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Video rental stores are making a comeback in Minneapolis 

Nonprofit Saturn Video will open in Minneapolis next month.

A photo of VHS tapes like Lord of the Rings and Jurassic Park lined up on a shelf below a sign that says Be Kind, Rewind. 

Photo by Leonard Ortiz/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images

Twin Cities movie buffs nostalgic for the days of Blockbuster will soon have somewhere to rewind.The big picture: After three years of pop-ups at local markets and theaters, nonprofit <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Saturn Video" data-vars-click-url="https://www.instagram.com/saturnvideo.cafe/" data-vars-content-id="04041466-a52f-4629-ad74-3dd6c01df3a0" data-vars-headline="Video rental stores are making a comeback in Minneapolis " data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.instagram.com/saturnvideo.cafe/" target="_blank">Saturn Video</a> will open the metro&#x27;s only video rental storefront next month in Minneapolis&#x27; Seward neighborhood.

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Vikings fans headed to Sunday's game may want to bring an antacid along with their appetite.

Driving the news: U.S. Bank Stadium just introduced around 20 new concession items for the upcoming Vikings season, and this year's theme appears to be classic artery-clogging stadium fare.

What to expect: Five new burgers, three varieties of loaded nachos, ranch cheese curds, a rotating selection of SPAM dogs and plenty of filling sandwiches, from meatball subs to Reubens to cheesesteaks.

The wildest creation may be the Raid Burger from Birch's on the Lake: a double bacon cheeseburger topped with fried cheese curds and covered in ranch sauce.

The other side: New vendor La Borinqua will serve gluten-free fare like Puerto Rican rice bowls and chicken kabobs, and Herbivorous Butcher has expanded its vegan sandwich offerings.

The few new sweets include sugary dirty sodas and Hawaiian-style shaved ice, both of which can be modified to add alcohol.

Note: Prices were not listed at the preview, and vendors declined to disclose them.

Audrey's thought bubble: U.S. Bank Stadium has been ahead of trends in recent years — the 2025 new foods list included the apple fries and savory waffle cones that became enormously popular at this year's State Fair.

The 2026 menu could have used more variety. I couldn't tell much difference between the five cheeseburgers or three chicken tender vendors.

New Vikings stadium foods stick to the classics 

Vikings fans headed to Sunday's home game may want to bring an antacid along with their appetite.

Split image at a stadium: left a fried chicken sandwich with cheese sauce and fries on a wooden table, green field in background; right a bucket of fried cheese curds piled high, purple seats behind.

The Raid Burger and ranch cheese curds at U.S. Bank Stadium. Photos: Audrey Kennedy/Axios 

Vikings fans headed to Sunday&#x27;s game may want to bring an antacid along with their appetite.Driving the news: U.S. Bank Stadium just introduced around 20 new concession items for the upcoming Vikings season, and this year&#x27;s theme appears to be classic artery-clogging stadium fare.

Food and Drink

Sports

Some of the Mall of America's buzziest new brands were first "discovered" by shoppers on TikTok For You pages.

State of the stores: In the last year, the retail and entertainment megaplex has added "viral" claw machine arcade Duck, blind box seller Miniso and dessert stand Sweet Crunch Tanghulu to its directory.

There's even Roni's, a mac-and-cheese bar that boasts nearly a million TikTok followers.

Why it matters: The marketing play is part of a bid to turn social media traffic into foot traffic, as retailers woo highly sought-after Gen-Z shoppers.

What they're saying: MOA's retail strategy is "more about curating experiences than ever before," head of leasing Carrie Charleston told the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal.

"It is shifting to brands that are bringing in more consumer engagement and retail experiences."

Digitally native brands and those with big footprints on TikTok and other social platforms — think clothing store Edikted and Asian shopping brands like Pop Mart — are key to the effort.

Between the lines: Despite all the time they spend scrolling, data shows Gen Z is gravitating toward malls and other forms of IRL retail over online shopping, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Stunning stat: Shoppers ages 18-24 bought over 60% of their general merchandise purchases in stores last year, per the data firm Circana.

