Capella Tower Adds Farmer’s Market to Downtown Minneapolis (MSP Business Journal)

Photo By Melanie McNiff

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To keep up with their neighbors and make workers happy, Twin Cities office buildings are adding bocce ball, bike-repair stations and fitness centers with core-strengthening yoga classes.

Why not some fresh rhubarb?

Sabrina Lee’s family-owned produce stand set up shop at Capella Tower’s new farmers market.
Wednesday was the second regular farmers market at Capella Tower (225 S. Sixth St.). It’s scheduled to run weekly through Oct. 28 in the tower’s lobby.

Other downtown office buildings could soon join in, judging from the popularity and feedback from vendors.

Across the street from Capella Tower, U.S. Bank Plaza (220 S. Sixth St.) also has a small market in the plaza in front of the building with a couple of vendors.

The Capella space is unique because it’s indoors and air conditioned, said Tom O’Connor, who was working a booth at the Capella Tower Market for New Brighton-based Solomon’s Bakery. It’s popular gluten-free pastries, for example, don’t melt in the lobby like they would outside.

For vendors, the farmers market is another alternative to the traditional Thursday’s downtown market, which has been relocated from Nicollet Mall to Hennepin Avenue for the next two years due to a $50 million reconstruction project.

Sabrina Lee is one of two produce vendors set up at the Capella Tower. Her family’s Woodbury-based LPlee Garden farms land in Afton and Rosemount and has had a stand this year at the markets on Lyndale and Hennepin avenues and in Northeast Minneapolis and Osseo, mostly selling vegetables such as beans, peas, carrots, spices and potatoes.

“This is our first year doing all these little markets,” Lee said. “The Hennepin one isn’t turning out as we as we had hoped. It’s not as good as Nicollet Mall.”

Capella’s market was organized by The Musicant Group — run by corporate ‘placemaker’ Max Musicant — and by Ryan Cos. U.S. Inc., who manages the 53-story office tower on behalf of ASB Capital Markets.

​The market will have a variety of vendors and events for tenants. There was a line of volunteers assembling sandwiches for a hunger program Wednesday and the Walker Art Center was there promoting its International Pop exhibit.

Sam Black, MSP Business Journal

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