Ribbon snips and celebrations

By Joe Spencer | Saint Paul Downtown Alliance | October 2026

September has given us plenty of reasons to break out the giant scissors. Downtown is celebrating two ribbon cuttings this month, each serving as a sign of the momentum building across our city center. On September 24, ALDI will officially open its doors downtown, bringing a full-service grocery option back to the heart of the city. On that same day, the Stella Residencies celebrated its grand opening, welcoming residents to a beautifully reimagined former office tower just steps from the brand-new Wabasha Park (ribbon cutting #3 in October). The Stella is another example of an underutilized office building finding a new life as housing, adding more than 176 homes to downtown.

And those ribbon cuttings are only part of the story.

The Downtown Revival Trust continues to put its money where its optimism is, acquiring another property – and plans to breathe new life into it. The Trust now has invested in three downtown properties, including the Great Northern Building, First National Bank Building and, most recently, 375 Jackson Square.

I regularly meet with Jamie Rand of the Trust and it is great to see his enthusiasm for downtown. One thing that isn’t talked about enough is his $1 million commitment to small businesses downtown. This is someone who understands the opportunity he has as a steward to the next generation of downtown St. Paul.

We’re also investing in the things that make downtown work better for everyone.

The creation of a dedicated community prosecutor position gives downtown a focused partner in addressing public safety and quality-of-life issues. The position, held by Adam Hinz, focuses on crimes that have a big impact on livability downtown and is funded through the Downtown Improvement District.

And our small businesses are getting some help from the Saint Paul Port Authority, which recently awarded $300,000 to downtown businesses in its first round of funding. These investments help business owners make improvements, expand their offerings and continue building the kinds of places that give downtown its character.

There’s another notch in the belt for downtown’s growing vitality: the City’s Downtown Vitality Fund. The Housing and Redevelopment Authority recently approved 12 projects for it first round of investments from the $5 million fund. Recipients include Alary’s Bar, Avalon, Camp Bar & Cabaret, Erta Ale, LaNoire Bridal, MHCCA, MetroNOME Brewery, Owl’s Eye Art Collective, Ruam Mit and the St. Paul Grower’s Association. The long-shuttered Endicott Arcade building is receiving critical restoration funding to bring back street level retail and vibrancy to a core 5th Street connection, and finally, With Love–Minnesota is receiving renovation funding to activate the street level at 428 Minnesota Street as a civic gathering space.

The goal is simple: make strategic investments that help good things happen faster. It’s another tangible sign that downtown’s momentum isn’t just something being talking about, there are real dollars behind it.

That’s a lot for one month. New homes. A new grocery store. A new park. Old buildings getting new life. More resources for public safety. And real dollars going directly to businesses.

None of these things alone transforms a downtown, but together they tell a compelling story about a place that is being invested in, cared for and reimagined.

So, yes, I’m happy to celebrate a few ribbon snips. But the real celebration is what those ribbons represent: people choosing to invest in our downtown community and, in doing so, choosing to believe in its future.

I’ll raise a pair of ceremonial scissors to that.

View past articles from this year!
2026 is our breakout year (May)
Downtown St. Paul’s billion dollar moment (June)
Downtown St. Paul’s skyrocketing small business growth (August)
A light comes back on downtown (September)

• Facebook
• ShareCopied to clipboard