For those 25 and older, the share drops to closer to 50%.

What we're hearing: "Offering a Macy's or a Dillard's or a JCPenney, it's not really interesting to Gen Z," Neil Saunders, managing director at GlobalData, tells Axios. "But if you can provide some of these brands that they see on social media, they're there in a heartbeat."

That's because younger shoppers in particular "want to have the social experience, they want to engage with [the brands] in person," and, of course, use the opportunities to create content of their own.

"It just brings to life what they see on the screen, and that's important to them," Saunders says.

Case in point: On a recent trip to the mall, we met a 12-year-old from Illinois named Lexi who had asked her parents to add MOA to the family vacation itinerary after seeing its Pop Mart on her social feeds.

"It's fun not knowing what you're going to get," she said of the popular "blind box" collectibles the store stocks.

What's next: The Golden Nuts MN, a local shop that dishes up trendy Dubai chocolates, and viral apparel brand Comfrt are set to open soon.

Three people take a selfie in a mall beside a large blue Minnesota Sea Life Aquarium sign; Haagen-Dazs storefront visible on the left.

Many viral experiences or fads face the same question: Will it live up to the hype?

We put that to the test, spending a day trying — and documenting, naturally — some of MOA's hottest experiences.

Because we're serious journalists, we came up with a scientific (and self-explanatory scale for rating each site: 👍 👎 and ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

🚶‍♀️Power walk: We started the day with an oldie but goodie: A pre-opening power walk.

Is it truly viral? Maybe not. But we've seen some videos of mall-goers pursuing a half marathon (or more) gain traction in our feeds, so we figured we should count it.

Plus: We got to meet up with Kyle's amazing grandma and her friend, who have been walking the mall daily for decades.

Rating: 👍 It's a surprisingly serene way to get your steps in. 

💄  Miniso: This popular Asian retailer's motto is "life is for fun," and the store lives up to that promise. It sells everything from makeup to collectibles.

Pro tip: Blind box collectibles are the biggest seller, though plushies called Fugglers are increasingly popular with teens.

Our rating: 👍 This place is a vibe. It's fun and accessible and oh so bright.

Even if it's not your scene, leave your heart open to it: It might make the young person in your life happy.

🎤 Kpop Nara: Opening earlier this year, the store describes itself as the "ultimate retail destination for K-pop albums." 

Our rating: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ It felt sparse and sanitized, kind of like an airport bookstore, with a much smaller selection and less opportunity for discovery than some of the other spots we visited.

Yes, but: We aren't the target audience, and K-Pop fans might enjoy the merch.

Left: display case with oversized vinyl dolls wearing blue crowns and colorful dresses; right: POP MART storefront with bright interior and shoppers inside.

Pop Mart sells some of the trendiest collectables out there. Photo: Torey Van Oot/Axios

👹 Pop Mart: The China-based maker of Labubus and other popular collectables opened its first Minnesota brick-and-mortar retail location at MOA in 2025.

Pro tip: They still see lines after big drops or on busy shopping weekends.

Our rating: 👍 This is a blue-chip experience for fans of the brands or anyone who wants to learn about the trends — the merch was fun to browse and employees knowledgeable!

🧀 Roni's: The "viral" mac-and-cheese bar serves up the classic comfort food with a range of toppings and mix-ins.

What makes cheesy noodles viral? We weren't really sure and neither were the employees. But it was delicious and very cheesy.

Our rating: 👍 Even if you don't care if your lunch is "trendy," Roni's serves up a lot of food for $10.

Split image: Left—glasses-wearing man in a toy store squints while holding a brown box labeled "Fuggler Old Fogies"; bright toy shelves behind. Right—two people at a white checkout counter examining something.

Kyle does his best Fuggler impression at Miniso. Audrey designs her "earscape" at Studs. Photos: Torey Van Oot/Axios

👂 Studs: Torey grew up going to Claire's for ear piercings. But it turns out that you can have a trendy, style-forward "earscape" designed at what the mall calls a "modern ear-piercing destination reimagining the piercing experience for today's Gen Z and millennial consumers."

