As a large portion of local businesses’ clientele leave for summer break, they are preparing to make changes to make the most of the summer months.

Some businesses are affected more than others with some seeing an increase in customers from around the cities. The warmer weather allows businesses to do things they would not otherwise be able to like expanding outside seating and adding seasonal inventory.

Smile Back Vintage, a vintage clothing store, opened in 2022 with most of its customers consisting of students, but during the summer their customer base shifts, according to store manager James Giese.

“We have a lot of loyal customers who are students elsewhere, so in the summertime, they come and shop for us pretty regularly,” Giese said. 

Giese said they switched their inventory six weeks ago to bring out summer clothing and take out the heavier apparel.

“We have had a phenomenal last six months with inventory,” Giese said. “We’ve been able to find a lot so we’re very stocked up.”

Owner of Mim’s Cafe in St. Paul Mahmoud Shahin said about half of their customers are students and faculty while the other half are from around the Twin Cities, so they remain busy throughout the summer. Shahin said the St. Paul campus is different since it mostly consists of year-round graduate students.

Shahin said Mim’s has outside seating during the summer which helps draw in more customers.

“In the summer, it’s nice we have our outside patio, we plant our flowers and try to create a nice atmosphere outside especially in the afternoon so people could come and just sit outside and enjoy their day,” Shahin said.

Bordertown Coffee added tables and umbrellas outside in the spring to increase visibility since the location is hard to find, according to general manager Josh Silker.

“If you know about us then you know where to find us, but if you don’t, we get a lot of people calling and asking, ‘Where are you guys again?’” Silker said. “Going to a fraternity house to get coffee is not a usual experience for most people.”

Silker added that customers have a more consistent cafe experience in the summer since the store is slower and has more open tables. Since most of Bordertown’s customers are students, it tends to be packed throughout the school year.

“During the semester you’ll walk in basically anytime from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and the entire seating area will be packed and it’s very difficult to find a place to sit down,” Silker said. “During the summer there’s always tables open.”

Beyond open tables and outdoor seating, Silker said Bordertown will invest more time into social media to draw in more customers.

Giese said Smile Back plans on utilizing social media to try and bring in more customers. 

“We had a reel on Instagram that didn’t go crazy viral but it got to 80,000 views, and the preceding three or four weeks we definitely noticed a big difference in daily traffic,” Giese said.

For students staying on campus, several stores will have exclusive items over the summer. Bordertown will add seasonal drinks, emphasize iced beverages and possibly hold events with local musicians.

“We’re hopeful to do some events,” Silker said. “But that’s a little bit more in the planning or idea phase.”

Shahin said customers can enjoy the outdoor seating, air-conditioned dining rooms and free Wi-Fi throughout the summer. Shahin added he thinks the food tastes the best during the summer months despite the menu staying the same.

“One nice thing about the summer is the food always tastes amazing because we prepare everything from scratch,” Shahin said. “The vegetables just taste amazing in the summer, so even though it’s the same menu it tastes a little bit different in the summertime.”

Giese said Smile Back Vintage is planning summer sales either on specific items or a random 50% off.

“We have so many t-shirts, so we’re looking forward to selling them and hopefully see everybody through the summer months,” Giese said.

Housing vacancies in the Twin Cities are being addressed on both the city and state levels with bills such as the Missing Middle Bill, House File (HF) 4010 and multiple vacancy programs from the Minneapolis City Council.

The Ward 2 vacancy rates are being addressed through the Vacant Building Registry program and a new program for non-hazardous properties.

Ward 2 City Council member Robin Wonsley said she saw high vacancy rates across her ward, with data showing up to 7,000 residential units currently sitting vacant. 

Wonsley said her office is working on a proposal to implement fees for unoccupied units that are not hazardous and increase fees for existing residential vacancies.

“We want to make sure that we have a clear understanding of how many of those units are sitting empty and also explore the motivating factors behind why these units have been left empty, if it is around unaffordable rents or lack of access or understanding or awareness about these units,” Wonsley said.

