Featured Stories

Big Table Posters: A Slide Show

Bill Kelley Wednesday, January 18, 2012

The Twin Cities poster scene is flourishing, and one of its epicenters is Big Table Studio in Saint Paul, which Camille LeFevre profiled a couple of weeks ago. Herewith are Managing Photographer Bill Kelley's images of some of his favorite posters on display and for sale at Big Table, by various local artists, celebrating love, evil, beer, bikes, bands, and other exciting facts of life.

Arts and Culture, Creative Economy, Design, Entrepreneurship

Downtown

Revisiting Lunalux: Where fine printing is hip, funny, and fashionable

Jon Spayde Wednesday, January 18, 2012

One of the major influences on Big Table Studio (see feature above) has been Jenni Undis' Lunalux print shop and paper-goods store in Minneapolis. So we thought it would be opportune to re-run our Lunalux feature from 2011, in which we describe how Undis combines charm and cool, tradition and innovation. (By the way, the other major influence on Big Table is the CoCo coworking space--check out our Big Picture feature below for more on that.)

Arts and Culture, Creative Economy, Design, Entrepreneurship, Shopping

Downtown/Lowertown

The Big Picture 11: Jeff Heegaard on the Next Economy

Jon Spayde Wednesday, January 11, 2012

In a season of economic gloom and doom, the veteran business developer and partner in the CoCo coworking spaces sees a hopeful future in the bright eyes and collaborative ethics of young entrepreneurs.

Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Emerging Technology, Entrepreneurship, Philanthropy, Strong Local Economy

Downtown, Downtown/Lowertown

The Musical, Multitasking Microbrewers

Julie Kendrick Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Qiuxia and Kevin Welch are professional musicians, playing the French horn in many major local ensembles. Qiuxia teaches the Chinese language and Chinese cooking. Kevin is a certified tungsten inert gas welder. So why not become microbrewers too, bringing authentic Belgian-style beer to thirsty locals?

Arts and Culture, Entrepreneurship

Warehouse/North Loop

2011: The year of "coopetition"

Jon Spayde Wednesday, December 21, 2011

"Coopetition"--cooperation among competitors or potential competitors--was a force to be reckoned with in the Twin Cities during 2011. Our politics may be gridlocked in partisanship, but the smartest entrepreneurs and civic officials locally are embracing a wider vision than the zero-sum game.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Emerging Technology, Entrepreneurship, Philanthropy, Regionalism

Editor's Note: A look back, a look ahead, a holiday break

Jon Spayde Wednesday, December 21, 2011

In our pre-holiday-hiatus issue, all three editors take a look back over the passing year and make some hopeful predictions about 2012. We'll be taking a break over the holidays and return on January 11 with a look at a musician/microbrewer from China, a conversation with CoCo's Jeff Heegaard, and a new Face of Leadership. See you then.

Kindred Kitchen serves up entrepreneurship in north minneapolis

Elizabeth Millard Wednesday, December 14, 2011

For hopeful food entrepreneurs, it can be a long, hard road from cooking a tasty treat to creating a viable business around it. That's where the North Side's innovative food-business incubator comes in.

Creative Leadership, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Strong Local Economy

North Side

Revisiting Holidazzle: Making a holiday tradition happen

Susan Klemond Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Downtown Minneapolis' Holidazzle parade runs for its final four nights starting this Thursday, and as a reminder not to miss what is now a twenty-year-old holiday tradition, we're re-running Susan Klemond's behind-the-scenes look at the parade from last year--with updated schedule information.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Leadership

Downtown

I'll drink to that: the making of the twin cities microbrew revolution

Elizabeth Millard Wednesday, December 07, 2011

Changing regulations and evolving tastes are sparking a craft-beer and microbrewing revolution across the country, and nowhere is the quirky, über-entrepreneurial, nouveau-beer buzz louder than in the Twin Cities. Are you ready for Angry Planet Pale Ale and Masala Mama IPA?

Creative Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Strong Local Economy

Downtown, Southwest, Longfellow, Downtown/Lowertown, Summit Hill and Crocus Hill, Warehouse/North Loop, Northeast

Microbrewing Revealed: A slide show

Bill Kelley Wednesday, December 07, 2011

Managing Photographer Bill Kelley--a knowledgeable home-brewer himself--explored some of our local microbrew establishments to see just how these alchemists turn grain into drinkable gold. Here's his visual record of the process.

Entrepreneurship, Strong Local Economy

West Seventh, Warehouse/North Loop

The gift of conscience

Julie Kendrick Wednesday, November 30, 2011

The local-and-sustainable ethic that's everywhere in the Twin Cities food world is spreading to the holiday gift-shopping scene here--and two unique Minneapolis shops are leading the way.

Arts and Culture, Design, Entrepreneurship, Shopping, Strong Local Economy, Sustainability

Southwest

Local makers redefine, and refine, holiday chocolates

Susan Klemond Wednesday, November 30, 2011

A couple of distinguished local boutique chocolatiers, one big and one small, are helping holiday chocolate lovers forget the foil-wrapped Santa--with high-cacao-content, eco-conscious, elegant bonbons and truffles.

Creative Economy, Design, Shopping, Strong Local Economy, Sustainability

University, Midway

The Big Picture 10: Craig and Patricia Neal on Transformative Conversations

Jon Spayde Wednesday, November 16, 2011

What's the purpose of meetings, meetups, networking? New ideas, new opportunities, certainly. But for Craig and Patricia Neal, face-to-face gatherings can have a deeper purpose: the transformation of consciousness and, ultimately, of the way we live and do business. Their Heartland company was founded to prove the point.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Philanthropy, Sustainability

A City Camp session on social media - Bill Kelley

The City Camp "Unconference": Rewiring the system for change

Julie Kendrick Wednesday, November 16, 2011

With no agenda, no speaker list, and a very relaxed schedule, Minnesota's first City Camp "unconference" brought geeks and government-heads together for a radically democratic exploration of how we might design Democracy 2.0.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Philanthropy

Cedar - Riverside/West Bank