Join us for a field trip to downtown Anoka, where the state legislature allowed a pilot program of a “social district,” an area where customers can grab a drink from a bar, and walk around to other businesses and events within the district.
Links
Attributions
Our theme song is Tanz den Dobberstein, and our interstitial song is Puck’s Blues. Both tracks used by permission of their creator, Erik Brandt. Find out more about his band, The Urban Hillbilly Quartet, on their website.
This episode was produced by Parker Seamon aka Strongthany, edited by Jeremy Winter, and was hosted and transcribed by Ian R Buck. Many thanks to our guests Doug Borglund, Jacob Niemeier, Jackie Young, Mario Jackson, Brian Glenn, and Peter Turok. We’re always looking to feature new voices on the show, so if you have ideas for future episodes, drop us a line at [email protected].
Transcript
[00:00:00] Ian: Welcome to the Streets.mn Podcast, the show where we highlight how transportation and land use can make our communities better places. Coming to you from beautiful Seward, Minneapolis, Minnesota. I am your host, Ian R. Buck. Today’s topic was suggested by a listener. Thanks for writing in, Dave. State legislature recently authorized the city of Anoka to create a "social district," an area where people can purchase alcoholic beverages at a bar or brewery and walk around about out and about with their drink, even going into other businesses that have opted to allow beverages inside.
We couldn’t pass up this opportunity for a field trip. So Parker Seaman, who is producing an episode for the very first time, uh, and I hopped on the reverse commute Northstar train to spend a Thursday in downtown Anoka. First stop, City Hall, to talk with the staff who are tasked with implementing this program.
[00:01:03] Doug: My name is Doug Borglund. I’m the city’s community development director.
[00:01:08] Ian: Let’s start, like, way at the beginning, the history of this. Like, how did this come about?
[00:01:12] Doug: Well, we are, Anoka likes to do things out of the box. I mean, we have a pumpkin roundabout, just as an example, and so, you know, we, we do on street seating.
We do a lot of different things. We like to do things out of the box, and, uh, We came across this idea. It was being done in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Michigan, um, during COVID as a way to bring people back downtown and, uh, kind of towards the end of COVID and, uh, uh, North Carolina had just changed their state law to allow cities to be able to do this because it gets involved with, uh, liquor liability and things like that.
Typically, if you’re, uh, served in an alcoholic beverage, it needs to be, Uh, you know, consumed, uh, on premise, in the location where you bought it, that’s typically in a bricks and mortar, brick and mortar building, that type of thing, based on liquor laws and all those, and liability and all that fun stuff.
[00:02:12] Ian: So when you say, like, liability, that means, like, the store itself has some responsibility for the people.
[00:02:18] Doug: Yeah, you know, all the rules apply. All the laws apply. But, you know, normally when you consume alcohol, you can’t, you know, it’s, you’re not out in the public unless it’s a, so we were looking at ways to, we’re always looking at ways, how can we, You know, bring activity downtown.
How can we and the area that that we’ve kind of specifically identified as our social district is really what we refer to as our entertainment district where all our events happen, where all our bars and restaurants are located. That type of thing. And, uh, you know, when we came across this idea, um, We started talking with the city council about it, um, one of our council members started talking with, uh, one of our state representatives, Zack Stephenson, about it.
Um, and, uh, uh, so we, we kind of stole the, the state statute from North Carolina and, uh, put that in Stephenson, representative Stephenson’s hands. And, uh, Zack kind of ran with it. Um, and, uh, it was incorporated into what was a very large, uh, state law, a state bill, this omnibus liquor bill, which hadn’t been, um, a, a large liquor bill like that hadn’t been with a series of different things, um, in quite a long time.
And so, uh, it was written into the law that Anoka was able to, uh, create a social district with pretty much a similar set of parameters, um, that, uh, that what was done in North Carolina and other states. And uh, so with that said, um, we embarked on a journey of creating, uh, what is the social district. So we created an ordinance.
We created a. Uh, operational management plan. All that stuff can be found on our city’s website, uh, with all the information, but we knew going into this, that, you know, being a pilot, but we knew if this was successful, that, you know, most cities were in most cities with a downtown would want to. Try to do this.
And so we thought when we, when we started working on this, that we were gonna do this really well, or the best of our best that we could to set a good example and, and make it successful.
[00:04:30] Ian: Do you have to present a report back to the state after the pilot program?
[00:04:34] Doug: We do. We, we, we will re reporting back here.
Um, you know, we ran it for a month last fall and that was just to get our feet wet. And, and then, so this year was the first full season. So it ran from May through October 6th. So this coming Sunday will be the last, uh, the last day of the season. Um, it’ll end with, uh, an event called Vintage Fest. And then we also have our Pumpkin, Pumpkin Carving Expo, which last year we had the world’s largest, uh, the world record for largest pumpkin.
[00:05:06] Ian: Yeah, as the city, right? Like, obviously you’re going to be writing a report and everything. What are your criteria for success? Like, what are you looking for out of this program?
[00:05:18] Doug: I mean, for us, uh, you know, drawing more folks to downtown, recognizing being able to visit our downtown, recognize the assets that we have.
A lot of people who’ve. who’ve come downtown to visit, to try out the social district. Like, "I had no idea what Anoka had to offer. I didn’t know they had this cool river, and a dam, and this cool park, and they had all these events, and, and uh, this little historic, cute downtown." So a lot of people have, have discovered Anoka.
Um, so we were probably a little bit sleepy in that way. And so, um, the idea then that’s exactly it is just to bring people downtown, give them a something unique and different to experience. Um, and then, like I said, we’d like to get it out of the box and, uh, hopefully people enjoy themselves, make a memory and they’ll come back.
[00:06:11] Ian: Have you been collecting data about like where folks are coming from? You don’t mean how that’s changing.
[00:06:17] Doug: Yeah, we haven’t done a whole lot of that. Um, more it’s, you know, we kind of set the table and then at that point, um, you know, we, we kind of manage the, You know, the, the social district glass supply with the, with the businesses,you know, we have signs out, we have identification, we have recycling cans everywhere.
We have, you know, we, we promote it, um, through our, our social media means and, and our other, other avenues of communication. Otherwise, we just try to, you know, support our businesses as well.
[00:06:50] Ian: You said there are, there there’s special cups that…?
[00:06:53] Doug: Yeah. The, there’s a social district cup. Mm-Hmm. .
[00:06:55] Ian: And it, it has to clearly mark like that. Yep. "It, I’m allowed to have this drink outside."
[00:07:01] Doug: Yep. And it has to, it has to have the social district logo. Mm-Hmm. on it. "Drink responsibly, be 21," um, all those different, so all those things.