Wonsley added it is important to recognize vacancy fees are just one piece of their rental protection plan along with providing additional support to students in her ward.

“Many of my students are living in units that are extremely unaffordable and often having to work either multiple jobs or take out additional student loans in order to cover their housing, which is just completely unacceptable,” Wonsley said. “As a college student, your main job should be focusing on completing your academic degree.”

Executive Director of The Minnesota Housing Partnership Anne Mavity said to address vacancy issues, there needs to be more housing available.

“There’s not a community that has enough housing to provide for a growing population, to provide for a thriving economy and the growth of new jobs,” Mavity said.

The Minnesota Housing Partnership conducted research, driving policy and investments, and has worked with rural communities to support housing for 35 years, according to Mavity. They work on bills to address housing like the Missing Middle Bill and HF 4010, aiming to create an easier process for building multi-family residential developments.

“If you think about the housing market as a game of musical chairs, the whole point of the game is that you have nine chairs and ten people. You always have one fewer chair than there are people,” Mavity said. “What we have in the housing market is the same thing happening right now and so the people that are being left out, their vulnerabilities are magnified.”

The Missing Middle Bill looked to steer away from placing single-family homes on a large lot and legalize the building of multi-family homes, making homes affordable and within reach for many people, Mavity said. 

Rep. Larry Kraft (DFL-St. Louis Park), co-author of the bill, said they want to make the process of building multi-family homes just as accessible as building single-family homes.

“Why does that have to be something that we add so much friction to the process?” Kraft said. “The inevitable result of that is that stuff doesn’t get built and we’re seeing the results of that with the housing gap we have.”

Kraft said another reason he was interested in this bill came from his experiences on the St. Louis Park City Council where he understood the importance of affordable housing in his community.

“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard something that goes like this: ‘I’ve lived in St. Louis Park for 30 years or 40 years and I love it here, but I couldn’t afford my house today,’” Kraft said. “Or, ‘We work here and we can’t afford to live here,’ so I hear that and am so often like, ‘Wow, we have some structural issues in housing.’”

The Missing Middle Bill did not pass this session, but Mavity and Kraft are hopeful for HF 4010.

Mavity said with HF 4010 they are trying to balance local government control with making it easier to create the housing needed.

“You look at mall parking lots and they’re half empty,” Mavity said. “Let’s actually put that land into use and they put up hotels and apartment buildings and all kinds of things,” Mavity said.

Kraft said legalizing more types of housing helps future generations by allowing for more starter homes and opportunities for a lower price point.

“I think by not doing stuff like this right now, we’re not doing right by the younger generation and we’re also not doing right by the racial wealth gaps that are really severe in Minnesota,” Kraft said.

Roughly a year after opening, 1.99 Americano was sold to a new owner who plans to expand the menu and give the cafe a new name: SweeDee Cafe.

While there will be new additions like lemonade and waffle sandwiches, the $1.99 americano the previous store got its name from will keep its iconic price.

New owner Pahoua Thao said the cafe is currently open but new menu options will come later as she makes 1.99 Americano her own.

Thao said she has always loved creating new drinks and began making her original lemonades for farmers’ markets in Milwaukee before moving to Minnesota two years ago.

“Since I moved my family here two years ago, I’ve been searching for a place and saw this place up,” Thao said. “It’s a good opportunity because my target is the young folks because they’re more interested in the bubble tea and the fresh drinks, the lemonades.”

Thao said Dinkytown is popular with her family and was one of the first places she went in the city.

“I would never have thought that I would have a shop here and when I told them they were like, ‘You have a shop there? No way,’” Thao said.

Chang Yoo, the former owner of 1.99 Americano and current owner of CrunCheese, said he sold 1.99 Americano to focus on a Korean restaurant in Burnsville.

Yoo said he planned to open more restaurants in Dinkytown but running a business when fewer people come from outside the University during the summer is difficult, though he hopes SweeDee succeeds.

Fourth-year student Sahitha Takkella said she only recently tried 1.99 Americano after hearing about the unique ice cream and waffle options.

