To help local retailers experiencing trouble because of the COVID, the Mall of America is contributing a 5,000-square-foot retail space to local sellers called the Community Commons. Space will be free-lease to 17 businesses, opening October 1 and will remain in activity up to the following spring on Level Two on the south side of the shopping center.
“The Community Commons initiative is one of hope and possibility as Mall of America joins the efforts to help rebuild the hearts, minds, and livelihoods of our diverse retail community. We are proud to welcome these businesses to Mall of America, where guests will be introduced to an even greater slice of what our retail community has to offer beyond the doors of Mall of America.”
Mall of America EVP of Business Development and Marketing Jill Renslow
With this, the company serves as a lifeline to some Minneapolis businesses hard hit by the pandemic. It is also serving as a home to specific organizations disturbed by the unrest.
In August, Minnesota Transitions Charter School reported that it would move into a 17,000square-foot space on level 3 of the shopping center after its optional school and regional workplaces were demolished in the typical turmoil. Updates on the project rose a month ago during a press preparation by the Minneapolis Forward Community Now Coalition.
Members from the alliance said that the Mall of America was only one alternative accessible to organizations that couldn’t open at their present areas. Different options include moving into the Midtown Global Market or empty structures along Lake Street, according to a member of the coalition.
The organizations included in the project give a large group of merchandise extending from food and drink to apparel. Some of the organizations had are Heritage Tea and Beverages, Belle and Virtue Collection, and Herbal Alchemy.
“We’re happy to see that the Mall of America is trying to engage, particularly with African American businesses.”
Raeisha Williams, owner of Heritage Tea & Beverage
Moreover, the space will feature the aesthetics of Juxtaposition Arts, an art place staffed by teenagers in North Minneapolis. JXTA has been a hatchery for artists ages 12 to 21 for the past 25 years. Lamentably, their own Minneapolis group arts space was plundered during the mobs. JXTA has helped more than 3,000 kids and youthful grown-ups through training and tutoring programs. Their rich and lively graphic presentations of hope and good faith have adorned the network through its 25 years of operation.
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