[00:07:09] Ian: "Get good grades."
[00:07:09] Doug: Yeah. [laughter] and, uh, uh, it, it’s, it’s all in state law. Mm-Hmm. , you know, what needs to be on the cup. Okay. You know?
Yeah. And, uh, yeah. And you know, so.
[00:07:23] Ian: And I understand that the, the businesses around the social district. Had the ability to either opt in or opt out of allowing people to walk in and walk out with with…
[00:07:33] Doug: that is that is correct
Yeah, um businesses that are are not a bar restaurant serving. So if you’re the shoe store or your antique shop, we offer window clings that they can put on their The front door that says social district drinks are welcome or they’re not.
Um, and it’s up to that business owner and I can understand in some cases, you know, maybe you’re selling clothing or things like that and you don’t want someone, you know, spilling something or whatnot. I get that. And then, uh, some like the antique shops, they welcome folks to come in. So it just depends on the business owner and their perspective and, and probably the products that they’re selling.
[00:08:17] Ian: Yeah. Um, do you, have you. What’s like the percentage of businesses that have opted to allow versus not allow?
[00:08:24] Doug: I would, I don’t have a specific percentage, but I can tell you, I think it’s, it’s, it’s more favorable to allow social district beverages than not.
[00:08:35] Ian: How big is the social districts?
[00:08:37] Doug: The district? Uh, we, I mean, we have a map it’s on our website.
Um, but it, you know, it’s, it encompasses the, the, the heart of downtown. Um, so it’s along the river of seconds. Yeah. It’s along 2nd Avenue, Jackson Street, 1st and 2nd, up to 3rd, and then we go across the street, just across the street, um, along Main Street, and those businesses that front Main Street between, uh, 3rd and 1st.
[00:09:05] Ian: Yeah, and this is already an area that seems pretty, like, pedestrian friendly. Correct. Um, have you, have you been pairing the, the social district with any other, like, you know, new treatments for Yeah. Like you mentioned, um, outdoor seating is already a thing that’s been going on here. And yeah.
[00:09:25] Doug: Yeah, yeah. We started our outdoor seating program probably seven years ago.
Um, and, uh, it’s become very popular with all the businesses. Uh, and I mean, if I were a business, I would love it because all of a sudden I can, I, you know, some of the operators have a pretty small space and all of a sudden now they can expand their dining room. For a period of time and, uh, and you know, if it’s a beautiful day out, even at lunchtime, there’s tons of people eating lunch, you know, or just, you know, walking around that type of thing.
A lot of people using the trail by the river, that type of thing. Um, long term our plan is to. To rebuild Jackson Street, but we want to create something that’s very similar to, you know, with pavers and we want to get rid of the curbs and change the drainage so that it’s much easier for the business, the sidewalks with, you know, or with chairs and tables and it’s just much more of a flexible space.
You know and really just kind of create a really cool I wouldn’t say a pedestrian mall environment because there will be some traffic at some point Yeah, but and then the ability to close it down during events Um, and, uh, with some sort of, some sort of infrastructure right now, we just use different barricades and things like that to do that.
Um, and, uh, so if we can build those things in, uh, and maybe even some cool like lighting, you know, like string lighting that, that goes across the, to kind of create the set, create an environment, um, that’s, that’s very friendly and welcoming and, and just, uh, kind of part of that entertainment feel.
[00:11:00] Ian: Yeah. So obviously you haven’t written up your report to the state and everything just yet.
No, but, um, you know, like what’s the vibe been? Have you noticed like a significant influx of people spending time?
[00:11:13] Doug: We have seen an increase in activity during the week, especially on days that You know, maybe we wouldn’t usually Wednesday nights. We have our concerts in the park, which draws quite a few people for folks to be able to, you know, maybe they go to dinner and then they get their drink and then they walk down to the concert.
That type of thing. Um, you know, we’ve seen an uptick, um, just in, in general activity, but you’ll see people, you know, sitting on a bench or maybe they’re just walking along, you know, You know, sipping and strolling as we’ve coined the phrase. Um, but, uh, uh, yeah, so I think it’s been pretty successful. And my people, people know it’s a privilege.
And, uh, so, um, it really is more of a sip and stroll type of environment. I mean, um, You know, it’s, there’s nothing rowdy about it or anything like that.
[00:12:06] Ian: Yeah. I heard from one of the business owners, you know, like a little bit about the Like the public engagement that you had before opening up the, the, you know, so like what efforts did you go through for that process?
And then also, yeah, have you heard any other feedback from businesses since then?
[00:12:22] Doug: Yeah, we, well, we meet, you know, we’ll meet with the businesses, you know, after the season’s over and kind of, uh, you know, summarize how do things go and then we’ll start, start to talk about next year.
Mm hmm.
And we did that this last fall.
So, Yeah, so the expansion of the district to the south side of East Main Street came from the businesses, you know, wanting to expand the district a little bit, include those businesses as well. And so we made that change. So we just kind of work through whatever issues or whatever ideas that people have and will it work, will it not, can we do it, can we not do it.
We just have to work through those things. So it’s really a collaborative effort.
[00:13:08] Ian: Yeah. Do you imagine this being something, you know, assuming that it goes well and the state legislature wants to allow it to keep happening, like. Is this something that you’re looking to do year round, or is it going to be like a seasonal, just during like the spring to fall kind of?
[00:13:25] Doug: Yeah, for us right now, it’s, it’s been spring, you know, May to October. October, we have a lot of, I mean, we’re the Halloween capital of the world.
[00:13:32] Ian: So I hear!
[00:13:33] Doug: So, we have a lot of events, and some of those events, like the parade, I mean, you can expect. You can have 34,000 people here for the parade in town, and you know, it might be a little bit too big for us to manage to have that many people.
So this year we, you know, this was our first season, full season, so we did stop it. Uh, so the district ends on Saturday, October 6th, and then all the Halloween activities for the rest of the month kick in. As far as winter, um, we haven’t really talked about that, but it coincides with the patio season.
[00:14:07] Ian: Yeah.
[00:14:07] Doug: Um, so, which seems to make sense. So, once the season’s over, all activities go back inside. Mm hmm. But, come May…
[00:14:15] Ian: which is pretty much the case for, like, outdoor seating as well.
[00:14:17] Doug: Yep, yep. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yep, yep. Yep, so we kind of paired it up with the, with the patio seating. Nice. It just seemed to make sense.
[00:14:25] Ian: Awesome. Yeah, Doug, any other major thoughts that you have about the program or anything?