“I like the vibe of this place, I like the bright colors and I think it’s set up very summery-esque,” Takkella said.

Thao said many students told her they recently discovered the cafe, so she hopes decorating and advertising will attract more customers. 

“Usually for me, it’s visual,” Thao said. “If I see something really yummy I’m going to try it, so we’re working on posters on the windows and by the doors.” 

Thao said she hopes to complete the transition by June with a new sign outside and an altered setup inside the store. She said she wants to have fresh lemonade on display near the register so customers can see all the flavor options. 

The waffle theme will continue with the addition of more waffle-related items such as waffle dogs and waffle sandwiches along with adding fresh squeezed lemonades, according to Thao.

The menu is continuously changing as it transitions to SweeDee, though Thao said the prices and coffee options will stay the same to keep it affordable for University students.  

Thao said early on, she saw what did and did not sell well in order to replace low-selling items with new ones by testing out limited amounts of new flavors at a time. 

“It’s limited quality because if I make a lot and it’s not selling it’s going to go bad so I’m probably just going to do like two or three gallons a day,” Thao said.

SweeDee will also have seasonal menu options such as the Ah-boong style ice cream in the summer and fresh fruit smoothies during the school year.

“I know that college students are so busy sometimes they don’t even have enough time to make a healthy meal and maybe having a fresh fruit smoothie early in the morning is what gives them the energy for that day,” Thao said.

Thao said she hopes to set an example as a Hmong-American business owner for the younger generations.

“If I can do it, I want to encourage anyone that wants to open a coffee shop or wants to open a cafe just to do it,” Thao said. “I do want to inspire them and let them know that, ‘Hey, we do have a Hmong person that owns something by Dinkytown.’”

Reactions from faith communities are mixed around Minnesota Republicans pushing for a religious exemption regarding gender identity discrimination.

The Minnesota Human Rights Act was amended last year to prohibit discrimination against gender identity and now some Republican House members are seeking to add an exemption to the addition. 

Owen Bushaw, a student intern for college ministry Salt Company, said the exemption would benefit churches that hold a traditional stance on biblical gender and sexual identity.

Bushaw said a ministry like Salt Company would not hire people whose identities did not align with their traditional beliefs on gender, but they are still welcome at their ministry. 

“We don’t have anything against the LGBTQ community and we wouldn’t discriminate toward them or wouldn’t allow them in our doors,” Bushaw said. “We would seek to love them just as much as we would anybody else.”

Rep. Jamie Becker-Finn (DFL-Roseville) said when they pushed to include gender identity in the Act, the issue of religious freedom was not brought up.

“It definitely strikes me as a political opportunity issue for them, where this isn’t coming from a place of good government,” Becker-Finn said. 

Becker-Finn said people of faith are not hurt by the current bill, as a ministerial exception already exists allowing religious institutions to not follow discrimination laws in the same way other organizations do.

“It’s permitted under the Constitution and it’s accepted by folks that this is the way that it’s written, as it is right now, in our Constitution and the way that the case law is,” Becker-Finn said. “We don’t have to explicitly put that exception in statute for that to legally exist.”

University Baptist Church Pastor Doug Donley said religious organizations have to protect the most vulnerable in society.

“That includes especially our trans friends and folks that are gender-nonconforming and people that have been singled out because of their gender expression,” Donley said.

Donley said Minnesota has become a sanctuary for transgender and gender-nonconforming people fleeing states with gender-discriminatory laws.

“Allowing a religious exemption undermines that wonderful sanctuary work that we’ve done,” Donley said.

Becker-Finn said adding an exemption would send the wrong message to the queer community.

“Why would we make it a point to say that this one group definitely can be discriminated against?” Becker-Finn said. “It sends a message that I think is not in line with a lot of our values, our beliefs about humanity and everybody’s ability to live freely and be protected from harm.”

Bushaw said the exemption would polarize religious communities on campus with traditional beliefs.

“It would raise more polarization of what Salt Company may believe, and then how that’s portrayed,” Bushaw said. “I think it portrays something that might not be very clear about the ministry just because of the people that it hires.”