Audrey did just that on our adventure day, impulsively getting a second lobe piercing on both ears.

Our rating: 👎 Painful and a little pricey — the piercings were $55 before tax and tip, and two mid-tier titanium earrings ran her an additional $156.

Plus: One of the earrings fell out by week three. 

Bright yellow duck-themed crane game cabinet with neon borders, a large DUCK! sign and duck mascots, filled with pastel-colored prize boxes and packets behind glass.

It's harder than it looks. Photo: Torey Van Oot/Axios

🦆 Duck: This arcade is full of mostly claw games. The catch: Prizes don't only include cheap toys, but also trendy, spendy collectibles.

How it works: Load your card up with points and try your hand — er, claw! — at winning prizes ranging from a bag of chips to a giant Pikachu. Many feature hot toys, like NeeDoh's and (not to sound like a broken record) blind boxes. The price-per-game varies.

Plus: You can swap your prizes at the counter or use the points to play regular arcade games in the back.

Audrey and Torey's rating: 👎👎👎 If you're looking to burn a hole in your pocket with nothing to show for it, check it out (we blew $20 and lost every game we played).

Kyle's rating: 👍 He won a mini Matcha plushy. 

😻 Build-a-Bear x Hello Kitty: Located on the top floor, this spin on the custom bear station offers designs not available elsewhere. Shortly before we stopped by, they hosted an event for influencers.

Our rating: 👍 Fun if you're a fan of the IP, though it's pricey!

🍓Sweet Crunch Tanghulu: These fruit skewers shellacked in a candy glaze are apparently all the rage. (They also recently made their State Fair debut.) And the marketing images are quite Instagramable.

Yes, but: Capturing that content will cost you. We paid over $30 for 15 or so pieces of candied fruit.

Our rating: 🤷‍♀️ Torey was underwhelmed. Her traffic light stick was just two strawberries sandwiching a grape ($6)— and it did not resemble the pictures.

If you're going to try it, splurge for the large. It's substantially more fruit and much more worthy of the 'gram.

People ride a suspended roller coaster in a bright indoor amusement area; two riders visible—man with glasses and a woman—seated in open seats, with metal track and glass roof overhead.

Kyle tried, but he just couldn't replicate the moves. Photo: Torey Van Oot/Axios

🎢 VIRAL RIDE: As our finale, we tried to recreate the viral "Queen Spinner" of Nickelodeon Universe's Shell Shock ride.

We nominated Kyle for the task, mostly because Torey and Audrey were wearing dresses that day.

Our rating: 👍 All hail the queen! This was harder than it looked. Kyle struggled to spin his seat — despite Torey coaching (ie shouting!) from the floor below. But he did enjoy the ride.

 opened its first Minnesota brick-and-mortar retail location

Mall of America courts Gen Z with viral TikTok brands

Retailers are betting on blind boxes, viral eats and IRL experiences to bring young shoppers through its doors.

Triptych: Left shows a bright yellow arcade with crane machines and cartoon logos. Center features a stacked fruit skewer over a striped cup at a mall counter. Right shows a pastel character with flowers near a MINISO store.

Some of the Mall of America&#x27;s buzziest new brands were first &quot;discovered&quot; by shoppers on TikTok For You pages.State of the stores: In the last year, the retail and entertainment megaplex has added &quot;viral&quot; claw machine arcade Duck, blind box seller Miniso and dessert stand Sweet Crunch Tanghulu to its directory.<ul><li>There&#x27;s even Roni&#x27;s, a mac-and-cheese bar that <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="boasts nearly a million TikTok followers" data-vars-click-url="https://www.tiktok.com/@ronismacbar?lang=en" data-vars-content-id="7e9a390a-16ce-4994-b094-9e950228deed" data-vars-headline="Mall of America courts Gen Z with viral TikTok brands" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@ronismacbar?lang=en" target="_blank">boasts nearly a million TikTok followers</a>.</li></ul>

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It's a big weekend for Minneapolis festivals — and if you have the energy, you can check out four on Saturday alone.

