Skip to Content
Opinion

For Today’s Open Thread, Let’s Talk About Businesses You Started Supporting During Operation Metro Surge

As we do every Friday, we're turning Racket over to you, the readers.

10:53 AM CDT on March 27, 2026

Facebook

The ICE invasion made us reconsider how we connect to our communities in so many ways. And one important thing many of us learned is which businesses are just kind of there and which actually connect us more deeply to our neighbors.

Many of the latter have been among the most vulnerable over the past few months. And realizing this had helped us shop more deliberately.

Over the past few months, I've become a regular at La Casa Market, down the street from me on 38th & Nicollet. I've been getting (incredible) burritos from the in-house restaurant, El Nuevo Cinco de Mayo, and even some basic groceries from the store itself. I'm still a little intimidated by the range of meats in the butcher shop, but I'm learning.

So my question for you today is, what new businesses did you support this winter, and have you continued to support them? What new discoveries did you make? Or are there businesses that have always been in your circuit that you feel like you interact with differently now?

As always, feel free to ignore this prompt and talk about whatever you want. This is your Open Thread, after all.

And to kick off your weekend, here's a song that's about business. Kinda!

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More Stories

MN’s Pete Hegseth Determined to Bankrupt Country With Failed, Illegal Iran War

Plus outrageous civic firings, retracted Strib articles, and downtown Duluth scene reports in today's Flyover news roundup.

Minnesota’s on the World’s Largest Lake—Why Don’t We Eat More Lake Superior Fish?

We posed that verbatim question to fishermen, regulators, fishmongers, historians, documentarians, restaurateurs, and biologists.

July 22, 2026

Rep. Omar, Her Daughter, and George Floyd Make Rubio’s Cuban Pinko Scare Report

Plus new booze at the fair, Bauhaus is back, and an iconic Minneapolis-made movie scene in today's Flyover news roundup.

The Forests Are on Fire and So Is Your Complete Concert Calendar: July 21-27

Pretty much all the music you can catch in the Twin Cities this week.

July 21, 2026

At the Reimagined Black Duck, You’ll Find a Menu That Would Make Babcia Proud

A trip to Poland inspired chef Jason Sawicki to reconnect with his roots—and reinvent his restaurant.

July 21, 2026