Donley said it is important for people to not paint Christianity with discrimination and exclusion.

“If you’re looking for a place where you can express your desires for climate change, your desires for justice and peace in warring parts of the world and looking for a place for acceptance, there are plenty of faith communities out there, including ours,” Donley said.

Becker-Finn said she does not believe the exemption will pass as members of the Queer Caucus are unlikely to approve the exemption moving forward as written. 

Donley said even if the exemption passed, transgender religious people would continue to find faith communities.

“Trans religious folks have always been there and will continue to always be there,” Donley said.

The first all-female city council, growing numbers of women in government and greater representation in both local and state government are making headlines in Minnesota with women in politics hoping to inspire future leaders.

In Minnesota, women were first elected to the legislature in 1922. Currently, 38% of the legislature is made up of women, with nearly half of those women being women of color and 15% in the LGBTQ community. 

Rep. Ilhan Omar (DFL), former state Senate majority leader Kari Dziedzic (DFL) and Lt. Governor Peggy Flannagan (DFL) are among the few female voices representing students at the University of Minnesota.

Office on the Economic Status of Women

The Office on the Economic Status of Women was established in 1976 to study and report on economic issues facing women to the legislature.

Heather J. Heyer, director of the office, tracks the legislative bills relating to families, women, gender identity, economic development and workforce development for communities of color. 

Heyer said the office was instrumental in passing landmark legislation in Minnesota, including the state and local government Pay Equity Act in 1982 and 1984.

“That’s groundbreaking because we know part of the gender pay gap that exists is due to occupational segregation and female-dominated fields are paid less than male-dominated fields,” Heyer said. “That was really instrumental in leveling that stage in that piece for the state of Minnesota.”

Heyer said the increase of women in government is approaching statewide demographics, especially in the representation of Indigenous women. 

“When young people see people like them in office, that makes a difference for them in what they think they’re capable of doing,” Heyer said. “It’s really important because the demographics in Minnesota are changing and we need to make sure we have representation for everybody and everybody feels like they have someone they can go to.”

Councilmember Nelsie Yang

Councilmember Nelsie Yang has represented Ward 6 in the St. Paul City Council since January 2020. She is the youngest and first Hmong American to be elected as a council member in St. Paul history.

Yang said she started politically organizing in 2015 because she wanted change for the injustice her family experienced. 

“Being the daughter of refugees, I’ve seen my parents work so hard their entire lives but never reaping the benefits that they truly deserve,” Yang said. “That is something that was really striking and it didn’t feel good and I know that it hurts them even more.”

Poverty wages and economic instability contributed to their family home getting foreclosed two days before her high school commencement, Yang said. Seeing how those experiences were common among her neighbors kickstarted her passion to get politically involved, according to Yang.

“We’re a part of a larger system where if we don’t fight to make it work for us, we will continue to get hurt and marginalized and disenfranchised,” Yang said.

In her ward, Yang said she is working to build a thousand new housing units and bring in a thousand living-wage low-barrier jobs for the diverse community she represents.

Yang added she wants St. Paul to be the nation’s first carbon-neutral site by taking advantage of green energy.

St. Paul is the first large U.S. city with an entirely female city council. All seven members are under 40, and six of the seven are women of color. 

“Having an all-women St. Paul City Council didn’t happen by itself,” Yang said. “It happened because of the power of people coming together and organizing through democracy to make that possible.”

Yang said the council is proof of what is possible for women everywhere.

“Continuing to elect leaders who are champions of working-class people, of labor, of folks who are from marginalized communities and advancing equity, it has to absolutely be the most important thing ever,” Yang said.

In the legislature

Rep. Mary Frances Clardy said her journey to the legislature started when her daughter switched from a Montessori school to a public school. 

Clardy said she got a letter from her daughter’s school, expecting it to reference her academic skills. Instead, she was asked to only use white beads in her daughter’s hair. 

