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09/03/2026

✈️ Flying Sun Country this fall? Check. Your. Flight.

Sun Country has chopped roughly one-third of its September MSP schedule, as the airline juggles a pilot shortage, growing Amazon cargo operations and the early stages of its merger with Allegiant.

And the newest update? Allegiant says the disruption may not be completely over yet. More reductions could stretch into the coming months, although the company says MSP growth is expected to return in 2027.

So if you grabbed one of those glorious “how-is-this-flight-only-$89?” fares months ago… maybe make sure it still exists. 😬✈️

Have they changed or canceled one of YOUR flights? Tell me what happened below. 👇

📰 Original reporting: Alyxandra Sego, Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal
Additional updated reporting: AirlineGeeks and Minnesota Star Tribune.

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09/03/2026

🍸🍕 Martinis, pizza…and a $725,000 bet on Northeast Minneapolis.

The team behind Milly’s Wine Bar bought the building at 200 Lowry Ave. NE and is working on a completely new neighborhood restaurant.

And they are NOT just cloning Milly’s.

Think:
🍸 Martini-focused cocktail program
🍕 A massive pizza oven
🥗 Salads + shareable plates
🍷 Curated wine
🌿 Garden room
🔥 Hopefully a four-season patio
🪑 Potentially 100+ seats

Oh—and the building is from 1910, so they’re planning to mix that Northeast character with a whimsical Art Nouveau vibe the owner compared to “Narnia’s closet.” 😂

No official opening date yet, but they're targeting later in 2026.

I’m watching this one because purchasing the real estate—not just leasing it—is a pretty serious vote of confidence in the neighborhood.

Would you make the drive for pizza + a proper martini? 🍸👇

Credit: J.D. Duggan, Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal, with updated reporting from the Minnesota Star Tribune and Northeaster.

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09/03/2026

Is Minneapolis finally getting serious about bringing downtown back? 👀🏙️

The Warehouse District has a new identity — but the interesting part isn’t the logo.

Think wider sidewalks 🌳, better lighting, parks, dog spaces 🐕, pop-up markets, winter events, rooftop entertainment and even potential HOUSING on top of a parking ramp.

And First Avenue North itself is headed toward a major reconstruction beginning around 2028.

So… smart reinvestment in one of Minneapolis’ most recognizable entertainment districts?

Or are we putting really nice lipstick on a much bigger downtown problem? 😬

I want to know what you think. 👇

📰 Story credit: Caitlin Anderson, Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal
Additional project information: City of Minneapolis & Minneapolis Renaissance Coalition

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Tonia Detweiler – REALTOR®
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09/02/2026

⛳ A 184-acre Minnesota golf course just changed hands — and it’s staying local.

Blackberry Ridge Golf Club in Sartell sold for $2.2 million to local business owners Rick Burski and Josh Carpenter.

The deal included:

🏌️ 18-hole championship golf course
🌳 184 acres
🏠 14,715-square-foot clubhouse
🍽️ Grill19 restaurant
💍 Wedding + event venue
👥 Capacity for up to 300 guests
⛳ Golf simulator
📈 More than 20,000 rounds played in 2024

And the new owners aren’t sitting around admiring the scorecard. Cart-path repairs and restaurant improvements are already underway, with more upgrades planned.

I especially like that the Fenlason family — who developed Blackberry Ridge from their family dairy farm — had multiple offers and chose another local family ownership group to continue what they built.

So… good move for Sartell? Or does ownership really not matter as long as the course stays open? 👇

📰 Credit: Keith Schubert, Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal

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Tonia Detweiler – REALTOR®
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09/02/2026

🏡 Washington just passed one of the biggest housing laws we've seen in decades—and there are a couple pieces Minnesota homeowners should be watching.

Big institutional investors owning 350+ single-family homes face new restrictions on buying more. 👀

But the sleeper story may be the money coming to local communities.

💰 $200 MILLION annually in competitive housing grants
🏘️ Incentives for more duplexes, triplexes & fourplexes
🔨 Programs to repair aging homes
🏚️ Funding possibilities for converting vacant buildings into housing
📐 Pre-approved home plans designed to make building faster
🏗️ More incentives aimed at increasing housing supply

Does that suddenly make homes affordable?

No.

But if cities actually use the money to remove some of the cost and red tape involved in building housing, THAT could matter over time—especially in fast-growing communities around Wright County and the western suburbs.

So I'm curious: Would you want our local communities taking advantage of these programs to create more housing options? Or are you worried about changing the character and density of our towns?

👇 Tell me in the comments.

📰 Story credit: Andy Medici, The Business Journals / The Playbook.

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Tonia Detweiler – REALTOR®
The Realty Lab - ΓEA⅃
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09/02/2026

The old Herberger’s may be trading clothing racks for trampolines. 🤸‍♀️😂

LuluLand Adventure Park is still officially listed as COMING SOON to St. Paul’s Midway Marketplace.

The plan: take roughly 80,000 square feet of the long-empty department store and fill it with trampolines, ninja courses, giant slides, arcade games, obstacle courses, toddler areas and enough activity to make bedtime considerably easier. 🙌

And I think the bigger story is Midway itself.

