Combination of Covid, construction lead to closure of two downtown Rochester businesses
Two businesses in Rochester’s downtown have announced they will shut their doors for good, after Covid-19 slowdowns, construction headaches, and a changing downtown economy combined for an economic hit they could not overcome.
First, it was revealed early Tuesday morning that The Loop, a restaurant and bar that was a staple of downtown dining for nearly a decade, served its final meal on Monday. The Loop opened in 2012 and quickly became a popular dinner spot, while doubling as a bar and nightclub after dark.
In a Facebook post published Tuesday morning, Loop co-owner Todd Jensen said the sustained economic hardships caused by Covid-19 were too much to bear, in addition to the heavy construction around the city center.
“Downtown was a vibrant place 8 years ago with lots of promising things going on,” Jensen wrote. “Today with the aftermath of a COVID shutdown and major construction downtown, we just couldn’t continue the bleeding.”
Jensen is one of five co-owners of Rocket Restaurant Group, a Minneapolis-based company that also operates Rochester’s Five West Kitchen and Bar and Smoak BBQ. The group grew up in Rochester, and The Loop was their first foray back into their hometown.
“This restaurant is very special to my partners and I,” Jensen added. “This was our first location in Rochester. After opening two successful locations in [Minneapolis] it was our dream and mission to open a Loop in Rochester and give our community a fun and special place to go… at some point maybe we will venture [into] downtown Rochester again, but at this point we need to focus on Five West and Smoak.”
The two other Loop locations in Minneapolis and St. Louis Park will remain open for business.
Primp’s Last Week
Med City Beat has also learned that Primp Boutique, a shop with retail space on Peace Plaza, will close its doors for good on Friday, July 31.
Manager Robyn Kennedy said the decision came from ownership, thanks to the same combination of construction and Covid that Jensen cited as The Loop’s death blow. Primp is one of dozens of businesses in the Heart of the City construction zone.
“Our sales were decreasing so much, because no one was downtown at Mayo — plus the construction around us and everything,” said Kennedy. “We have five locations in the Twin Cities, so the owners will be fine, but with everything going on downtown, it was easier to close.”
The boutique first opened in 2015 in the former O&B Shoes space, marking the first foray outside of the Twin Cities metro for owners Michelle Gudmundson and Wesley Uthus. The ‘cheap-chic’ clothing store had been doing well before the pandemic, according to Kennedy, but business dried up after ten weeks of quarantine.
Fewer people — patients and employees alike — came down from Mayo Clinic to the storefront, out of Covid-related caution, a desire to avoid the construction, or both. As a result, this week will be Primp’s last in Peace Plaza.
“It’s super tough. It’s super sad. I never saw this coming — no one could see this coming,” said Kennedy. “I didn’t think not working for two-and-a-half months through a pandemic would mess literally everything up… but, you know, it did.”
Kennedy says her store will be running sales throughout the week to clear inventory before closing for good at 6 p.m. Friday.
Isaac Jahns is a Rochester native and a 2019 graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism. He reports on politics, business and music for Med City Beat.
