Two new grocery stores opening in Minneapolis, one of them in former Aldi storefront

Two supermarkets are opening in Minneapolis. City and business officials announced Tuesday that the two new Colonial Market stores will create 40 jobs.

The south Minneapolis store will open in September in the Hi-Lake Shopping Center. The north side market will open in December in the space left behind by Aldi, on North Penn and North Lowry avenues. When the store closed, residents were left with fewer grocery options.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said each neighborhood needs a school, a park and a grocery store — which he said is more than a place where residents can buy fresh fruits, vegetables and meats.

“It provides a pride in the neighborhood that we already knew has been there, but it bolsters it even further by saying, hey, look, we have a grocery store,” he said. “We have a place where we can gather.”

Owner Daniel Hernandez already owns a Colonial Market and Restaurant on Nicolette Avenue near 28th Street. 

Hernandez, who describes himself as Afro-Mexican, stood in the parking lot of the old Aldi in north Minneapolis.

“My heart is with north,” he said.

When Hernandez learned Aldi was leaving the site, he saw his opportunity.

“Okay, they're leaving, and I need to make sure I can get in,” he said. Hernandez called the mayor, who connected him with developer David Wellington. Wellington Management owns the old Aldi property.

When the German-based Aldi left north Minneapolis, residents and city officials were disappointed the popular supermarket, easily accessible by public transportation, had been shuttered. A Cub Foods near Lyndale and West Broadway avenues is about two miles away, but that meant longer bus rides or longer walks for many residents.

“We connected the two parties, and lo and behold, we’re getting not just one grocery store, but two of them, one on the north side, one on the south side,” Frey said. “The parties all came together.”

Both markets will include restaurants featuring Mexican food. 

Council member Jeremiah Ellison said he was pleased to hear about the job creation.

“Glad to hear that Daniel has a vision of making sure that those 40 jobs that are here are mainly held by folks who can walk to work, bike to work, you know, who live in the neighborhood,” Ellison said.

He said he was grateful for northside businesses such as Colonial Market who look at the area and say, “That’s a business opportunity. I want to be there. I’m going to go there.”

MPR News reporter Cari Spencer contributed to this report.

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