Bloomington celebrates Colonial Market opening in South Loop
The Bloomington City Council celebrated the grand opening of Colonial Market and Spirits on October 23, marking a significant development for the South Loop neighborhood, which has long struggled as a food desert without access to full-service grocery stores.
Colonial Market and Spirits opened its doors in the Carbon 31 building in Bloomington's South Loop, becoming the business's third location in the Minneapolis area. The hybrid establishment combines a restaurant, grocery store, and liquor store under one roof, with inventory split between 80% American and 20% Latino products to serve the neighborhood's diverse community.
The South Loop has been identified as a food desert—an area where residents lack convenient access to affordable, nutritious food. The opening of Colonial Market addresses this critical gap, providing residents with a full-service grocery option that was previously unavailable in the immediate area. The company already operates locations in north Minneapolis and south Minneapolis.
The City of Bloomington expressed strong support for the project, indicating significant municipal investment in bringing the business to the neighborhood. The Minnesota Grocers Association also threw its support behind the venture, highlighting the collaborative effort between local government, private business, and industry groups.
Council members emphasized the broader economic benefits of the opening, noting that locally owned businesses like Colonial Market create opportunities for local hiring, purchasing, and community investment. These economic ripple effects strengthen the neighborhood by keeping money circulating within the community rather than flowing to distant corporate headquarters. The discussion underscored how public-private partnerships can address community needs while supporting local economic development.
This story was created by artificial intelligence (a large language model) based on the proceedings captured in the video below.
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Local Economic Development and Public-Private Partnerships
▸Source Document
[0:00] 3,2,1. Cut! Cheering!
[0:06] We are here at Colonial Market and Spirits
in the South Loop,
[0:09] the Carbon 31 building, celebrating
the grand opening of Colonial Market.
[0:14] We have two locations, one in north
Minneapolis, one in south Minneapolis,
[0:17] and our new location, which I'm so excited
because we have a restaurant,
[0:22] a grocery store and a liquor store.
[0:24] It's what I call hybrid.
[0:25] It's 80% American grocery store and 20%
Latino store.
[0:29] This location here in the South
Loop is a bit of a food desert.
[0:32] You got to go a long way
to find a full service grocery store.
[0:36] To have Colonial open and fill that need
[0:39] is an enormous possibility
in terms of the growth of the area.
[0:42] People want to live where they don't
have to go far for their groceries,
[0:45] and this is a perfect addition
to this neighborhood.
[0:46] Some of my employees and been Carbon 31,
and they were telling me,
[0:50] we don't have a place to go for grocery
shopping, so we need something local.
[0:54] With all the new housing and development
here.
[0:56] There's clearly a need for it.
[0:58] What you have in a local community
is the opportunity for buying locally.
[1:02] Purchasing locally.
Being able to hire locally.
[1:04] Those are all beneficial
to a stronger community.
[1:07] And we couldn't be more happy
for the Minnesota
[1:09] Grocers Association be supporting
Daniel's efforts here at Colonial Market.
[1:13] What makes us very unique
is that we're locally owned.
[1:16] I'm not a rich man somewhere in the world.
[1:18] I'm a local man who is doing everything
to open the stores in the community.
[1:22] The City of Bloomington is very invested
in this location.
[1:25] I am very thankful to the City
of Bloomington and the people itself,
[1:29] because this is because of the community
making this happen.
[1:33] Thank you.
This story was created by artificial intelligence (a large language model) based on the proceedings captured in the video below.
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