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Downtown Minneapolis retail in decline, but aims to make a comeback

In less than a week, shoppers will cram into malls and stores looking for Black Friday deals, but fewer of them are choosing to shop downtown.

MINNEAPOLIS- The holiday shopping season is upon us. In less than a week, shoppers will cram into malls and stores looking for Black Friday deals, but fewer of them are choosing to shop downtown.

“We are seeing a transition in retail, there’s no doubt about it,” Minneapolis Downtown Council President Steve Cramer says.

Downtown Minneapolis isn’t exactly a go-to destination for Black Friday shopping these days, but Cramer says very soon it could be.

Online shopping and a growing number of vacant buildings in downtown has hurt retail in recent years he says, but all of that is about to change.

“We want to bring that kind of experience back to people, entertainment, food, specialty retail,” Cramer says.

He feels Minneapolis is in a prime position to make that transition.

The main agent of that change will be the Dayton’s Project, highlighting the days of old, when retail was king in downtown Minneapolis, while also ushering in a new generation of downtown shopping.

“35 years ago, on Nicollet we had a number of department stores like Macy’s and Dayton’s, but now we don’t have any. We want to bring that experience back to people,” Cramer says.

The council's 2025 plan is also about working together to create more events and promotions, so shoppers feel like they're getting more out of their downtown experience.

“It’s more of an all-day thing these days,” Cramer says. “We think retail can be a big part of that with food and entertainment and shopping all being a part of the experience.”

The change won’t happen overnight Cramer says. Just calling it a “2025 Plan” shows you how long this transition might take.

However, Cramer says some of the change will happen in the coming months with owners of the Dayton’s Building expecting to bring in a few new tenants in 2019.

Crime has also been a big deterrent for downtown shoppers in recent years.

Business leaders are hoping to solve the problem by bringing more activity downtown to scare away criminals.

"Busy streets are safe streets," Cramer says. "With more activity we think crime will go down and we're already seeing a great decline this year already."

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