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.

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 from Racket

We Found It: Bryon Noem Bimbo Dominatrix Ginormous Balloon Boobs Story Has Local Angle

Plus a 'Wanna Buy' no one can afford, a conspiracy nut segues into an immigrant judge, and Weather Loon in today's Flyover news roundup.

Tell Us How You Use—Or Don’t Use—AI in This Week’s Open Thread

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

April 10, 2026

Meet the Guys Who Decide What Beers Appear at Your Local Liquor Store

France 44's Bill Nosan and 'Fitty' Fitzpatrick at Thomas Liquors have almost 50 years of beer-buying experience between them.

April 10, 2026

Freeloader Friday: 103 Free Things To Do This Weekend

Bike rides, gallery crawls, Indigenous-run events, rock shows, and more.

Even Frey Allies Have ‘Soured’ on Minneapolis Police Chief O’Hara

Plus hundreds of MN detainees trapped in Texas, Rep. Morrison's stock woes, and Maria Bamford rules in today's Flyover news roundup.

On the Big Screen This Week: MSPIFF, WTO, E.T., Etc.

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

April 9, 2026
See all posts