Here's my dream itinerary for the day, not including stops for coffee.

🦋 10am: Start your adventure surrounded by butterflies at the Monarch Festival at Lake Nokomis, a celebration of the insect's 2,300-mile migration from Minnesota to Mexico with dancing, art, native plant sales and live monarchs. Saturday, 10am-4pm. Free.

🇬🇷 12pm: Stop for lunch at the Minneapolis Taste of Greece festival near Bde Maka Ska, where you can feast on gyros, stuffed grape leaves, loukoumades ("Greek doughnuts") and a dozen freshly made pastries. Friday-Sunday, times vary. Free entry.

🧵 2pm: Head east to Seward for Twin Cities Maker Fest, where over 150 local artists and craftspeople will host a maker's market, free arts and crafts activities, performances and live music. Saturday, 12-5pm. Free.

🌟 4pm: Grab your bike for the Greenway Glow, the annual art/music/dance/theater festival spread across 17 stops on and around the Midtown Greenway bike trail.

And if you need to take a break, go for it — Greenway Glow runs until 10pm. Saturday, 4-10pm. Free.

🪡 Get quilting inspiration and discount supplies at the GE FamFest tent sale in Chaska on Saturday.

Part of a weekendlong festival hosted by local quilt shop GE Designs, the sale will have fabric, kits, tools, live stage demos and meet-and-greets with experts. Saturday, 10am-2pm. Free entry.

🎷 Celebrate 25 years of the Selby Avenue JazzFest this Saturday in St. Paul's Rondo neighborhood.

The all-day lineup includes the Selby Ave Brass Parade, Minnesota State Band, Stokley and a jam session at Walker West Music Academy to end the evening. Saturday, 11am-10pm. Free.

🐶 Do you love "short legged chaos potatoes"? The Midwest's Largest Corgi Meet-up returns to Andover this Saturday for an afternoon of off-leash playtime, games, costume contests, a parade and the new "Great Corgi Derby."

Everyone is welcome, though guests without corgis must pay a $5 admission fee. Saturday, 2:30-5:30. Corgi families attend free.

🚴 Bike, roll or skate around West Bank at Sunday's Open Streets Cedarfest, which closes Cedar and Riverside avenues to car traffic for a block party.

This year's activities include a large market, two live music stages, Twin Cities Skaters, wiener dog races, camel rides and Adventures in Cardboard. Sunday, 11am-5pm. Free.

Twin Cities weekend guide: Monarch festival, Greenway Glow, JazzFest

If you have the energy, you can check out four festivals on Saturday alone.

Illustration of a locator icon with finger guns and cool meme sunglasses. 

It&#x27;s a big weekend for Minneapolis festivals — and if you have the energy, you can check out four on Saturday alone.<ul><li>Here&#x27;s my dream itinerary for the day, not including stops for coffee.</li></ul>🦋 10am: Start your adventure surrounded by butterflies at the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Monarch Festival" data-vars-click-url="https://monarchfestival.org/" data-vars-content-id="a59df700-96c0-47f2-845d-f603321a7847" data-vars-headline="Twin Cities weekend guide: Monarch festival, Greenway Glow, JazzFest" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://monarchfestival.org/" target="_blank">Monarch Festival</a> at Lake Nokomis, a celebration of the insect&#x27;s 2,300-mile migration from Minnesota to Mexico with dancing, art, native plant sales and live monarchs. Saturday, 10am-4pm. Free.

The suburbs are the place to be this weekend — we've spotted at least 10 major community festivals all around the metro. 

Here are some of our picks for family-friendly fun. 

