Business News & Updates
Save the Date: Buy Local Forum
You are invited to the 2025 Buy Local Forum hosted by Allina Health, Hennepin Healthcare System (HHS), North Memorial Health, and Vizient Community Contracting on September 4, 2025.
From Uprising to Uplifting: A Juneteenth Call to Action
Save the Boards (STB) founder Kenda Zellner-Smith and the STB Vision Council will host “From Uprising to Uplifting: A Juneteenth Conversation” on June 17, from 5:30 - 6:45 pm at All Square, located at 4047 Minnehaha Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55406.
Emerging Developers Funding
LISC Twin Cities launched the Emerging Developers Fund Loan Program on April 21, 2025. The program anticipates awarding approximately $2,775,000 in loans to local emerging developers for predevelopment expenses.
Lake Street Lift Elevates Businesses with Workshop Series
One of the many programming resources made possible through the Lake Street Lift initiative is a workshop series! We’re excited to offer a lineup of free educational workshops aimed at supporting small businesses, entrepreneurs, and nonprofits along Lake Street. Led by vetted experts, this programming offers comprehensive advising services in areas that will take your business or nonprofit to the next level.
Don’t Get Left in the Dark: Act Now on LED Retrofits Before Rebates Expire
Minnesota is phasing out fluorescent lighting to boost energy efficiency and cut environmental risks. Sales of screw- and bayonet-base compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) are already prohibited (effective January 1, 2025), with pin-base CFLs and linear fluorescent tubes to follow on January 1, 2026.
Lake Street Lift Announces "Lake of 10,000 Lands" Ad Campaign
We're excited to share that after partnering with Uptown-based agency MONO, the Lake Street Council and Lake Street Lift officially launched our new "Lake of 10,000 Lands" advertising campaign last month. In the Land of 10,000 Lakes, Lake Street stands as our Lake of 10,000 Lands.
Lake Street Lift provides business expertise and project-based resources
We are halfway through our new Lake Street Lift initiative! In addition to celebrating the many diverse people and places that call Lake Street home through fun, community-building events, Lake Street Lift also connects local businesses, nonprofits, creatives and entrepreneurs with project-based support and resources.
Support the Small Business Assistance Partnership Program
Proven programs like the Small Business Assistance Partnerships provide strong and sustained returns on investment and create jobs. It's one of the most critical tools that the Lake Street Council has used to help our corridor recover and thrive over the last few years. We can not afford to see funding reductions to this crucial program.
Small Business Marketing Worksheets
Every great brand or mission begins with a compelling story. Whether you're a business owner looking to connect with customers or a nonprofit leader seeking to inspire action, storytelling is your most powerful tool.
To help you harness that power, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Twin Cities created two practical, easy-to-use worksheets:
4 Uptown Storefronts Included in City's Arts & Culture Vibrant Storefronts Program
The 2025 Arts & Culture Vibrant Storefronts program offers a two-year opportunity for awardees to strengthen their business models while engaging the public through their art. By subsidizing up to $50,000 a year, for two years in rent in previously vacant storefronts, the initiative breathes new life into these spaces.