1 big thing: Public smoking in St. Paul

Illustration of a "no" symbol in the shape of a joint and a ring of smoke

2. Rendering vs. Reality: Bde Maka Ska apartments

3. 🥈 The Spoon: MSP is now No. 2 

Illustration of the Hahn/Cock statue holding a cellphone. 

4. 😋 Burbs Bites: A chocolate lover's dream in Anoka

two chocolate cakes with a bottle of red wine

On the job hunt? 

5. 🖊️ 1 poem to go

Good morning! Did you remember that it's the 21st day of September? 

We did, which is why this is our song of the day.

☀️ Reality check, forecast edition: It doesn't feel like late September. Sunny with a high of 80, per the NWS.

🏀 Situational awareness: The Lynx season came to an end last night after losing to the Connecticut Sun 90-75 in a decisive Game 3.

Today's newsletter is 865 words, a 3.5-minute read.

😭 Torey is still licking her wounds after learning she has the team's lowest Uber rating (4.71/5). She has no idea what she did to deserve this! 

🍺 Nick is glad Oktoberfest brew season is back. He just picked up a 12-pack of Schell's.

🍂 Audrey is ready for actual fall weather. Go away, 80-degree temps!

Today's newsletter was edited by Ross Terrell and copy edited by Patricia Guadalupe.

Twin Cities

Picture of the Twin Cities skyline with MSP written across it.

blue

A daily look at the most significant and interesting stories affecting the Twin Cities.

Axios Twin Cities

Standard

1 big thing: It's time to vote 

2. 🧐 What else is on municipal ballots


Illustration of a man placing a vote sticker on his shirt.

3. The Spoon: The first cannabis czar

Illustration of a spoon and cherry, both with arms and legs, walking. 

4.🍷 South Lyndale Liquors' massive new store

Stay booked and busy

5. Hot homes: Northeast living for under $300K

6. 🍎 Kudos to the U of M on its latest apple  

Happy Friday! You made it through another week. 

⛅️ It will be partly sunny with a high of 73 on this last official day of summer. Fall weather moves in this weekend with rain, wind, and lower temps. 

Today's newsletter is 909 words — a 3-minute read. 

🏡 Nick can't help but let you all know that his Uber rating is 4.87/5, well above Torey's embarrassing 4.71 score. His would be a perfect 5 if not for a bachelor party weekend in Kansas City six years ago. 

🍁 Torey is excited to go to the fall festival hosted by her son's daycare. 

🥳 Audrey has officially unpacked her last box!

This newsletter was edited by Ross Terrell and copy edited by Patricia Guadalupe. 

1 big thing: What's driving brewery closures

Illustration of a beer tap with a cork in it. 

2. 🔎 Finding another legal cannabis director

3. 🍁 Blink and you might miss those fall colors

4. The Spoon: Vikings dig a deep hole 

Illustration of a spoon of alphabet soup spelling out "The Spoon" 

5. 👋 Farewell, summer haunts 

fish tacos and a phoot of sea salt sign above a metal chair and table

6.  Trivia: Tanks for reading 

Welcome back! Let's make the week a great one.

The rain — and maybe some storms — continue today, the NWS predicts. High of 67. 

Situational awareness: Today is Yom Kippur, also known as the Day of Atonement. It's the holiest day in Judaism. 

There's no school in Minneapolis and St. Paul in observance of the holiday. 

Today's newsletter is 902 words, a 3-minute read.

🍂 Torey hopes there are still leaves on the trees when she heads to Bayfield for a long weekend next month. 

👨‍👧 Nick is having a daddy-daughter day with his eldest, who is off from school. 

🌮 Audrey is making one last stop at Sea Salt for fish tacos.

This newsletter was edited by Ross Terrell and copy edited by Patricia Guadalupe.

1 big thing: Why we don't have Michelin stars

Illustration of a Michelin star on a spoon.

2. Behind the wheel of a St. Paul snowplow

Torey Van Oot behind the wheel of a snowplow.

3. Stat du jour: No shortage of THC

4. The Spoon: Cannabis director speaks out 

Illustration of a loon sitting on a spoon, with a cherry in its mouth.

A new career is waiting for you

5. 📫 1 PSA to go: Free tests are back 

Happy Tuesday! We sure needed that rain. 

