space.

But downtown backers say the city's core is slowly reviving. According to the Minneapolis Downtown Council, the number of workers back in the office in some capacity on a weekly basis has continued to grow since 2021. Employee building occupancy in downtown Minneapolis was about 64% this past January, a 56% increase compared with the year prior. Attendance at downtown events like sports games and concerts also increased by nearly 69% in 2022 compared with 2021.

The Nicollet market's absence brings the possibility of using the space for other activities during the summer, said Leah Wong, vice president of external relations for the Downtown Council and the Downtown Improvement District.

"This is really an opportunity to think about what are those moments that can help to draw people back to downtown, and what are the types of activities that can happen along Nicollet?" Wong said.

By mid-May, the Downtown Council plans to announce new activities for Nicollet Mall, which will likely focus on helping people connect during the middle of the workweek when more people are downtown, Wong said. Events would likely take advantage of work breaks during lunchtime or happy hour.

Downtown Minneapolis residents will still have several farmers market options. They can visit the Minneapolis Farmers Market near Target Field and the Mill City Farmers Market near the Guthrie Theater.

There are also two new markets that were organized by the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. One at the Commons park near U.S. Bank Stadium, which will feature vendors from the Black Market, a showcase for Black businesses, and the second near Water Works at Mill Ruins Park, which will give priority to Indigenous vendors.

With the Nicollet Mall market gone, Wry of the Wisconsin Cheese Outlet said he will focus his business on the large Lyndale market. Fredericksen of Ames Farm will continue to sell at the Mill City market. Fredericksen said he will miss the longtime Nicollet customers and the opportunities to connect with more people face to face, especially during a time when much of his business is online.

"I really enjoyed the interaction," he said. "It will be unfortunate not to have it."