A half-year of road construction is wrapping up on Hennepin and First avenues, and the Nicollet Island-East Bank neighborhood is celebrating by supporting local businesses that have toughed it out.

The Nicollet Island-East Bank Neighborhood Association is organizing Fall Fest, a 10-day campaign, with special offers, activities, and giveaways at various businesses.

“Our local businesses have gone the extra mile to stay open during construction and now it’s time to show our appreciation,” NIEBNA says in a Fall Fest event description. “Let’s come together, have fun and support our great neighborhood.”

Fall Fest kicks off Nov. 1 with a Diwali celebration at Curry Corner, where NIEBNA will give away free “I love NE” pint glasses, and ends Nov. 10 with a party, whose details are still to be determined.

Some of the deals from local businesses:

  • All Saints: Butternut squash sformato, cheeseburger, and negroni fresco for $10 each from Nov. 4-7
  • Fletcher’s Ice Cream & Cafe: Buy three pints, get one for free from Nov. 1-10
  • Silver Fern: Free drip coffee with breakfast or lunch purchase on Nov. 4
  • Studio ME Fitness: Free rowing and yoga classes on Nov. 9 from 7-10 a.m.
  • Surdyk’s: Free tastings for Whiskey Week from Nov. 4-10
  • WildChld: 34% off drinks during happy hour from 5-6:15 p.m. every day
  • Yoga Fit NE: One week of free classes and first month for $49 with any recurring membership

Additional details on Fall Fest will be shared on NIEBNA’s Instagram account and calendar of events. Check back throughout the campaign for updates.

Hennepin County started work on Hennepin and First in April and completed much of it on schedule by late October. First Avenue was slated to completely reopen this week, and Hennepin Avenue is expected to reopen first thing next week, but there still may be some short-term single lane closures over the next few weeks as crews remove barrels, cones, and signs, according to a department spokesperson.

Traffic lane, sidewalk and crosswalk closures changed frequently throughout the project and prevented many people from patronizing businesses in the immediate construction area due to concerns over safety and convenience.

“Every day was different where you could walk and where you could go,” Studio ME Fitness co-owner Megan Cooper told Downtown Voices.

Her neighbors in the Nordhaus Apartments, the owners of Vellee Deli, blamed "relentless road construction" when they were forced to close their Northeast location in September, first indefinitely and now permanently.

The Fletcher's Ice Cream & Cafe patio wasn't very pleasant to sit on this summer with bike lane work happening right outside the shop. Photo by Brianna Kelly

The project timeline aligned with the busy season for Fletcher's Ice Cream & Cafe and caused the business to lose out on about $180,000 in revenue over the past six months.

“We're paying full rent and utilities,” co-owner Jason Fletcher told Downtown Voices on Friday morning. “All of our fixed costs are still there, whether we have customers or not.”

It’s harder to measure the financial impact on Studio ME, which has a membership-based model that helped the business stay afloat, but the road construction likely discouraged new clients from joining.

As they navigated the past six months, neighborhood businesses posted signs letting people know they’re still open and extended offers to try to get people through the door. They also banded together to help support each other – something that will continue even with the mess and heavy machinery gone.

Fletcher’s is planning a sampling event with other food businesses, including Sonder Shaker, later this month.

“None of us are asking for a handout,” Fletcher said. “We just want our business to return to normal.”