🌧 Cloudy and another chance of showers today, with highs in the upper 60s.

Relying on us to keep you up-to-date on what's happening around town? Support our local journalism by becoming a member. You'll get insider notes, a shoutout on your birthday, and more.

Already a member? Make sure your birthday is on your account profile so we don't miss your day. 🎈 

This newsletter is 925 words, a 3.5-minute read

Congrats to Kenneth B., who was among the readers who correctly guessed that Nick took yesterday's trivia photo at Crosby Memorial Park in Serpent Lake!

❄️ Audrey wants to drive a snowplow. Is it possible to request Plowy McPlowFace?

🗣 Torey is moderating an afternoon panel on what's next for Minnesota's legal marijuana law. Should be newsy!

1 big thing: U.S. Bank weighs office lease renewals

US Bancorp Center in downtown Minneapolis as seen from the sky 

2. Restaurant roundup: Litt open date set

pinball bar interior with a horsehoe shaped bar

3. The Spoon: You won't Wallen to miss this news 

Illustration of two spoons with text reading "Twin Cities" that changes to "MPLS" and "St. P."

Summer 2023 was one of the Twin Cities' warmest on record

4. 🥵 Yes, it was a hot summer 

Stay booked and busy 

5. 🔬 1 rendering to go: The U's new chemistry hub

Good morning! We've made it to Wednesday. 

Mostly cloudy, with a high of 67, per the NWS. We could see some showers.

Today's newsletter is 909 words, a 3-minute read. 

Editor's note: Yesterday's story on Michelin stars was corrected to note that Minnesota had James Beard wins in 2018 and 2019.

😳 Torey meant to mention in yesterday's newsletter that she crashed into a snowplow when she was a teenager. Luckily, everyone was OK! 

📺 Nick is finally getting around to watching the final five episodes of "Better Call Saul." So good.

🥃 Audrey is wrapping up "Mad Men." Best show ever.

Today's newsletter was edited by Hadley Malcolm and copy edited by Patricia Guadalupe.

More than one in five people in the Twin Cities metro area who were working in 2022 did so from home, according to U.S. census data released last week. 

That's down from 26% in 2021 but above the national average of 15.2%. 

State of play: The work-from-home revolution is most entrenched in big cities with large concentrations of office buildings, and downtown economies that survived because of those office buildings being full.

Locally, Xcel Energy called workers back into the office three days a week starting in September and U.S. Bank has also been asking workers to come in more. 

Yes, but: Some of Minnesota's biggest corporations are dramatically downsizing their office footprint. Most recently it was UnitedHealth, which is departing its main Minnetonka headquarters tower and moving those employees to its Eden Prairie Optum campus. 

Wells Fargo, Prime Therapeutics, Thomson Reuters, and Target have also consolidated their office spaces. 

Twin Cities residents still working from home in high numbers

More than one if five Twin Cities workers were still working from home in 2022

Remote work

More than one in five people in the Twin Cities metro area who were working in 2022 did so from home, according to U.S. census data released last week. <ul><li>That&#x27;s down from 26% in 2021 but above the national average of 15.2%. </li></ul>

News

Axios Twin Cities, anchored by Torey Van Oot, Nick Halter and Audrey Kennedy, is here to help readers get smarter, faster on the most consequential news and developments unfolding in their own backyard

U.S. Bank will be the next big corporation to reshape its office presence in the Twin Cities as several of the company's leases expire in the next 13 months.

Why it matters: What U.S. Bank decides will impact where many of its 12,000 Twin Cities employees work. It will also have ripple effects on the retailers and restaurants that serve those workers.

State of play: Several Twin Cities corporations in the last two years have dramatically downsized their office footprints as they adjust to a world in which hybrid work requires less space.

U.S. Bank has asked workers to be in the office three days a week.

What we're watching: The company has more than 900,000 square feet of expiring leases. The first big decision could come soon, as the bank's 444,000-square-foot lease for downtown Minneapolis' U.S. Bancorp Center ends next May.

Building owner Piedmont Office Realty Trust said on a July earnings call that negotiations have accelerated and is optimistic the bank will renew for all of its space.