[00:14:30] Doug: I think in general, I, you know, I know there’s a lot of interest from other communities, chambers of commerce across the state. Um, I know our chamber, uh, executive director gets, gets a lot of calls, um, asking, you know, other chambers asking, well, how did the city do this?
How did they get this? And whatnot. Now Stillwater and Shakopee was recently, they recently received, uh, approval from the legislature to, uh, embark on the same adventure that we did.
[00:15:00] Ian: Stillwater makes perfect sense.
[00:15:02] Doug: Yeah, it’ll be interesting to see, you know, how they roll out their program and what they do.
Um, and, uh, their Stillwater will be a little bit more intense than we are. Um, there’s a lot of people and a lot of different, you know, a lot of activity in downtown Stillwater, um, just in general. I mean, and, uh, uh, so we’ll see what, how they, what they do. And, uh, but I, I would, I would assume at some point if things go, things have gone well here, if they go well in, you know, maybe these other two communities, I’m not sure where the state’s at, you know, but they were willing to approve two additional districts.
So I’m not sure if they’re thinking if this all goes well, that it would be a statewide thing or not. I don’t know, but we’re going to continue to try to set a good example and, and, uh, We’re blessed with a, this really cool tool and again, it, it sounds very simple, but it’s generating a lot of, you know, a lot of good traffic and new interest and activity.
And that’s kind of what we’re, we set out to do.
[00:16:09] Ian: Yeah. Yeah. It’s, it’s a, it’s a very like. It’s like a festival vibe, but just like every day.
[00:16:14] Doug: Yeah. Right. Yep. Yep, yep, yep. And I, I think people recognize that. Mm-Hmm. , you know, and they’re, like I said, I mean, most we, we don’t, we haven’t had any, any issues. I mean, if you spoke with our PD or, you know.
Right. Um, I mean, there hasn’t, when it comes to the social district piece, um, there hasn’t been any, really, any issues on our end or issues with trash or cleanup or anything. I mean, it is been. It’s gone really well.
[00:16:42] Ian: Awesome. Yeah.
Doug, thanks for chatting with us.
[00:16:46] Doug: Sure. Not a problem. Anytime.
[00:16:54] Ian: Next up, let’s talk with some of the businesses that serve alcohol.
[00:16:59] Jacob: Yeah, my name’s Jacob Niemeier. I am one of the brewers at 10K, um, who oversees the brewing operations. And I’m also a bartender, um, split part time for each, making a full time position. I’ve been here about three and a half years at 10k Brewing and yeah, kind of see all sides of the business a little bit.
[00:17:20] Ian: So, okay, so describe, yeah, like what, what does that business look like? Like how do, what is the interaction between customers and the business? Yeah.
[00:17:32] Jacob: So, um. The brew house is in the tap room. You guys saw when you walked through the brew house is visible. Anybody who comes in can see that. So even when we’re brewing during the workday, if we open early enough, customers can, you know, they’re able to even ask us questions while we’re working.
So we can kind of interact with them as brewers. But then also when they come in for bartending, you know, we’ve got our tap room. We also have this side room on the other side of the building called the empire room where people can rent events. It’s rent for events. It’s like a nice event space for bands too.
Um, but then we also have our outside patio and then, uh, yeah, people can come get some good craft beer, some snacks. Uh, we’ll be opening a kitchen in the spring time, so we’re going to be adding full food menu also, um, until the kitchen is open, opens up, they, people can bring their dogs in as well. So all the pups are welcome and, uh, yeah, kid and family friendly also.
[00:18:28] Ian: Nice. Are you one of those breweries that also has like a bunch of board games, uh, sittin around?
[00:18:33] Jacob: We’ve got some board games. Uh, bring your own deck of cards, but we’ve got board games and, uh, cribbage boards and all that too, yeah.
[00:18:40] Ian: Nice, yeah. Um, so, large indoor space, a lot going on. Yeah. Um, how has that, like, factored into the social district, you know, Interacting with the business.
[00:18:56] Jacob: Yeah. Um, so yeah, especially in the summertime when things get pretty cramped outside and inside, you know, it kind of gets shoulder to shoulder drinking seasons when the weather’s nice, right? You see as a bartender, a lot of times people are coming in in groups, families, couples, not everyone’s a beer drinker.
No one’s going to shame them for not liking beers, but sometimes spouses are stuck sitting with their partners, you know, while they drink a beer and they’re having a water. And, you know, ideally we want everybody to enjoy their time together downtown. When the social district started, this really was a big opportunity for people in groups to come out.
They can all go get what they want because all the bars are participating downtown Anoka. They can go get what they want and they can meet up at the park. You can walk all the way up the river, go see the dam, walk the streets and talk, hang out. Bring your dogs on walks. And so it’s really don’t have to pick and choose where they go now. Of course they can’t bring other alcohol into our business, but they can be in our patio. Um, as long as they’re buying from us. Um, but yeah, people don’t have to pick and choose and even some stores are participating downtown. You know, people can shop and have a drink while they go about their shopping for like, especially antiques in this area. So it’s kind of nice.
[00:20:16] Ian: It, it lessens the pressure on your business to like be everything for everybody.
[00:20:22] Jacob: Yeah, I mean we don’t offer wine and liquor, but if somebody absolutely hates beer and you know, sadly we can’t offer those things to them at this time, you know, then, yeah, go get your wine, go get your, uh, Jack Cokes, and then come hang out with the rest of your group at the brewery. So.
[00:20:40] Ian: Nice. Yeah. So how have you, how have you thought it’s been going? This is our first year, briefly last fall, I hear, but like, this is the first full season with, with the social district.
How’s it been going?
[00:20:52] Jacob: It’s been going really well. Last year was a month long trial, like you said, and half the weekends were rainy, so it was kind of a weird sample month to pull from, but I’m really glad they instituted it this year. You know, out as a brewery, people aren’t really coming to our place to get shwasted, you know?
They’re coming to chill and hang out and have a couple beers, and then they move on to the next place, you know, later in the night. Like, we don’t see a lot of craziness going on. People are usually having a good time. And I think we’re all pretty cognizant, you know, before, even before the social district of people, you know, over consuming alcohol downtown.
And so hasn’t really changed how we treat the customers. You know, we really haven’t had to limit too many people drinking like because of overconsumption. So it’s been good for us. I think you get more people coming in and more people like maybe if somebody is not a wine drinker and they can get a beer, you know, so I think it’s been good.
Good for us. Seems busy. People are excited about it. People are sharing that with their friends and getting more visitors from out of state and visitors from within the state too.
[00:22:01] Ian: Yeah.
[00:22:01] Jacob: Yeah.
[00:22:02] Ian: Um, has it, so it has seemed busier than in past years or how is it compared?