🖌️  Prior Lake: Watch professional chalk artists turn Main Avenue into an art gallery during Chalk Fest, a two-day event that also includes an amateur contest. Friday 4–8pm, Saturday 9am–4pm. Free

🍎 Excelsior: Can you win a pie eating competition? Find out at Apple Days, the Lake Minnetonka festival with plenty of local vendors, live music, street hockey and eating competitions for all ages. Friday 5-10pm, Saturday 8am-10pm, Sunday 9:30-4pm. Free.

🪙 Waconia: Nickle Dickle Day returns for its 65th year with duck races, classic car shows, an arts and crafts fair with 150 vendors, a library book sale and a new youth entrepreneurs narket. Saturday, 8am-5pm.

🎨 Bloomington: The Street Arts Festival will have over 40 artist vendors, free kid-friendly art activities, live painting, a sidewalk chalk contest and live music all day. Saturday, 10am-6pm. Free

🖼️ St. Louis Park: Head to the ROC for the rescheduled St. Louis Park Art Fair, featuring nearly 50 vendors, community art projects, a youth mini market and a llama petting zoo. Saturday, 10am-5pm

🪘 Crystal: Dance, shop and learn at AfroFest Minnesota, which will bring educational activities, authentic cuisine and plenty of live performances to Becker Park. Saturday, 2-9pm. $30.95 ages 13 and up, kids 12 and under free

🏎️ Edina: Ogle Aston Martins, Lamborghinis, a Ferrari showcase and more at the annual Edina Car Show at 50th & France. Note: The show is for exotic, rare and luxury vehicles, not classic cars. Sunday 12-4pm. Free.

Honorable mentions: White Bear Township Day, Eagan Autumn Craft & Gift Show, Elk River's Livin Music Festival.

🏮 Honor and remember loved ones at Lakewood Cemetery's annual lantern lighting this weekend. Decorate a lantern with provided supplies, then release it onto the lake at dusk in a community ceremony.

Note: Keep an eye on the forecast — Friday's event has already been cancelled due to weather. Saturday, 5-8:30pm. Free entry, lanterns are $15 at the door.

🇲🇽 Celebrate Latino culture at the inaugural Fiesta Latina in St. Paul. The event at CHS Field will feature traditional folklorico dancing, giveaways, an artisan market, job fair, live music and more. Saturday, 11:30am-4:30pm. Free entry.

🌮 The Lake Street Taco Tour returns! Thirty restaurants along the South Minneapolis corridor will offer tacos for $3 or less, and Mercado Central and El Nuevo Campo host entertainment, family activities and a taco eating contest. Saturday, 12-8pm. Free entry.

🍎 Forget grape stomping — try apple pressing with Minneapolis Cider Company's head cider maker on Saturday. Staff will create the Fireside Hazy hard cider using apples from Northfield's Fireside Orchards; general admission includes a drink ticket. Saturday, 3-6pm. $18 GA, $45 VIP.

🥦 Bring a healthy appetite to Sunday's Twin Cities Veg Fest on Harriet Island this Sunday. The Midwest's largest vegan festival will feature nearly 100 exhibitors, cooking demonstrations, health and fitness influencer John Lewis and hardcore music. Sunday, 10am-4pm. Free entry.

Twin Cities weekend guide: Veg Fest, lantern lighting, apple pressing 

Here's what to do across the Twin Cities area.

Animated illustration of a large group of map pins. A dotted line moves around them, and through three of them, which grow larger.

An illustration of an arrow cursor pierces a small desk calendar displaying the word "FRI." on a blue gradient background. The calendar has a red top section with metal rings holding the pages.

The suburbs are the place to be this weekend — we&#x27;ve spotted at least 10 major community festivals all around the metro. <ul><li>Here are some of our picks for family-friendly fun. </li></ul>

Audrey Kennedy

Featured stories

Twin Cities weekend guide: Veg Fest, lantern lighting, apple pressing

Video rental stores are making a comeback in Minneapolis

New Vikings stadium foods stick to the classics

Twin Cities weekend guide: Monarch festival, Greenway Glow, JazzFest

Mall of America courts Gen Z with viral TikTok brands