Meanwhile, the company's lease for 340,000 square feet in Richfield's Meridian Crossing Complex expires at the end of the year, but on the July call Piedmont offered a more conservative estimate, saying that the bank could renew 50% of its space.

What they're saying: "We're always looking at our real estate footprint to ensure that we have the appropriate amount and type of office space that our employee teams want and need," company spokesperson Jeff Shelman said in an email.

The other side (of the river): In downtown St. Paul, the company leases 118,000 square feet in U.S. Bank Center. That lease expires in October 2024, and the bank has not yet announced if it will renew or relocate those workers. However, it did recently renew its lease for a retail branch in the building.

"They haven't decided anything concerning our building," landlord Jim Crockarell of Madison Equities told Axios.

Between the lines: If U.S. Bank does leave downtown St. Paul, it owns an office building just across the river called West Side Flats that could at least keep the workers in the city.

U.S. Bank weighs office lease renewals

What the bank decides to do with its office space will impact thousands of Twin Cities workers.

U.S. Bancorp Center in Minneapolis as seen from the sky 

U.S. Bancorp Center, pictured at right, is in position to keep the bank as its anchor tenant. Photo: David Brewster/Star Tribune via Getty Images

Banking

U.S. Bank will be the next big corporation to reshape its office presence in the Twin Cities as several of the company&#x27;s leases expire in the next 13 months.Why it matters: What U.S. Bank decides will impact where many of its 12,000 Twin Cities employees work. It will also have ripple effects on the retailers and restaurants that serve those workers.

Business

Waterbury House, a new nine-story apartment building just north of Bde Maka Ska in Minneapolis, looks almost identical to the renderings the planning commission approved in 2021. 

Catch up fast: The 73-unit building, at 3012 Excelsior Blvd., was fit into a triangle lot that was formerly a BP gas station. It was developed by Blaine-based Elevage and designed by Minneapolis-based ESG. 

Nick's score (based on accuracy to the rendering): 9.8/10. If only city streets were that smooth in real life.

Flashback: Elevage originally pitched this project as a 100-room hotel with 20 condos, but switched gears in 2021, after Covid cratered the Twin Cities hotel occupancy rates. 

What we're watching: The buildout of a ground-floor restaurant designed by Shea Inc. just wrapped up, according to a city permit. 

The developer, who also owns several Twin Cities restaurants including Oliver's, BRICKS Kitchen & Pub, and Village Pub, could not be reached for comment. 

Rendering vs. reality: Apartment building near Bde Maka Ska

The nine-story building at 3012 Excelsior Blvd. looks just like the rendering. We're watching to see what restaurant  opens on the street level.

Rendering courtesy of city of Minneapolis. Photo by Nick Halter/Axios

Real estate

Waterbury House, a new nine-story apartment building just north of Bde Maka Ska in Minneapolis, looks almost identical to the renderings the planning commission <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="approved in 2021" data-vars-click-url="https://lims.minneapolismn.gov/Board/Agenda/CPC/2582" data-vars-content-id="44a3b1d2-0bfc-46cf-922d-ff0f1b2efa2d" data-vars-headline="Rendering vs. reality: Apartment building near Bde Maka Ska" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://lims.minneapolismn.gov/Board/Agenda/CPC/2582" target="_blank">approved in 2021</a>. Catch up fast: The 73-unit building, at 3012 Excelsior Blvd., was fit into a triangle lot that was formerly a BP gas station. It was developed by Blaine-based Elevage and designed by Minneapolis-based ESG.

Real Estate

South Lyndale Liquors announced its newly constructed store at 5516 Lyndale Ave. S. in Minneapolis will open on Oct. 4.

What we're watching: The new store will be nearly twice the size of its existing one, which is just a few blocks north. 

According to its business plan, the new location will also have a cheese store and meeting room. A job posting also indicates it will sell sandwiches. 

Context: At 19,500 square feet, it is nearly the size of a typical Total Wine store. 

My thought bubble: I poked my head in the store Thursday and it looks like it's going to be fantastic, with two-story ceiling heights and the cheese shop near the front entrance. 

Of note: Owner Dan Campo could not be reached for comment. 

South Lyndale Liquors will soon open huge new store

At 19,500 square feet, it's nearly the size of a typical  Total Wine store.