Herberger’s has been empty since 2018, but now we’ve got LuluLand, H Mart-connected investment nearby and the massive United Village redevelopment happening around Allianz Field. 🏗️

One project doesn’t fix a struggling commercial district.

Several projects arriving together? Now I’m paying attention. 👀

What do you think — is Midway finally turning the corner?

📰 Original reporting: J.D. Duggan, Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal
🔎 Updated with current information from LuluLand Adventure Park

Hot tips?
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Tonia Detweiler – REALTOR®
The Realty Lab - ΓEA⅃
💻[email protected]

09/01/2026

💰 $38 MILLION says somebody is pretty bullish on Chaska.

Chaska Commons on Pioneer Trail has officially changed hands, with Phillips Edison & Company purchasing the roughly 156,000-square-foot shopping center.

And this isn’t a struggling strip mall situation. 👀

🏪 About 99% occupied at the time of sale
🛒 Anchored by Cub Foods
📐 Roughly 156,000 square feet
💵 About $244 per square foot
🏬 Surrounded by Target, Home Depot, Aldi, Kohl’s and Costco

No big redevelopment has been announced—this is an ownership change—but I think the investment itself says something.

Big retail investors study where people are living, shopping and spending money. A $38 million purchase in Chaska is another pretty strong vote of confidence in the southwest metro. 📈🏡

What would YOU still like to see added to Chaska’s shopping and restaurant scene? Drop it below. 👇

📰 Story credit: J.D. Duggan, Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal

Hot tips?
Thinking about buying or selling?
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📲763.402.2358
Tonia Detweiler – REALTOR®
The Realty Lab - ΓEA⅃
💻[email protected]

09/01/2026

⛳️💰 Arizona’s loss could be Minnesota golf’s gain.

Thompson Golf Group just sold three Phoenix-area golf courses for $57 MILLION — and CEO Ryan Thompson says Minnesota is one of the places they want to put that money to work.

Their eyes are initially on the Twin Cities market, and they’re looking at both golf-course acquisitions AND management deals.

But this isn’t just about golf.

Think renovated clubhouses, restaurants, weddings, events, golf simulators, pickleball and other amenities designed to make these properties useful even when Minnesota decides it’s January. 😂❄️

They’ve already invested $1.3 million renovating The Wilds in Prior Lake.

So now I want to know…

⛳️ Which Minnesota golf course would YOU like to see get a serious makeover?

And golfers — behave yourselves in the comments. 😂

📰 Story credit: Keith Schubert, Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal

Hot tips?
Thinking about buying or selling?
👉 DM or Text me
📲763.402.2358
Tonia Detweiler – REALTOR®
The Realty Lab - ΓEA⅃
💻[email protected]

09/01/2026

🎸 First Avenue is packed with concerts… but apparently packed does NOT automatically mean profitable.

Minnesota's iconic music venue says it operates on only a 1%–3% margin, while navigating declining alcohol sales, national competition and some pretty hefty Minneapolis taxes.

🍺 17.5% downtown sales tax on beer during concerts
🎟️ 3% entertainment tax on tickets
➕ Minnesota's regular 6.87% sales tax

Meanwhile, First Avenue's network helps produce roughly 1,100 shows a year, and Minneapolis ranked #3 nationally for live music events per capita.

And they're not slowing down.

A new 8,000-person outdoor amphitheater is being built at Upper Harbor Terminal with First Avenue and the Minnesota Orchestra involved.

So here's the question:

Do we need to make it easier for locally owned businesses like First Avenue to survive downtown — or should an iconic business be able to make the numbers work on its own? 🤔

👇 I'm curious where Minnesotans land on this one.

📰 Source: Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal
✍️ Reporting by Abby Bulger

Hot tips?
Thinking about buying or selling?
👉 DM or Text me
📲763.402.2358
Tonia Detweiler – REALTOR®
The Realty Lab - ΓEA⅃
💻[email protected]

08/31/2026

🍝 The North Loop said it needed a quick pasta option…and Travail Collective apparently took that personally.

DeCoco’s Pasta Bar is now serving handmade Italian comfort food inside Graze Food Hall — think cacio e pepe, spicy rigatoni Calabrese, fusilli vodka, meatballs, garlic bread and, yes, tiramisu. 🤌

Most of the pasta dishes are currently around $16, which honestly feels dangerously reasonable for a “we’re just stopping for dinner” trip into the North Loop. 😂

And I love the reason they opened it: diners ASKED for pasta.

So let’s settle this:
🍅 Pomodoro
🌶️ Rigatoni Calabrese
🧀 Cacio e Pepe
🍸 Fusilli Vodka

Which one are you ordering?

📰 Original story credit: Abby Bulger, Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal. Additional current menu information from Graze Food Hall.

Hot tips?
Thinking about buying or selling?
👉 DM or Text me
📲763.402.2358
Tonia Detweiler – REALTOR®
The Realty Lab - ΓEA⅃
💻[email protected]

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