Fall on Chicago Avenue South

BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE

Chicago Avenue, from downtown to the city line

Every year since 2020, when we check out this section of Chicago Avenue, we focus most sharply on George Floyd Square. And this piece will do the same, but let’s not start there. We sometimes overlook the things going on in Downtown East, Elliot Park, and Ventura Village.

Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en la Lucha Mural

Did you know that one of the best farmers markets in the city is in Downtown East just a couple of blocks from Chicago Avenue? This is the Mill City Farmers Market (750 2nd St. S.). Advertised as a “year-round Saturday market,” Mill City is open every Saturday from May to September during the hours of 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., and every Saturday in October from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. This three-season market is outdoors. The Winter Market, which is indoors, runs from November to April, on the first and third Saturdays, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Running year-round in this prime location makes this farmers market huge, rivaled only by the main Minneapolis market in north Minneapolis. The vendor list is over 100, in fact, 176 by my count. They’ve got organic farm produce, they’ve got fair trade products, they have artisans out the wazoo, they have food trucks. And if you can’t make it this week, they’ve got a really good blog.
If you’re looking for a spot to have a bite to eat and a nice drink in downtown Minneapolis, check out Off the Rails Public House (620 4th St. S.), a gastropub-cum-sports bar that opened two years ago with a dog-friendly patio. Within a quick walk of the farmers market, the Guthrie, the US Bank Stadium or the Armory, this little pub is a great resource for downtown. The menu is modern pub food (smash burgers, buffalo art dip, birria tacos), reasonably priced, and a happy hour Monday through Friday from 3 to 6 p.m. sweetens the deal.
In the cozy neighborhood sandwiched between downtown and Franklin Avenue called Elliot Park, there is an actual park of the same name at 1000 14th St. E. This is a bit of a hidden gem of south Minneapolis; many residents, including park enthusiasts, have never even been there. This park has a delightful skatepark within it.
Since being renovated in 2021, the Elliot Skate Plaza is registered with the nationwide guide, City of Skate. Here’s what they said about Elliot Skatepark:
“Completely renovated in 2021 with all-new concrete elements for a variety of skill levels and good flow even when crowded. The skatepark is concrete with landscaping, a permeable patio, lighting, and an expanded footprint. Along with the water management rain gardens, 225 plants and 10 new trees were added in this space.”
The Mississippi Watershed Management Organization helped to install the green infrastructure.

North of George Floyd Square in Phillips Midtown and Powderhorn

Between Franklin Avenue and George Floyd Square, Chicago Avenue is largely residential along with boasting the largest concentration of hospitals and medical offices in south Minneapolis. If you’re looking for a place to eat or shop, there is not a whole lot besides the Midtown Exchange and Midtown Global Market at Lake Street. Modern Times and Jakeenos, which we covered in the last two years, hold down the local favorite spots for affordable and tasty meals.
Also on that corner, across Lake Street from the Midtown Exchange parking lot, is Los Ocampo Taqueria (801 E. Lake St.), one of two remaining locations of a small, locally owned chain of taquerias, in business since 2003. Los Ocampo is located on the ground floor of the SoPhi apartment building, with its own parking lot. Next to Los Ocampo is Chicago Lake Liquors (825 E. Lake St.), a long-standing neighborhood store. Founded in 1959 as Franklin Lake Liquors, they moved to their present location with a sensible name change in 1972.

Unity Foods and art in GFS

George Floyd Square

George Floyd Square sort of looks like it’s in limbo, but apparently things are slowly moving forward behind the scenes. One sad piece of news — the Onyx Coffeehouse which we profiled in 2023, has closed permanently. There does not appear to be a successor in the space either. Unity Foods is still there.
The main source of online information about George Floyd Square’s status, past and future, is the City of Minneapolis website, under the “projects” heading. Even saying that, it’s a tad confusing. There was a pre-existing project, canceled in the wake of George Floyd’s murder then restarted, to improve the entirety of E. 38th St., and encourage more BIPOC-owned businesses, and build community wealth.
But now in addition there is a separate project to determine the future of GFS only. And that has been a bit stop and start and slow to gain momentum. There was a small breakthrough when the city acquired the title to the former Speedway station, now a community space called The People’s Way. The city hopes to find a community organization with a compelling plan and purpose that they can hand it off to.

CTUL at City Hall Minneapolis in 2023

In GFS but not part of the “project”

Two notable institutions are geographically within GFS and are doing their own thing, without city input, but leading to the same ends — bringing peace, prosperity, and healing to this neighborhood. The first is Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en la Lucha (CTUL) at  3715 Chicago Ave., a worker-led organization that organizes labor and other arenas to pursue worker-empowerment and justice. Previous successes for CTUL include the organizing of retail janitors, the Fight for 15, fights for legislation against wage theft and to actually win back stolen wages and earned safe and sick time ordinances in both Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Current projects include the Dignity and Respect for Non-unionized Construction Workers, which creates a social responsibility contract for contractors to sign on to, and a code of conduct, ensuring protections for construction workers against wage theft and abuse, a leadership development program, and a program specifically for Black workers called Future Fighters. You can learn more about these programs, and how you can support CTUL at their website, ctul.net. CTUL has an annual fundraising gala, which will be on September 26 this year.
The other organization is one we mentioned when it was a planned development — the Belfry Apartments (3901 Chicago Ave.), a deeply affordable housing project created by Calvary Lutheran Church, in coalition with Trellis Housing. The apartments are now complete and mostly occupied. Learn more at belfry.trellismn.org.

ZPuppets In A Fool’s Kitchen

South of GFS

We just want to highlight one other organization, a block south of GFS — Z Puppets Rosenschnoz (4054 Chicago Ave.). This wonderful small puppet theater has been entertaining and educating kids and families in the community for decades with shows like Monkey Mind Pirates, Say It! Sing It! Play It! In Cherokee, and Cellula. They have a few shows on the horizon.
Z Puppets will be part of the Oktoberfest celebration at Waldmann Brewery in St. Paul. On September 22 and 29, both at 3:15 p.m., they will present A La Carte: In a Fool’s Kitchen. This show is a comic battle between a clown French Chef and a wily lobster set to live accordion music. This playfully interactive comedy features clowning, puppetry, music and a few unruly vegetables. There will also be two different shows in October as well as a Zoom workshop on blacklight puppetry. See zpuppets.org for more details.