[00:22:09] Jacob: That’s a good question. I’m not really sure.
Um, hard to gauge that. Uh, every year’s, it’s hard to find a trend.
[00:22:16] Ian: That’s fair enough. Yeah.
[00:22:17] Jacob: Yeah. It’s hard to find trends. Every year is different.
[00:22:20] Ian: Right. Right. Anecdote is not the singular of data. Right. Yeah.
[00:22:25] Jacob: Especially after like, I mean, even four years after lockdown, we’re still seeing the effects of people being at home for almost a year, you know, um, People don’t want to leave home unless you’ve got lots of options where they’re going to go because at home you got everything.
So, um, this kind of, I think this kind of helps with that too because people, you know, don’t want to leave home if it’s just going to be beer available, you know, and so they can go and get other things as well. And, you know, Still hang out with the people they want to hang out with.
[00:22:57] Ian: Yeah
[00:22:58] Jacob: Yeah.
[00:22:58] Ian: When I when I think about like, you know places like the Renaissance Festival or the State Fair, you know, right where it’s like This is not A town it is a manufactured like destination for people to go and hang out for a while, right?
Um, they succeed because they have like a wide variety of things, right? You know, you’ve got the stage Comedy shows you’ve got the the arts and crafts, you know storefronts and like. And everything is there within like a walkable distance um how do you how do you feel that downtown anoka kind of Fares in that in that regard You were talking about a variety of different drink options, but also like, is there a variety of different types of activities and things to do?
[00:23:44] Jacob: Oh, definitely. Yeah. Throughout the summer. I mean, and the city’s really stepped up because of the social district too. They’ve really expanded, you know, what street entertainment’s going to look like. So there, um, there are opportunities for buskers to come and sing on those corners. There’s music in the park north of the city building here.
Um, and then throughout the summer already, what’s been going on in Anoka, like I feel like at least once or twice a month on the weekends, there’s events where the streets get shut down and there have like vintage fest coming up soon. And they’ve got, um, lots of different street events. And so it’s not just, drinks and food.
There’s music. And then there’s, um, I think at one point there’s like a, a semi pro wrestling group that comes through and they set up in the parking lot. And so, um, I mean, lots of different, interesting things that people can, you know, come see in addition to the food and drink. So.
[00:24:43] Ian: Yeah, yeah.
[00:24:44] Jacob: I’m from out of state and coming to Anoka, it kind of had this reputation as being a little weird and a little out there.
And, uh, You know, you definitely see some interesting things, but then with these events, you know, there’s some interesting groups coming through to, uh, you know, showcase whatever they do. Um, but I love it. So yeah, it’s been good. I think it’s kind of cool that Anoka is the first place in the state to have a social district like this.
And already there’s some other towns that are looking to, um, Mimic what we’ve done here. I think Stillwater was one of them kind of known for being a bar hopping area already. Um, but I think there’s nothing better than being able to be outside. And if people are being responsible for their drinks, why not, especially in a safe area?
If you’re listening to this, then reach out to your city council members and let them know that you support it, or tell them what you think about it, because the more information they get from constituents, the better too, so, yeah.
[00:25:45] Ian: That’s the kind of call to action that our listeners definitely take.
[00:25:48] Jacob: Yeah, you know, you gotta get involved with local government, you know, and that’s where your voice has the most effect on, you know, your local landscape, so.
I’m always pushing people to reach out, even if you’re just congratulating them on something, or you, you just say, Hey, I really like this. And that’s it. Let your, um, representatives know. So.
[00:26:09] Ian: Sweet.
[00:26:09] Jacob: Yeah.
[00:26:10] Ian: Jacob, thanks for coming on the show.
[00:26:12] Jacob: Yeah, thanks for having me.
[00:26:20] Jackie: I’m Jackie Young. I am at MaGillyCuddys in Anoka. I’m the owner. Sweet. Along with my husband, but he’s not here.
[00:26:27] Ian: Sure. [laughter] Um, so, social district, obviously. A business that serves alcohol is the main focus of that, right? When they brought this idea to you, what was your first reaction to it?
[00:26:43] Jackie: I really didn’t have a big reaction to it, because it was kind of already a little bit happening.
But they just wanted to kind of make it a little bit legal, I guess. [laughter] People, I think they consider, because we’re such a small town, downtown area, that they can just kind of walk around with their drinks and So we do have like a lot of big events. We do have like a little lot of shopping down here. And I think they wanted to make it legal enough to where people can walk around, go drinking, go sit in the park, go hang out by the dam or go shopping or just kind of general, just walk around.
So. And walk around with our big events to make it legal for that way.
[00:27:19] Ian: Yeah. Cause I, I heard that, um, you’ve been doing like outdoor seating and stuff like that for quite a few years before this. So when you have a social district and you know, folks can buy a drink anywhere and walk around anywhere within the district that kind of changes the way that you as the owner have to think about like, Oh, how, how am I going to attract people into the business?
Right. Because, you know, if somebody’s here for an event that’s outside, and they want to buy a drink, you know, they don’t have to, you know, think about like, Oh, am I gonna be hanging out in the business where I’m buying a drink for a while? So like, like, how did that change your, the way that you approached…?
[00:27:57] Jackie: Well, lucky for us, we’re a very tiny bar. So it’s also very nice that people can come in and buy a drink, and they can leave more revenue for us that way. Yeah, um, When there’s events downtown Anoka, people love events down here. It’s packed, it’s busy, so I’m not worried about not filling my bar seats because people, people are going to be here no matter what. So.
[00:28:20] Ian: Yeah.
[00:28:20] Jackie: Not worried about that at all.
[00:28:22] Ian: Well, I mean, it sounds like, yeah, having a small space, you really benefit from the existence of the, the social district more than, more than a place that would have like a very, very large indoor space. Yeah.
[00:28:33] Jackie: I benefit quite well from it, so. The city had shut down the streets in July, every weekend for a month, and we did karaoke and yard games out in the street, and it turned out very, very well.
We wanted to continue it through the end of September, but, or the end of like, I guess, Labor Day, but the city had other plans. So not all businesses were on board for us shutting down the street for a few hours during the day, but we kind of worked through it and hopefully next year we can start fresh back up again because it was a trial run of things, what we could do outside and it turned out well and hopefully we can continue to do that next year.
Yeah.
[00:29:09] Ian: Um, what are your hopes for, for the future? Uh, if this program keeps going.
[00:29:15] Jackie: I, I think the program will keep going. I think it, cause we have not had any negative feedback about it. The only thing that like the, for us is training the customers, like if they purchase a drink from one bar, they cannot walk into our bar with that drink.