South Lyndale Liquor's new store. Photo: Nick Halter/Axios

Retail

South Lyndale Liquors announced its newly constructed store at 5516 Lyndale Ave. S. in Minneapolis will open on Oct. 4.What we&#x27;re watching: The new store will be nearly twice the size of its existing one, which is just a few blocks north.

When the owner of Tin Whiskers brewery in St. Paul was getting ready to close his business in March of 2022, he told Axios he would be a forerunner to a reckoning in the craft beer industry.

State of play: This month, Eastlake in South Minneapolis and Dangerous Man in Northeast Minneapolis announced they will soon close their taprooms. Plus, 612Brew's owners recently sold their taproom.

The latest closures come about a year after Able Seedhouse and Rock Bottom, both in Minneapolis, called it quits.

Why it matters: Minnesota has boomed with new breweries for more than a decade. But the demand for craft beer has flattened and that means more breweries are fighting over the same size pie.

Yes, but: That doesn't mean some kind of bubble has burst, said Bart Watson, chief economist for the national Brewers Association. Rather, craft brewing has turned into a "normal" market like the restaurant industry. Yes, breweries are closing, but they are still opening, too.

"We had this golden period for five to 10 years where everyone opened and no one closed, and I would reframe that as the unusual thing," he told Axios.

Between the lines: It may not be a reckoning, but it's gotten a lot harder to be a brewer in the past couple of years.

The pandemic put a huge dent in sales for more than two years and some breweries had to rack up debt to stay alive, and inflation has made brewing beer more expensive.

Breweries that opened five to 10 years ago often went into areas of the city where rent was low, Watson said. But their presence helped make the area more popular, which in turn has landlords asking breweries to pay more in rent. Eastlake, for example, said it could no longer afford the rent.

Brewery owners have gotten second jobs to make up for lost income. Working 9-5 before spending nights and weekends in the taproom is a recipe for burnout. The founders of 612Brew and Tin Whiskers both told Axios they had to get second jobs a few years ago.

What to watch: As craft breweries close, beverage consultant Max Johnson of BevSource expects to see some of them replaced with companies that make spirits and canned cocktails and have their own kind of taproom.

"We really think that spirits are going to be the next big trend," Johnson said.

And it remains to be seen how much of a lifeline THC seltzers could be for craft breweries since Minnesota is a rare state that allows for THC sales in most retail settings.

A wave of brewery closures hits Minneapolis

High profile taproom closures of Dangerous Man, Eastlake, have people wondering if there's a craft beer bust.

