Longfellow Rising

05/27/2026

There are still too many empty buildings sitting in Downtown Longfellow.

And every empty storefront affects the people around it.
Less foot traffic.
Less connection.
Less energy.
Less opportunity for small businesses trying to survive here.

But this neighborhood is not empty.

People are still choosing Longfellow every single day.
Still opening businesses.
Still creating.
Still showing up for each other.

Longfellow Rising exists because communities don’t rebuild themselves automatically.
It takes organizing.
Advocacy.
Collaboration.
And people willing to keep showing up even when progress feels painfully slow.

We’re working to rebuild Downtown Longfellow with equity, sustainability, and belonging at the center of that work.

That means supporting small businesses, bringing people together, advocating for better development, and helping shape a future built with the community, not around it.

But we can’t continue this work without funding.

If you believe Downtown Longfellow deserves investment, connection, and a future shaped by the people who actually live here, we’d love your support.

Build what the city won’t.
Help us keep this work going.
Link is in our bio to show your support!

05/22/2026

Hi Instagram.

We’re Longfellow Rising, a community-driven effort focused on supporting and rebuilding Downtown Longfellow through advocacy, events, connection, and local action.

For a while, most of our work has lived over on Facebook. But we wanted to create a space here too. A place to share updates, spotlight local businesses and neighbors, talk honestly about what’s happening in the neighborhood, and show the people still building good things here every day.

Downtown Longfellow is still full of creativity, resilience, small businesses, artists, organizers, and people who care deeply about this community.

05/22/2026

Downtown Longfellow deserves more than empty promises and stalled spaces.

For years, this neighborhood has been shaped by the people who actually live, work, create, organize, and show up here every day. Small businesses. Artists. Neighbors. Community leaders. That’s who keeps this place alive.

Longfellow Rising exists to help protect that future and make sure development in Downtown Longfellow stays rooted in community, not disconnected decisions made without us.

But here’s the reality:
Without additional funding by June 30, this work pauses.

That means fewer community-driven projects, less advocacy, less organizing, and less support for the people trying to build something meaningful here.

If you believe Downtown Longfellow should stay in community hands, now’s the time to help keep the work going.

Donate. Share. Talk about it.
Build what the city won’t.

https://www.longfellowrising.org/build-what-the-city-wont

05/13/2026

The City Planning Commission will meet on Monday, May 18, 4:30 about 3000 Minnehaha Ave (the future “Democracy Center”) to hear an application to allow the construction of a two-story, 16,800 square-foot addition to the building, the relocation of a public alley, and site improvements. “Interested parties are invited to attend and be heard.” Meeting is in Room 350 Public Service Center, 250 S 4th St, Minneapolis.

05/12/2026

Jamie Schwesnedl, Longfellow Rising board member and co-owner of Moon Palace Books , shared this reflection on the past six years in Downtown Longfellow and why this moment matters.

In 2020, Minneapolis rose up against racism and violence embedded in our systems.

Here in Downtown Longfellow, we lost a block of buildings that held immigrant and Native-owned businesses, nonprofits, and community gathering spaces. Other small, family-owned businesses were also damaged.

In the years since, rebuilding has been slow. Longstanding inequities have made it harder to move forward. Many lots still sit vacant, and some buildings remain empty.

At the start of 2026, Minneapolis once again faced state violence rooted in racism.
And once again, communities showed up with care, resistance, and a commitment to something better.

The struggle continues. So does the work.

Here in Downtown Longfellow, that work looks like staying rooted in community.
It looks like building toward justice, belonging, and shared ownership of our neighborhood.

It’s been a challenging six years. And there has also been real progress:

• The historic Coliseum Building has been restored and reopened as a hub for Black-owned, immigrant, and community-centered businesses
• The Firehouse Performing Arts Center (home to The Hook and Ladder Event Center) has been repaired and expanded, bringing music and gathering back to the neighborhood
• Arbeiter Brewing Co. opened as one of the few Asian American-owned breweries in the country
• Solcana Fitness opened as a q***r, woman-owned gym focused on body liberation
• Pangea World Theaterhas purchased and is preparing to renovate a permanent space along Minnehaha Avenue
• The Soul of Southside Juneteenth celebration continues to grow, filling the neighborhood with music, art, food, and Black joy

We’re still here. We’re still building.

And we’re grateful to be doing it alongside this community.

05/07/2026

Conversation + Action for the Common Good brings community members together each month to share real experiences, raise concerns, and support one another.

Next meeting: May 11th! Add it to your calendar: https://www.longfellowrising.org/upcoming

Together, we identify neighborhood challenges and work toward practical, community-driven solutions that strengthen shared safety and care.

This is a space for open, honest conversation about what’s happening in Downtown Longfellow and how we show up for each other.

04/30/2026

Meet Lisa.
She’s our Project Manager and Longfellow Rising’s first employee. She started just over two years ago.

She cares deeply about this work, and we wanted to share how she describes it.

Longfellow Rising exists because rebuilding takes time.

After the murder of George Floyd and the uprising along East Lake Street in 2020, there was an immediate need to respond.

But there was also a bigger question.

What happens next?

Longfellow Rising focuses on that next part.

Rebuilding with equity, sustainability, and belonging means creating a district that invites people back and makes space for more people to feel welcome.

This work is community-led. It’s shaped by people who care deeply about the future of this neighborhood.

It means supporting ownership, creating space for arts and culture, and building a future that reflects the people who live here.

It’s not fast work.
But it matters.

04/24/2026

May 2 - Neighborhood Day. Celebrate Longfellow! 🎉

Join Longfellow Community Council for our annual neighborhood day!

This year, we’re taking it to the streets at El Nuevo Campo, across from the Coliseum (2709 E Lake St). We’re celebrating spring with a number of activities and resources. Join us for this free event, and don’t forget to head to the first day of the Midtown Farmer’s Market!

For more details visit https://longfellow.org/event/neighborhood-day/

04/22/2026

May 5 - If you haven't yet gone to a 5×5 Reading program at Moon Palace Books presented by ReEntry Lab and Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop, I highly recommend it! And if you have, then you know what I'm talking about