“After hearing that and knowing my daughter had all the support, all the social network and social support that she needed, it just was a call to action,” Clardy said.

Following that letter, Clardy said she moved from a career in housing to education, where she taught for 28 years before working on the school board for three years. After redistricting, a seat in the legislature opened up and she felt ready to take on the position.

Having strong women in the government serves to inspire future generations of women, Clardy said. 

“I’ve become the woman that I am because of my mother and because of her mother,” Clardy said. “I want to be that type of mentor and advocate for many black and brown girls that need that.”

Rep. Leigh Finke (DFL-St. Paul) said she never planned to run for office until an opportunity arose following a redistricting in her neighborhood.

When working at the American Civil Liberties Union in 2021, Finke said she organized around the idea that there should be someone transgender in the statehouse.

“That’s not the first time I wanted that, but we were starting to see all the negative stuff that was happening around the country really pick up and we were starting to see bills introduced in Minnesota,” Finke said. “It just made me nervous.”

Finke is the first openly transgender person elected to the Minnesota Legislature.

Finke said there is a lot of work to do to make the lives of Minnesotans better, and she hopes to continue to be a part of that.

“I care a great deal about continuing to work on human rights issues at large, incarcerated rights, prison justice and reform, and I want to see some of those things through,” Finke said. “I think that we’re building toward being able to make some really big change in this state.”

Efforts to prioritize University of Minnesota issues are underway as City of Minneapolis and University officials pressure the capitol to pass greater renter’s protections, increase University funding and eliminate barriers to student unionization. 

Legislative priorities regarding the University and its students from city lobbyists, state legislators and the University’s Undergraduate Student Government (USG) are progressing further into the new legislative session.

Renter’s protection

Representative Mohamud Noor (DFL-Minneapolis) said state legislators are working on a statewide expansion of the citywide ordinance passed in December protecting renters who sign pre-leases in response to the move-in delay for renters of Identity Dinkytown.

“We want to make sure that individuals can pull out of the lease, or the entity that is developing should be able to provide a similar unit,” Noor said. “If there are any other costs for the student or individual who may be impacted by a similar situation, the landlord will be able to pay for fees and costs related to that.”

Katie Topinka, director of the city’s Intergovernmental Relations Committee, said they are also advocating for rental protection to be expanded statewide based on their effectiveness in the city.

“We are a city that more than half of households rent,” Topinka said. “Having strong renter protections in place for residents is really important.”

USG’s Government and Legislative Affairs branch (GLA) worked alongside the city on the ordinance in the fall semester and is currently working with them to replicate it on the state level, said Joslyn Blass, interim director of GLA.

Blass said this type of initiative makes sense for this legislative session since it is a policy year rather than a budget year. They are focused on implementation and legal changes that do not require additional funds whereas, during a budget year, they can work on projects that require funding. 

North Star Promise

The North Star Promise program was passed last session and is a scholarship program that would ensure that students whose household income is less than $80,000 could apply and get help on top of the scholarships and state and deferral funds they receive, according to Noor.

“That becomes the last dollar that we will be spending so that they don’t have to pay anything for college or university,” Noor said.

While USG is not actively working on North Star Promise this year, Blass said there are elements within the program that they have been working on, like food insecurity.

“Within North Star Promise, there is some designation for food and groceries,” Blass said. “One of our questions is, ‘How can we expand that type of funding to help students who might not fit into the criteria of the North Star Promise Act but still need help with food specifically?’”

USG Efforts

Blass said GLA is working on the Public Employment Labor Relations Act (PELRA) and the Minnesota Respond, Innovate, Succeed and Empower Act (RISE).

PELRA is a bill that would knock down barriers for student workers to unionize and RISE is an accessibility act intended to make it easier for students with disabilities to declare that to their college, according to Blass.

“[PELRA] includes a component for undergrad students to unionize,” Blass said. “We’re working closely with graduate students and other members of our PELRA coalition to help see this through.”

Additionally, GLA is working on a student voting bill that would ensure student organizations could request an on-campus voting site for elections instead of having to go through the University, Blass said. The bill stresses the importance of making voting easy and convenient for students and will help GLA fulfill its civic engagement pillar. 

