The Aldi just off Lake Street in Minneapolis, decimated by the rioting in the days following the police killing of George Floyd, is reopening next week — another step toward ending the food desert in the area caused by the unrest.
The Aldi supermarket at 2929 S. 27th Av., which closed May 28, will reopen Wednesday. A slightly smaller Aldi a few blocks away is already open.
Other groceries are moving along with their rebuilding plans, and several independent businesses along Lake Street also have reopened.
The Target store on Lake, one of the first businesses to be looted, will reopen in mid-November.
Cub Foods, which in July added a temporary tent-like structure to start serving the neighborhood, was set to reopen by the end of the year. However, equipment delays has pushed the reopening date to February.
"The purpose of the Cub Lake Street Community Market has always been to support the local neighborhood by providing a grocery store with fresh food and pharmacy services," said Cub President Mike Stigers. "We're proud of our team members who continue to drive that mission."
The soon-to-reopen Aldi store, which is in the former Rainbow Foods on 27th, will be the first of the chain's Minneapolis stores to adopt curbside pickup. The service will start Oct. 14.
The store was only 18 months old when it was damaged in May, so the renovations were minor, including more space for ready-to-eat prepared foods. The interior was gutted after sprinklers ran all night when fires were set.
Aldi officials and other business owners in the area now are trying to get the word out that more of them are open.
"Car and foot traffic in the Lake Street area is not very high currently as many businesses are still closed, and we are worried that residents may not realize we are open to serve the community," said Matt Lilla, Aldi's regional vice president.
Although many businesses near Lake and Hiawatha remain boarded up or destroyed, others are operating normally including Seward Pharmacy, Hub Bike Co-op, TCF, Pineda Tacos, Precision Tune, NAPA Auto Parts, Habañero Tacos Grill, Sonora Grill, Soderberg's Floral, Repair Lair, Daisy Nails, Toyo Tires, Car-X and Schooner Tavern.
"Residents and business owners know that many businesses are open, but we have to get the word out," said Melanie Majors, executive director of the Longfellow Community Council. "Many people made adjustments to their shopping but as Target, Cub and Aldi return, so will shoppers."
Aldi plans to keep both the stores open for the foreseeable future, Lilla said. Employees of the 27th Avenue store worked in other area Aldi stores during the closure.
None were furloughed or laid off.
