Moorhead City Council

Nancy Edmonds Hanson

The proposed Moorhead Cultural Mall – a center for small businesses showcasing immigrant and New American foods, crafts and music – took a small step forward Tuesday when the Moorhead City Council unanimously approved a resolution of support.
The project has been under development this year by the Immigrant Development Center. Director Fowzia Adde told the council the IDC is submitting a request for $7.25 million to Minnesota Management and Budget for state funding under the Legislature’s Capital Investment Program. While the council’s expression of support is needed to bolster the application, the city would not be involved in funding the project. Nor would it own the facility or be involved in its management. Instead, the cultural mall would be owned by a nonprofit and run by a diverse board of community leaders and business experts.
As described by Adde and her associates, the mall would occupy the former Wells Fargo Bank building at the corner of Center Avenue and Eighth Street. Spaces would be leased to individuals and small businesses, offering foods and merchandise reflecting the cultures they have brought to their new home. Event and meeting spaces would also be available.
Consultant Shannon Schweigert of PACE Fundraising said his assessment of the project’s “fundability” and community support showed a strong desire for the experience it would offer. While individual contributions were unlikely, he said, potential exists for state and federal funding as well as support from private foundations. “There is also some corporate interest,” he added.
Council member Deb White echoed his observation of strong community support for the cultural mall, comparing it to the popular Midtown Global Market in Minneapolis. “This is a small ask on our part,” she said, referring to the resolution of support, “with huge opportunities for economic development.”
Mayor Shelly Carlson agreed: “It fits perfectly within our vision of what our downtown is going to be someday.”
After councilor Matt Gilbertson clarified that the requested support did not include city appropriations or bonding, the resolution passed unanimously.