And that’s the hardest part. But if you sit down and kind of explain it to people and they’re like, "Oh, okay." Cause a lot of people don’t know. It’s a lot of, it’s just training the customers, right?
[00:29:38] Ian: Right. Yeah. It’s a brand new thing for all of us.
[00:29:40] Jackie: And yeah. And I think once that gets down. I think it’ll be good.
[00:29:45] Ian: So I imagine that along those lines, like, if we start having social districts in many other cities, then people are going to be much more familiar with the concept overall. Have you been having a lot of, like, is it mostly local customers, or is it a lot of people coming in from other places?
[00:30:03] Jackie: It’s a lot of local customers and it’s a lot of people that come down, downtown Anoka, because I think a lot of people didn’t know about Anoka until we started the social district because it was all over the news.
And I mean, me, 12 years ago, I didn’t know Anoka was here and had this small, vibrant downtown. And coming down here, I was like, this is the place, because I like to bar hop, so this is the perfect place for us, you know, people that like to bar hop, they like to go. It’s the perfect place that people want to come and eat food, go shopping, and kind of just hang out.
Outside. Yeah.
[00:30:32] Ian: Um, whereabouts are you from then?
[00:30:34] Jackie: I’m from St. Paul.
[00:30:35] Ian: Okay, nice. Same. Okay. , imagine that you’re from St. Paul and you started an Irish pub here.
[00:30:40] Jackie: Uh, I found it on Craigslist. So. [laughter]
[00:30:44] Ian: There we go. Um, yeah. Jackie, any other thoughts about the project that I haven’t asked?
[00:30:50] Jackie: I, I don’t think so. It’ll be exciting to see what the other cities get to do when they start their social district.
’cause I know a lot of people have been wanting like. Stillwater and Shakopee, I think I heard, and I think Alexandria wants to do it now too, so. So a lot of small towns, I think, want to do it. Sweet, yeah. Hopefully it brings people to downtown. Downtown’s everywhere.
[00:31:10] Ian: Indeed. Jackie, thanks for coming on the show.
[00:31:12] Jackie: Thanks.
[00:31:19] Ian: And finally, we’ll chat with a couple of businesses that do not serve alcohol, one of them allows beverages inside, and one does not.
[00:31:28] Mario: My name is Mario Jackson.
[00:31:30] Ian: And, um, we’re here in the Amore, uh, antique shop, right?
[00:31:35] Mario: Yes, we are.
[00:31:36] Ian: Um, what’s your, what’s your position here?
[00:31:37] Mario: I am a dealer here.
[00:31:39] Ian: Sweet. Um, so you are right across the street from several breweries and bars and stuff right here in the Social District.
Um, and you’re one of the businesses that does allow folks to bring in drinks, right?
[00:31:53] Mario: Yes, we do.
[00:31:53] Ian: Sweet. Um, so, how has that been going?
[00:31:57] Mario: It’s been going good. Um, I find it to be, um, very social. I see people coming in with their drinks, um, kind of laughing, joking, you know, communicating with the staff, and I haven’t seen any, like, major problem with it so far.
So, so far, so good.
[00:32:13] Ian: What is the, like, what was the decision making process, you know, when the owners decided, you know, like, whether or not they wanted to put that green sticker on the window or not?
[00:32:23] Mario: I believe, um, the owner here at Amore, his name is Brandon, um, he was a part of the, um, Discover Anoka. Okay.
And so he was a big part of kind of making the social thing happen. He’s a bubbly guy, you know what I’m saying, really cool, kind of laid back, you know, kind of like to have fun. So I think it was a easy You know, decision from him, just me knowing him from the time I’ve been knowing him.
[00:32:48] Ian: I feel like you kind of have to be a fun person in order to run a, uh, an antique shop, right?
[00:32:53] Mario: I agree. I definitely agree. I definitely agree. And that is him. He’s full, he’s full of life, so I like it. It’s cool. It’s cool.
[00:32:59] Ian: Yeah, have you noticed, like, has there been a significant uptick in the number of people here in town and coming to the shop and stuff?
[00:33:05] Mario: I can say honestly, I think it has. I think it does open up, um, a little bit more foot traffic.
And, uh, people want to get out and, you know, have, you know, date night and get to walk around the shop and have a, you know, beverage in their hand. Yeah. And, you know, I think it does spike it up a little bit.
[00:33:20] Ian: Do, do people, uh, does this loosen up their decision making process and, you know, when they’re shopping?
[00:33:25] Mario: It can, it can, it can influence a little bit. It can, it can definitely have some influence in it. So, um, we like to see it. I mean, as long as, you know, people are being responsible and, um, you know, just, you know, Not trying to spill all over, we’re good with that, you know.
[00:33:39] Ian: Is there a correlation between like, you know, do craft beer drinkers, do they like the antiques more, you know?
[00:33:44] Mario: Yeah, I haven’t pinpointed that yet. I’m very, I am an observant guy, but um, I haven’t pinpointed that. But, you know, I think just overall, people are having fun. And, you know, just seeing the smiles on people’s faces when they’re coming in. And, you know, that’s what we like to see and, you know. And the responsible part.
Yeah, just being responsible, you know, and that’s what we like, you know, yeah.
[00:34:06] Ian: Has it changed any of the strategies that the store uses to try and get folks to come in and check things out?
[00:34:14] Mario: Um Not really. Um, we we just like I said, we put that green sticker in there. We just you know, we just letting people know that you know, um We don’t mind you coming in and having a good time.
And I think people, they see that and they, you know, that, you know, it drives them in a little bit. You know, they see that, you know, you know, we’re willing to have a little fun, you know, and so I think the sticker alone kind of, you know, Makes people feel comfortable about coming in, you know.
[00:34:39] Ian: So the, um, kind of the public engagement leading up to the social district being implemented, and you mentioned the owner was part of the, um, you called it Discover Anoka, right?
[00:34:51] Mario: Yeah, Discover Anoka.
[00:34:51] Ian: Um, what were some of the ways that the project kind of evolved over time, you know?
[00:34:57] Mario: Um, I think just, um, What I’ve heard from him because I’m not involved with the whole thing. So I can’t really, you know, go too far in it. But from what I’ve heard, I think, um, they kind of just gather on from the business owners and kind of just, you know, all came together and, um, seeing that Anoka has just been a rise and thinking that that would bring, you know, a lot more, you know, More foot traffic, you know, and just, you know, more stuff to do.
And, um, in a, in a place like this where it’s a community base and, um, just fun people, I think it just, it just helped to make people lay back and, you know, come out and just have a good time, you know? So I think the process was from. the outside looking in. I think it was pretty easy for him to come up with this and I’m glad they did.
