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Small business owner invests in North Minneapolis through new venture

October 7, 2024

Teto Wilson inside the former 4th Street Saloon, which Wilson plans to turn into a hub for local restaurants and entertainment in North Minneapolis.

U.S. Bank provided an SBA loan to support Teto Wilson’s vision of bringing a ‘swanky’ dining and entertainment space to the area

First, it was opening a barbershop in Minneapolis’ northside. Then it was launching a nonprofit that provides scholarships to North Minneapolis youth. Now, Teto Wilson is again planning to spur development and support small business in his beloved community with a new venture.

“North Minneapolis has been suffering for so long,” Wilson said. “We have a lot of challenges in our community: an unemployment and under-employment problem, an access to healthy food issue, and we don’t have many establishments that focus on entertainment in the area that people feel safe visiting.”

In the summer of 2024, with the help of a Small Business Administration loan through U.S. Bank, Wilson purchased the former 4th Street Saloon on North Minneapolis’ iconic West Broadway Avenue. Before it shut its doors, the 4th Street Saloon was known for its mural that welcomed people to the area and for ongoing challenges around safety and crime.

Wilson is now in the process of turning the former bar into a new venue called Swank Eatery.

“Teto’s vision includes everything from an anchor space for local food trucks to a community room on the second floor,” said Tim Farrow, the U.S. Bank business access advisor who has worked with Wilson on a number of projects since 2021. “He’s worked tirelessly to invest in his community and to grow his business, as well as create a legacy for his children and building generational wealth along the way.”

Based in the Twin Cities, Farrow’s role as a Business Access Advisor is part of the broader called U.S. Bank Access Commitment™ – a long-term vision for a group of initiatives aimed at working alongside communities and investing in them as they work toward building generational wealth.

Along with supporting entrepreneurs, U.S. Bank Access Commitment™ also provides support for current or aspiring homeowners through Access Home to help close the housing gap.

“This means investing in communities that have historically seen a lack of investment, whether that’s by helping entrepreneurs in underserved areas receive better access to capital, building connections with people and programs or helping families buy their first home,” Farrow said.

As for Wilson, he is currently working with Minneapolis-based engineers, architects and builders to solidify what’s possible.

Along with spaces for vendors and dining, he’s hoping to add more windows to the currently dark venue and salvage pieces of the building to keep some of its history while making sure that the business looks toward the future of the community.

This includes keeping some of the whiskey barrel paneling on the walls and potentially salvaging part of the bar that cuts the space nearly down the middle. He’s also replacing the old mural with something new that looks toward the future of the space and the community rather than looking back at the building as it was.

“I respect and appreciate the mural for what it is and how it’s welcomed people into North Minneapolis,” said Wilson, whose barbershop, Wilson’s Image, is also located on West Broadway. “However, I realize it’s time to cut ties with it because of the association it has had with the negative aspects of the 4th Street Saloon. The goal is to usher in a new feeling and fresh new energy with this space in this part of the community.”

Place-based investments

U.S. Bank is continuing to support North Minneapolis through place-based investing, the bank’s concentrated, long-term focus that involves community co-design with strategic partners in designated locations to help build wealth in low- to moderate-income communities and communities of color.

The company’s place-based investing approach in North Minneapolis is informed by extensive community input that was solicited in the aftermath of George Floyd’s killing and the civil unrest in 2020.

To understand how U.S. Bank could best support wealth building in North Minneapolis, the company brought together leaders across U.S. Bank to listen to, learn from and design solutions alongside trusted community leaders and institutions.

U.S. Bank also conducted dozens of interviews with residents and business owners to hear directly from them about how the bank could invest in their community. Combined with rigorous data to inform the company’s approach, U.S. Bank is investing in wealth-building solutions that leaders have heard are important to the community. 

Wilson estimated that about 50 jobs will be added to the area when Swank Eatery opens, which is planned to be in 2026. In the next few months, Wilson will have a better idea of how his new, community-focused business will fit into the former bar.

“Change means more than just to the physical structure,” Wilson said. “Change is also in how it feels and how it’s accepted by this community. When people approached me after finding out I was buying this space, they asked me to bring something mature. It’s obvious that people have been longing for change.”

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From business to community impact, Minneapolis barbershop finds success

Through partnership, Wilson’s Image barbershop owner Teto Wilson and U.S. Bank provide resources to the community

Two years later, U.S. Bank Access Commitment recognizes milestones

Recent initiatives include expanding a collaboration with CDFIs to invest in developers of color and the creation of Business Access Advisors and Access Home.

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