Beer

When the owner of Tin Whiskers brewery in St. Paul was getting ready to close his business in March of 2022, he told Axios he would be a forerunner to a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="reckoning in the craft beer industry" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2022/03/30/minnesota-breweries-challenges-tin-whiskers-st-paul" data-vars-content-id="a126e5c5-ab36-439b-8486-718f025b07a6" data-vars-headline="A wave of brewery closures hits Minneapolis" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2022/03/30/minnesota-breweries-challenges-tin-whiskers-st-paul" target="_self">reckoning in the craft beer industry</a>.State of play: This month, Eastlake in South Minneapolis and Dangerous Man in Northeast Minneapolis announced they will soon close their taprooms. Plus, 612Brew&#x27;s owners <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="recently sold their taproom" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2023/08/10/612-brew-minneapolis-sold-padraigs-patrick-carey" data-vars-content-id="a126e5c5-ab36-439b-8486-718f025b07a6" data-vars-headline="A wave of brewery closures hits Minneapolis" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2023/08/10/612-brew-minneapolis-sold-padraigs-patrick-carey" target="_self">recently sold their taproom</a>.<ul><li>The latest closures come about a year after <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Able Seedhouse" data-vars-click-url="https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-lifestyle/able-seedhouse-brewery-in-ne-minneapolis-to-close-its-doors" data-vars-content-id="a126e5c5-ab36-439b-8486-718f025b07a6" data-vars-headline="A wave of brewery closures hits Minneapolis" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-lifestyle/able-seedhouse-brewery-in-ne-minneapolis-to-close-its-doors" target="_blank">Able Seedhouse</a> and Rock Bottom, both in Minneapolis, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="called it quits" data-vars-click-url="https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-lifestyle/able-seedhouse-brewery-in-ne-minneapolis-to-close-its-doors" data-vars-content-id="a126e5c5-ab36-439b-8486-718f025b07a6" data-vars-headline="A wave of brewery closures hits Minneapolis" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-lifestyle/able-seedhouse-brewery-in-ne-minneapolis-to-close-its-doors" target="_blank">called it quits</a>.</li></ul>Why it matters: Minnesota has boomed with new breweries for more than a decade. But the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="demand for craft beer has flattened" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2023/06/26/craft-beer-minnesota-declines-thc-cocktails" data-vars-content-id="a126e5c5-ab36-439b-8486-718f025b07a6" data-vars-headline="A wave of brewery closures hits Minneapolis" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2023/06/26/craft-beer-minnesota-declines-thc-cocktails" target="_self">demand for craft beer has flattened</a> and that means more breweries are fighting over the same size pie.<ul><li>In other words, the boom is over.</li></ul>Yes, but: That doesn&#x27;t mean some kind of bubble has burst, said Bart Watson, chief economist for the national Brewers Association. Rather, craft brewing has turned into a &quot;normal&quot; market like the restaurant industry. Yes, breweries are closing, but they are <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="still opening, too" data-vars-click-url="https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-lifestyle/two-new-breweries-join-minneapolis-st-paul-downtowns" data-vars-content-id="a126e5c5-ab36-439b-8486-718f025b07a6" data-vars-headline="A wave of brewery closures hits Minneapolis" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-lifestyle/two-new-breweries-join-minneapolis-st-paul-downtowns" target="_blank">still opening, too</a>.<ul><li>&quot;We had this golden period for five to 10 years where everyone opened and no one closed, and I would reframe that as the unusual thing,&quot; he told Axios.</li></ul>Between the lines: It may not be a reckoning, but it&#x27;s gotten a lot harder to be a brewer in the past couple of years.<ul><li>The pandemic put a huge dent in sales for more than two years and some breweries had to rack up debt to stay alive, and inflation has made brewing beer more expensive.</li><li>Breweries that opened five to 10 years ago often went into areas of the city where rent was low, Watson said. But their presence helped make the area more popular, which in turn has landlords asking breweries to pay more in rent. Eastlake, for example, said it <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="could no longer afford the rent" data-vars-click-url="https://www.startribune.com/east-lake-street-brewery-closing-midtown-global-market-minneapolis/600304242/" data-vars-content-id="a126e5c5-ab36-439b-8486-718f025b07a6" data-vars-headline="A wave of brewery closures hits Minneapolis" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.startribune.com/east-lake-street-brewery-closing-midtown-global-market-minneapolis/600304242/" target="_blank">could no longer afford the rent</a>.</li><li>Brewery owners have gotten second jobs to make up for lost income. Working 9-5 before spending nights and weekends in the taproom is a recipe for burnout. The founders of 612Brew and Tin Whiskers both told Axios they had to get second jobs a few years ago.</li></ul>What to watch: As craft breweries close, beverage consultant Max Johnson of BevSource expects to see some of them replaced with companies that make spirits and canned cocktails and have their own kind of taproom.<ul><li>&quot;We really think that spirits are going to be the next big trend,&quot; Johnson said.</li><li>And it remains to be seen how much of a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="lifeline THC seltzers" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2023/08/10/thc-seltzers-selling-liquor-stores-minnesota-boom" data-vars-content-id="a126e5c5-ab36-439b-8486-718f025b07a6" data-vars-headline="A wave of brewery closures hits Minneapolis" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2023/08/10/thc-seltzers-selling-liquor-stores-minnesota-boom" target="_self">lifeline THC seltzers</a> could be for craft breweries since Minnesota is a rare state that allows for THC sales in most retail settings.</li></ul>

Nick Halter

Stories

U.S. Bank weighs office lease renewals

A wave of brewery closures hits Minneapolis

South Lyndale Liquors will soon open huge new store

Rendering vs. reality: Apartment building near Bde Maka Ska

Twin Cities residents still working from home in high numbers

Newsletter editions

👀 U.S. Bank's office options

⭐️ No Michelin stars

🍺 More trouble brewing

🗳 It's vote: 30

🚭 Pot in public