Uh, it’s like I said, it’s really brought out a lot of a lot of foot traffic and a lot of smiles, you know? And so…
[00:35:46] Ian: when I think about having like a like a group outing, you know, and you’ve got a variety of different people, you know, you have maybe like five people in the There’s six different interests, right?
You know, in the group. Um, an antique store seems like it’s, like, well positioned to take advantage, you know, like, there’s a variety of different things here in the store, um, it’s always a good, like, group, group destination, you know, because everybody can kind of look at the, the different kinds of stuff that they like.
[00:36:12] Mario: It is, and, and we, like, Like when we see a group come in and, you know, they’re socializing and they’re laughing and then they start, you know, we have a couple over here and a couple over here and they’re kind of going back and forth, you know, kind of talking to each other from the different, you know, the aisles and stuff like that and just having a good time and we just like seeing it and it just, it puts smiles on our faces and just having families come in and, you know, in groups and just, just having fun, you know, so.
[00:36:38] Ian: If folks come to Anoka and they want to check out, you know, the antique shop, what, what’s What’s one thing that you think everybody should check out here?
[00:36:46] Mario: You know what? I think we have 60 amazing dealers in here. And we all bring our own small, unique flavor. You know? And so I think as a whole, it just makes Amore.
And we’re very, Family based everyone, you know, everyone in here. We positive attitudes. Um, it makes it makes it easy when you have that atmosphere, you know, and you have a great owner. On top of that, a leader, you know, it just kind of puts the icing on the cake.
[00:37:15] Ian: Mario, any other final thoughts that I didn’t ask about?
[00:37:18] Mario: Well, I’d just like to, a little bit on a bragging note about Amore. We’ve been, um, the number one antique shop in downtown Anoka for the last three years. Um, and we just want to continue to, you know, up, keep uplifting the community. And I’m bringing smiles in the door and we like to see the youth come in and you know, hopefully see them 10 years later and you know, and say, Hey, I’ve been coming here and we, you know, we’d like to see that.
And we like to, we want to continue this family, this family build that we have. Yeah.
[00:37:46] Ian: Sweet. Thanks for coming on the show.
[00:37:48] Mario: Oh, I appreciate it. Thank you guys.
[00:37:56] Brian: My name is Brian Glenn and I’m the store manager for Schmitt Music Anoka.
[00:38:02] Ian: So Schmitt Music is one of a handful of, uh, storefronts that we’ve seen around that has the red sticker in the window. Um, so yeah, can you, I guess, describe what the store is, you know, and then also like, how did that play into the decision to have a red sticker instead of a green sticker?
[00:38:19] Brian: Sure. It’s a, uh, a music store. Our main focus is on band and orchestra instruments along with, uh, with, uh, electronic keyboards and it’s in our main customer base. It would be like school music groups, band and orchestra and piano students rather than, and not there’s anything wrong with like, but, but rather than electric guitar and bass and drums.
So it’s a, and so it tends to be a lot of times we’ll have families coming in and, This is something that I ran by the, you know, the people higher up at the company as far as asking them about, well, what do you think, what should be our, you know, our stance on that or here’s our choice, you know, our choices as far as having, you know, uh, you know, drinks permitted, no drinks permitted.
And they said, well. Probably just to be on the safe side, just have, you know, no drinks permitted. They weren’t really concerned about any problems and neither was I. I mean, I, I wasn’t really concerned about it, but just to keep it, say, I think we’ve had a couple of times where people have walked in here with things and it’s like, as long as you’re not causing trouble, well, it’s not a big deal, but.
[00:39:38] Ian: The focus of the space is not to be a social space the way that, like, say, a record store is, right?
[00:39:44] Brian: Right. So, although we do get some of that here, too, where, where people are just, they’ll, they’ll come in to look at, look at, uh, printed music or, uh, Sit down and sometimes play on one of the keyboards and that’s fine.
So, and so it’s, it, it, it can be kind of a social, you know, social space, but then also something where it’s a little more specific as far as the customer base that we’re looking for.
[00:40:10] Ian: Do you, do you see much like spontaneous foot traffic that comes in interested in purchasing instruments? Like that seems like kind of an unusual thing.
[00:40:20] Brian: Right. I mean, we do see some of that, but just because sometimes people will walk by and they will, and they’ll say, Oh, there’s a music store here and they’ll stop in and sometimes we’ll get, uh, people stop in and they’ll say, Well, you know, my spouse is over looking at this and this, so I’m, I’m just killing time.
So I thought I’d stop in here and this looked more interesting than where, than where they were. So.
[00:40:43] Ian: And you mentioned that not only do you work here at this store, but you also live here in Anoka. So you’ve gotten to see the the effects of the social district just as a citizen So what you know, what are your thoughts and feelings on it from that perspective?
[00:40:59] Brian: I haven’t I I’ve I haven’t noticed any Problems at all and I haven’t and I I know quite a few of the people that that work downtown Also, and I I haven’t heard any reports of any, you know, people causing trouble or anything. I mean, it was, I remember when this was first proposed that there were a lot of people predicting that there’d be, you know, these, there’d be drunken brawls in the streets and absolutely nothing like that has happened.
I think the worst thing might be that there are, there are, uh, People wouldn’t dispose of their cups properly. So they would, might just leave them sitting on, you know, like I think maybe once or twice I found one sitting on the ledge outside the store there instead of throwing it away or recycling it.
But yeah, I haven’t had, I haven’t seen any, any problems, you know, anywhere or heard about any.
[00:41:53] Ian: So are you, uh, do you hang out in downtown very often? You know, just like chilling at, at any of the establishments.
[00:42:00] Brian: Right. I do. I spent a, uh, There’s, there’s 10k brewing just across the way there, where that’s, that’s so close.
And I, so I spend a fair amount of time there and talking to the, uh, the workers there that, that they’ll, I mean, they haven’t had any problems, but it doesn’t seem like they’ve had that many people taking advantage of the, you know, social district. If they’ll, they’ll, people get a beer and they’ll go sit outside.
And that’s fine, but then it hasn’t been maybe used as much as it, as, as it could have been, but it’s, but certainly hasn’t been any problems.
[00:42:38] Ian: Yeah. Any final thoughts on the, the social district that I haven’t asked about?
[00:42:43] Brian: No, other than I that I, I hope it continues because it’s been, it’s been kind of a, for those that have taken advantage of it, it seems like it’s been, it’s been a fun thing to be able to do.
And if somebody doesn’t want to take advantage of that, then it really doesn’t have much effect on them. I mean, as I said, I, I, I don’t think I, I haven’t taken advantage of it yet. So this might be my, Weekend to do that.
