Nokomis East Small Businesses Step Up In a Big Way
- 12 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Minnesota is once again facing unprecedented times with the intrusion of ICE in our cities. And once again, we are seeing the strength, resilience and hope Minnesotans have been known for. This is especially true with the small businesses in the Nokomis East Community.
Mayor Jacob Frey reported in February businesses are seeing a loss of $10-$20 million every week. Immigrant owned businesses struggle due to staffing shortages, adjusted operations due to the threat of ICE near their establishments, and less customers. Other, non-immigrant owned small businesses, are experiencing a drop in revenues due to less traffic as a result of fear and chaos caused by ICE.
One thing is clear, small businesses are stepping up in a big way despite these conditions. Multiple businesses in the Nokomis East neighborhood supported the Day of Truth and Freedom and the National Shutdown demonstrations by remaining closed and/or donating sales to immigrant related relief. Other efforts by small businesses include the promotion of fundraisers for individuals, families, and organizations serving immigrants, as well as mutual aid promotion.
What began as a food drive hosted by The Wellness Center MN in November to support food insecure families during the holiday season, turned into an effort to collect food ongoing and indefinitely for those impacted by immigration activities in Minneapolis. The Wellness Center MN prioritizes people and embodies this in their work. “People come first. We exist to provide wellness to our clients and community.”, explains Kara Motta, Owner & Executive Director of Operations of the center. The food drive served as an opportunity for their clients to support the community, but turned into more than that for many. Motta states, “The food drive gets people talking, clients and staff feel empowered to talk about their present experiences, what they're doing in their communities to help, and learn ideas from each other on how to participate.” The Wellness Center MN’s efforts resulted in a collection of 3 trunk loads of food. “People are kind! With all the hate and violence being sent our way, the people of the Twin Cities Metro are resilient and want to support one another.”, Motta shared.
Nokomis Tattoo, who has regularly stepped in over the years to support the community,
hosted a Day of Tattoos on January 24 to support area food shelves and other mutual aid efforts. Despite having to turn people away due to the popularity of the event, customers shared their support and love for what Nokomis Tattoo was doing that day. Hundreds of pounds of food and hygiene items were collected, along with cash donations. After attending a vigil for Alex Pretti who was killed that same day; Mike, the shop’s owner, shared, “I have never been more proud to be from Minnesota.”
Crema Coffee + Cream is committed to doing what they can to support the community. Though revenue is down more than usual this time of year according to owner, Leah Owens, their shop provides many ways customers can support neighbors. While pointing to a box of empty egg cartons being collected for a local food shelf, she shared that people are helping however they can. Crema collects the cartons for the food shelf as bulk eggs purchased for food distribution can be separated into the cartons so portions are equitable for food shelf visitors.
Jacob Haskins, a commercial-turned-residential construction contractor, has been supporting the neighborhood coordinating mutual aid efforts, providing support and equipment for food drives, planning events and volunteering for his neighborhood. He was inspired to get involved because he cares “about ALL my neighbors.”, Jacob, a combat veteran, shares. With business currently down due to changes by the federal administration, Jacob volunteers full time, and says, “...I have the privilege to serve my community in this moment and I will continue to do so until I need to go find a job, even then I will continue to use my time off to help.”
Now more than ever small businesses in our neighborhood need our help, for they have done so much for our community during these challenging times. Businesses are depending on customers and communities to help them continue thriving, and with our help we can ensure our Nokomis East business neighbors stay vibrant and here for the long term.
For more information, please visit: The Wellness Center MN at www.wellnesscentermn.com, Nokomis Tattoo at www.nokomistattoo.com, Crema Coffee + Cream at www.cremampls.com, and Jacob, Kindred Construction Solutions, at www.kindredgc.com.
