Lake Street Target — damaged during unrest — reopens in Minneapolis

The Target store on Lake Street in Minneapolis has reopened after it was damaged during the civil unrest following George Floyd’s death.

The company announced the news Wednesday, adding that it listened to guests’ feedback to rethink and reshape the store. That includes adding an extra entrance, a more accessible pharmacy, a larger food and beverage section and an expanded assortment in categories like toys and food as well as beauty.

"I think everyone had fear that, what’s going to happen to all of our stores, are they going to get out of here now," Marissa Lang, a Minneapolis resident who lives just a few blocks away from the store, said.

Lang sees Target’s grand reopening as an investment in her community.

Lang said, "The unrest was unsettling for sure, and I think we were all devastated in south Minneapolis, about everything that went down, and I’m just so excited that Target is open again."

"For everything that’s been happening, it really was an eye-opener to the world," said Natalie Morrow, who lives in Minneapolis.

Morrow said she is beginning to feel hopeful.

"I think we definitely are recovering, even when you look over there, it’s going to happen, I think a lot of people donated so we could build this up, and it’s really needed because this is a very centrally located area," Morrow said.

Lake Street Target to reopen in mid-November

Target had previously said it planned to reopen the Lake Street location in mid-November, adding that it’d be one of the quickest rebuilds of a one of its stores ever.

The Lake Street Council said:

"We are excited about the reopening of Lake Street Target – it is a really important asset for our community to get essential items like diapers and we are excited to see some new features like signage in Spanish but many of our small businesses are still facing financial hurdles to reopen and recover. The Lake Street Council continues to support these businesses through grants and ongoing business support but additional donations or our We Love Lake Street fund are needed. A full recovery of the Lake Street corridor will likely take many years and what is needed most right now is for Twin Cities residents to support businesses that are currently open so that they can survive into the future."

The Lake Street Council said it has raised more than $11 million to support the recovery efforts through its WeLoveLakeStreet.com fundraiser:

"Five million of this has already been dispersed as rapid response grants to more than 300 businesses and nonprofits, directly supporting their rebuilding and reopening. Of those grants, 82% went to businesses and nonprofits owned by Black, Indigenous, People of Color, or Immigrant entrepreneurs with an average of 4 full-time employees. The average grant amount was $15,000 and businesses most often used the funds to fix interior damage, as well as buy new equipment and inventory. Working with our Oversight Committee, the Lake Street Council has identified the following priorities as the next steps in the recovery process:

• Additional grant funding to small businesses still working to reopen.
• Funding to support larger redevelopment projects – with a particular focus on helping to envision the best future uses, assist displaced entrepreneurs, and provide gap financing.
• Providing financing to support property ownership by local entrepreneurs.
• Providing quality business management advising to impacted businesses to help them adapt to new challenges and bring back customers.

While the store was being rebuilt, Target also donated more than $125,000 in food and essential supplies to those in need and committed to 10,000 hours of pro-bono consulting services to businesses owned by Black, Indigenous and people of color as they rebuild.