[00:43:10] Ian: It’s your, it’s your last chance for the season, so Yes. Yeah, .
[00:43:13] Brian: That’s right.
[00:43:14] Ian: All right, Brian, thanks for coming on the show.
[00:43:17] Brian: Oh, thanks. Thanks for having me.
[00:43:20] Ian: To finish off, let’s hear from Pete Turok, who’s the president of the Anoka Area Chamber of Commerce. Give people just kind of a little background on what is a Chamber of Commerce like, is this a government entity? Is this a private corporation that’s boosting the community?
[00:43:41] Pete: So it is a 501c6 nonprofit. It is by business for business. So we’re one of the oldest chambers in the state of Minnesota. Started back in 1952, and in fact, October is our fiscal. So we just turned 72 years old on October 1st. One of the largest chambers, 600 plus business members. So we have a board of directors that runs us. They are business people.
We promote our member communities of which there are eight and our member businesses. So the bottom line is, is that if it’s good for business, we’re in, whether that’s transportation related, nothing against any other of the communities in the state of Minnesota. But we’d love for everybody to live in our eight cities, do business here, set up shop, raise their families.
And so our job is to pump and promote and do what we can to help those member businesses.
[00:44:34] Ian: So what, what, which are the eight that you cover?
[00:44:37] Pete: So the eight cities are Andover, Anoka, Champlin, Coon Rapids, Oak Grove, Nowthen, Ramsey, St. Francis. So it’s a, it’s a good little northern suburb chunk. It started back in 52 with Anoka and Champlin, who always had that common bond between, because of the Mississippi River.
Bridging between it. And from there it has grown.
[00:45:02] Ian: We want to chat about the Anoka social district. Uh, this was the, the pilot year following a very brief month long thing last fall. Uh, I understand. And in order for this to happen, this required the state to. Authorize the city of Anoka to do this. Where did this idea come from?
Was this kind of a bottom up the community, bringing it to their state legislator, or did somebody at the state level have this idea and were like, were they looking for a community to do this?
[00:45:33] Pete: I believe it started community and went up. I could be wrong there because this thing just kind of, you know, it happened from the standpoint of some discussions.
And then it was quiet for a while and then all of a sudden it popped on the legislative level and Anoka became the first city in the state to be able to do it. We were kind of the guinea pig, the test market, but I believe that it was just some discussion on a local level and from there. Ooh, she blossomed.
[00:46:04] Ian: Given that you have kind of a regional picture, right. Of not just what the business is within, uh, downtown Anoka. I mean, there there’s Anoka and then there’s downtown Anoka, right? It’s like, yeah. And then you have seven other municipalities that are also members of your Chamber of Commerce. Like-
[00:46:23] Pete: Yeah, downtown Anoka is a different animal.
There’s no question about that.
[00:46:26] Ian: For sure. Has there been a lot of interest from any businesses in any of the other cities or in other parts of Anoka to get this kind of thing going?
[00:46:35] Pete: You know, um, really because it was always talked as. It’s really a selected area within downtown. I haven’t really heard anything beyond the businesses that were affected here.
And as this started to be discussed and it started to zero in about, okay, here’s the areas here. Thus, here’s how this thing could look a lot of interest from business because it was new and we’re just looking for. Answers to questions that they had wasn’t in opposition or anything. It was just, okay, how does this look and how would this affect me?
And, uh, let’s just see how it goes. So I haven’t really heard from anybody outside the. Anoka area at all on this. Although I will say that as this is now opened up to two other communities with Stillwater, Shakopee, Oh, immediately got some calls from some of those business people, some of those chambers going, how’d it go?
What did you do? And just tons of questions. And all the questions that, honestly, the Chamber had and the City had as this thing started to come together here in Anoka.
[00:47:40] Ian: Yeah. Yeah, because when I think about, like, the, the appeal of this kind of social district, you know, as a customer, it’s like, oh, if I, if I, We’re visiting a strip mall, you know, somewhere outside of downtown, you know, like, do I want to grab a drink and then walk around?
Not really.
[00:48:01] Pete: No. And, and, and honestly, I think that’s a big reason why we haven’t heard a lot about it. It really is a, a, a. Unique situation for a unique business area, uh, where businesses are, are more, uh, combined together. I mean, my God, the, the bar restaurants we have within a two block area, I mean, is tremendous and that’s why it was, I think, first discussed and why it started and why it’s working here.
[00:48:30] Ian: When I was walking around on Thursday and looking at. The buildings in the area and realizing that like that one city block that has like 10K brewing and it’s got, um, the Irish pub, whose name I cannot pronounce.
[00:48:43] Pete: MaGillyCuddys.
[00:48:44] Ian: Yeah, there you go. Um, that one block appears to just be a single building that, that, that all of those different businesses operate out of.
And you know, like it’s such a dense shared space. Um, yeah. With all of these businesses like facing towards the street front and you know they’re all very accessible from a pedestrian standpoint and.
[00:49:08] Pete: Yeah, it goes back to the late 1800s. And the reality is there’s three different buildings they call it the bank block because they were There was a major bank on the corner that’s on to the main street side, but the back to where MaGillyCuddys is and then Ambi wine bar may at some point have been one.
But I know that that those are two separate entities in the respect and you find that in the in the old towns. I mean, this is Mayberry. This is Lake Wobegon and we’ll take all of that stuff because it’s unique and. And it makes us different than the strips and the other, um, scenarios that you have out there.
Because you can’t create that. You can’t create old. You can try, but old takes time. And Anoka’s had it since the late 1800s.
[00:49:54] Ian: What has your personal relationship been with the, the social district? Do you hang out in downtown and, you know, peruse around?
[00:50:01] Pete: Well, I’m not a drinker, but it’s, um, Yeah, I hang around down here just because number one, I’m the chamber president.
Number two, it’s just cool to be down here. And number three, I did probably a little bit more than normal, especially this year. Just because the test that initial test was about a month and we learned a few things but not a lot. This was the real test of how this thing was gonna go Plus we put on a major event here in the middle of July called Anoka River Fest and craft fair and one of the main Reasons why this social district was even discussed Was for big events like that and we just recently finished up an Anoka Vintage Fest where people would have that opportunity to in a setting like that, we’re going block to block really made some sense.
And so, yeah, Oh, no, I trust me. I’ve been down here. We’ve been watching plus the food’s tremendous at all of these restaurants, but yeah, I’ve had a special eye out on it. This, this, uh, This past summer, just to, uh, continue to talk to business people, get feedback, uh, whether they’re in the business of selling alcohol or not, because those businesses that aren’t still have the opportunity with the sign they can put up at their window saying, yes, you can walk in with that beverage or we’d rather you not, and so just kind of monitoring the whole thing and, uh, And to be honest, it’s been good.
