News from the Downtown Alliance
March 26, 2021
A note from the president

Friends,

Week after week you've heard me express my optimism. Optimism that this won't last forever and that the momentum of the last five years will help downtown will weather this storm. The announcement that Governor Tim Walz is widening the pool of people eligible to get vaccinated against the coronavirus to everyone older than 16 beginning next week only adds to that optimism. We have work ahead of us, no doubt, but every day our hill feels a little less steep thanks to advancements like these and continued commitments from invested partners.

Partners like Securian Financial, who increased their community investments by 25% last year and are helping us lead the charge to welcome workers back in the coming months. Partners like the Knight Foundation who have not only supported the Downtown Alliance year over year, but are investing in citywide efforts to reimagine and improve public safety and address racial disparities to help us not just come back, but come back better than ever. Partners like Visit Saint Paul and the City of Saint Paul Planning and Economic Development department who are hyper-focused on supporting our local restaurants and promoting our incredible food scene. If you haven't seen that video yet, be sure to give it a watch. But be warned, you'll want to stop what you're doing and place an order immediately.

I'll continue to share recovery effort updates and progress every week in my note, but the upcoming Coffee & Convos event will be a great opportunity to visit, learn more and ask questions. Keep reading to learn more about that event and register.

Take care and enjoy the weekend,

Joe Spencer
President
Saint Paul Downtown Alliance
Let's Eat! Participate in #DineSaintPaul
Where would Saint Paul be without its food scene? From our legacy establishments to the latest cutting edge eateries, our restaurants, diners, and cafes are some of our greatest amenities. It's no secret that COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on the hospitality industry and we're regularly asked by community members how they can help.
Our partners at the City of Saint Paul and Visit Saint Paul launched #DineSaintPaul to answer that very question.

In addition to sharing five easy ways we can support our restaurants, they're also giving away gift cards to local restaurants every day. So next time you pick up, take out, or dine in at your favorite spot, or try somewhere new, tag #dinesaintpaul and share with others.
Coffee & Convos: Preparing for our people: Downtown Saint Paul’s COVID-19 recovery
On April 15, Joe and Emma will be hosting this month's Coffee & Convos series from the St. Paul Area Chamber. This will be a fun and casual (and free!) opportunity to hear about what we've been up to over the past year, how we're preparing for workers to return to downtown and how to continue to support the downtown small business community in the meantime. We'd love to see you all there.

Downtown restaurant and retail options
Stumped for where to order dinner from these days? Or who has a patio to visit?

Have questions?

Banner photo cred : Visit Saint Paul