Bancroft Neighborhood Exploration

Last Friday I got to spend my morning exploring the Bancroft neighborhood of south Minneapolis. I was completely unfamiliar with the neighborhood before my exploration but after spending some time in the area, and talking to members of the community I definitely feel as if I have a stronger sense of the Bancroft community. My exploration began by observing housing and local businesses in the area. Many of the houses in the neighborhood stand out as appearing run down. I was unable to tell with a few houses if they were simply not being taken care of or abandoned. I also noticed a lot more houses as opposed to apartments or other forms of living.

 

I spent a big chunk of my journey inside Seward Community Co-op which is one of the locations for fresh produce and healthy food. It’s only been open a few months, and it wasn’t very busy inside, but the store definitely seems to add a lot to the community. The produce section is very well stocked and there’s plenty of staff about at all times to help. I did notice that a lot of the products stocked in the co-op tend to be a lot more expensive than those you’d find in a Cub foods or even a Target. The co-op has primarily organic or natural products which I love, but I’m curious what percentage of people living in the community can afford it on a regular basis.

While I was in the Seward Co-op I talked to a man that worked in the Wellness department of the co-op that had a very positive things to say about the neighborhood and was able to recommend quite a few restaurants and coffee shops in the area. He also mentioned Little Box Sauna coming to the neighborhood, which is a traveling sauna that residents have free access too.

Another stop on my exploration was Blue Ox Coffee Co. I took a quick peek at the bulletin board there and sure enough there was the Little Box Sauna posted! I immediately wondered what drew the traveling sauna to this area, especially since it appears to be a very family centered neighborhood.

Overall I enjoyed the neighborhood a ton and can't wait to learn more with each visit.

Checkout more info about the Bancroft community here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VN2tJnNNbocKixZkiMi9E8kfJo1htApHTPCbwsWfKjw/edit