I thought there could be some issues and it just has not been in play. It’s been, it’s been good.
[00:51:37] Ian: I was very struck by the fact that like pretty much every business that I talked to on Thursday, they either told me it’s been great. Or they said, I haven’t had any problems. Like, which is, which is such a funny response when I haven’t asked specifically, like, did you have any problems, but I think everybody had this sense that like, Oh, everybody who’s coming here asking questions about this is wondering, like, do you have drunken disorderly people?
Like just, you know, wandering around all the time. Sure.
[00:52:12] Pete: You know, and for everybody, I mean, it was the great unknown. We just didn’t know, you know, and so everybody just kind of sat back and said, all right, let’s see what happens and let’s continue to have the discussions with the city on this thing. And again, I heard and continue to hear, uh, from the beginning until today, the same thing you’ve heard.
And I am constantly asking the question, because if there’s issues, we need to hear about it and, and work through them and kind of figure them out. So no, it’s been solid and, and, and that’s great. I’m glad to hear it.
[00:52:45] Ian: Yeah. Now that I’ve like experienced it, I went to Vintage Fest. I was there in the morning, so there wasn’t, there weren’t a whole lot of people walking around with drinks.
But it, you know, it, it struck me that like. Wait, why, why haven’t we been allowing people to buy a beverage and walk around with a beverage at an event like this? It, it, it just like, it makes perfect sense. And like, of course, you know, there are other mechanisms. To deal with people who are being disorderly, you know, and like preventing them from purchasing a beverage at an establishment right there is not going to stop anybody from being disorderly, if they’re going to do that, you know, exactly.
[00:53:23] Pete: Two, two very different issues. Right. But you know, when you say the word alcohol and you just don’t know, and that’s, what’s great about the way this thing has gone and I will guarantee you, okay, so Shakopee and Stillwater up next. What small town, what, what town that has a scenario in an area where this could work would not want it? Uh, and I just see this thing opening up and, and again, the state’s done it right. Baby stepping this thing. All right, let’s see how it goes. Let’s not just open the flood and let it go. I see it everywhere. If, if the city wants it and that, uh, city council, you know, Uh, is in a position where they, they can make those decisions.
I believe that they will. I think that this thing’s going to rock big time.
[00:54:09] Ian: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, like Stillwater, what a perfect, you know, next step, right? Exactly.
[00:54:15] Pete: Yeah. You know, and you’ve got your Red Wings and your 50th in France in Edina’s and, and you know, Hopkins. And, and I mean, there’s, there’s just, you know, the strip centers.
No. You know, and, and freestandings. No, they’ve got a patio area and there’s nobody that’s going to go from there to the Verizon store. I just, it’s just not that big a deal. But for those cities that have this option, I see it coming. Yeah. Why not?
[00:54:42] Ian: Well, and, and I mean, saying that it’s not really an appealing use case for like a strip mall.
Like, does that mean that we should disallow it in a strip mall? It probably just means like, why not allow it? And like, if nobody takes you up on it in that area, fine, whatever.
[00:55:00] Pete: Yeah, right. Exactly. Exactly. You know, and we, we didn’t know as this thing headed in, cause it was really. About event based, but with a lot of the businesses.
And you saw that when you came down where, you know, the restaurants have the option to go out into the parking stalls. Mm-Hmm. in front of their business. And so we had that outdoor scenario. You know, they do the concerts in the park that City of Anoka does. So that’s a place where, number one, you can get a beverage down there from the Lions Club.
You could have one at another establishment and walk down, but the day to day, you know, and that’s why it’s a spring to fall scenario. I mean, in the middle of January, is somebody going to buy a drink at one bar, walk a block to go to the next one and they have to have that drink in their hand? No, and that’s why it’s really meant for that, that spring to fall.
People are going to be outside and let’s go, but you’re right. I mean. Anybody who wants to try this, go for it.
[00:55:56] Ian: It seemed so normal. It makes me wonder like, what, like why, what was the point of having a law in the first place to like, you know, disallow, it’s so easy to, to put a law like that on the books.
And then it takes us a long time to like, you know, go through a pilot program to test and see like, Oh, is it okay if we, if we, if we take away this restriction? Yeah. Right.
[00:56:22] Pete: Right. No, it’s baby steps and that’s just the nature of the beast. It’s, It’s, um, you know, a scenario that it’s probably better to take it slower just so that, you know, if issues do arise or what comes up so that that model can be created that’s gone through those growing pains of it.
And so that as it rolls out, because let’s face it, it’s going to be copy and repeat. You know, I mean, Stillwater and Shakopee people are extremely intelligent people. And it’s. It’s, it’s looking at that model and go, okay, well, if it worked, let’s go. And so once the initial, which is what we’re at now, gets done, that’s what I said earlier.
I just think this thing rolls. You’ve got the model, the legislative body, I believe, will be happy with what they’ve seen from this and any questions they may have had. I know that the city of Anoka has a report that they need to put together to get in front of the legislature, which will be happening, but that report is going to be pretty solid.
And I think that any fears that any legislators may have as this moves forward, um, you know, they’re going to look at this and go, Hey, so far, so good. I can’t imagine that Shakopee is going to have unique problems that Anoka didn’t, you know? Um, and so, you know, that base model is, is solid. And I think it’ll be easy for that legislative body to roll this thing out on a much larger scale and quickly compared to maybe slower.
[00:57:52] Ian: All right, Pete, uh, any other final thoughts about the social district that we haven’t touched on yet?
[00:57:58] Pete: No, um, it’s been, uh, A great experiment. It’s been a great experience, and I’m crossing my fingers. So far, so good. And I wish Shakopee and Stillwater the best of luck. I know it will go well there. They’ve got some great people in play from chambers up through the cities.
But from an Anoka standpoint, I think on a scale of 1 to 10, it’s a 10.
[00:58:24] Ian: Awesome, Pete, thanks for coming on the show. Thanks for joining us for this episode of the Streets.mn Podcast. The show is released under a Creative Commons attribution, non commercial, non derivative license. So feel free to republish the episode as long as you are not altering it and you’re not profiting from it.
The music in this episode is by Eric Brandt and the Urban Hillbilly Quartet. This episode was produced by Parker Seaman, a. k. a. Strongthany; edited by Jeremy Winter; and was hosted and transcribed by me, Ian R. Buck. We’re always looking to feature new voices on the Streets.mn Podcast. So if you have ideas for future episodes, drop us a line at [[email protected]]
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Until next time, take care.
[00:59:40] Unknown: That’s a 10.