“Our civic engagement pillar emphasizes accessible informed voting, so that’s a big thing we’re working on,” Blass said.

HEAPR

Blass said the University’s request for Higher Education Asset Preservation and Replacement (HEAPR) funding is also a priority for USG as a whole.

Noor, who serves on the higher education committee, said that while the University may not receive all of the funding it is asking for, he wants to prioritize Eddy Hall and the Washington Avenue bridge.

“We want to prioritize so we can have a way to get it done and be able to address the needs that many parents who have lost their loved ones and family members who have come to me,” Noor said.

Noor said a challenge to funding the University’s capital request is the higher voting threshold compared to other bills since it requires them to use general obligation bonds.

“We have to get our colleagues on the other side to join us,” Noor said. “If we fail to do that, we may have to start looking for cash.”

Correction: A previous version of this story misstated Katie Topinka’s position. She is the Director of the City’s Intergovernmental Relations Committee.

Third-year student Kyle Berg left his 2008 sedan in his apartment’s enclosed parking garage while he headed home for winter break. When he returned, his steering wheel column was broken, his belongings were rummaged through, and his car battery, airbags and stereo were stolen.

Berg said he reported the theft to the apartment building and police department. The apartment building could not do much and the police did not contact him after he filed his report despite Berg following up with them. 

Most apartment buildings in the University of Minnesota area offer garage parking, which is generally seen as safer than street parking. The need for a safe and secure parking garage affects a student’s decision when deciding where to live for the school year. 

Daniel Suitor, a Homeline housing attorney, said he understands the importance of having a car and sympathizes with people whose cars have been stolen or damaged from apartment garages.

“People structure a lot of their life around it,” Suitor said. “Like, ‘If I have a car I have to have a place to put it, do I want to put it on the street and have to deal with it during snow emergencies?’”

When it comes to car thefts and damages in apartment garages, Suitor said it comes down to contract rights and property law. He said tenants’ contracts determine their rights regarding security in a parking spot. 

“A lot of times you will see things in a lease that say, ‘We take no responsibility for the security of things in there,’” Suitor said. “For the most part that is enforceable.”

Under the law, bailment generally means that if someone takes on the responsibility to hold your property and keep it safe, they would be responsible for security issues, according to Suitor. He said this can easily be avoided by stating, “This does not create a bailment,” which is commonly seen on the slips for private parking garages and in leases.

This bailment exemption means residents are on the hook for any loss of or damage to their cars in most instances.

Marc Strom, property manager at The Elysian, said he does not see car-related thefts frequently, but when he does, it is usually the result of people taking advantage of unlocked cars.

Strom said when they do receive reports from residents, they check the cameras to see exactly what happened and who was there and then decide how to proceed.

While landlords generally are not responsible for security under the law, they are responsible for ensuring the parking spot is in reasonable repair, according to Suitor. He said the spot must be usable and if someone else parks in that spot, the landlord should have them towed. 

“In general, if a landlord is acting reasonably and they’re reasonably maintaining the parking garage in accordance with pretty much what they offered, they probably don’t have a duty to tend to students whose cars are stolen from within,” Suitor said.

Suitor said car theft rates remain high despite car thefts decreasing since 2020. He said landlords can differentiate themselves from other apartment complexes by offering security and cooperating with tenants who request security data.

“It would be good business practice to do so,” Suitor said. “We hear a lot of times landlords not really cooperating with tenants who requested the security data.”

Strom said there are glimmers of hope coming from times of low crime, but they will continue to hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

“It seems like we’ll go through stretches of time where crime prevention is improving,” Strom said. “I don’t know the explanation of when it does spike up again, whether it’s warmer weather or what.”

Berg said there is an assumption of safety that comes with parking in a garage even if safety is not explicitly stated by apartment buildings. 

“I do respect that apartment security can’t be everywhere at once,” Berg said. “It’s a little annoying now having to wonder if my car will be safe.”