'Anything is possible': Local developer buys Uptown's former Apple store
Peter Remes of Minneapolis development firm First & First has purchased the former Apple store in Uptown as he hopes to help restore the neighborhood's identity as a thriving entertainment and retail district.
The Apple store opened in 2010 after the closure of the Uptown Bar & Cafe – an iconic music venue that hosted Nirvana twice in 1989.
"Many of us who've been around for awhile have spent many days and nights there and have enjoyed it immensely," Remes said of the neighborhood. "Of course, that experience is no longer what it once was."
The Apple store's arrival is seen by many as the moment Uptown tipped into something different, Remes explained. Dominated by national retailers, the 2010s marked the decade Uptown lost its soul.
The COVID pandemic and the riots of 2020 deepened Uptown's challenges and increased concern for the neighborhood's future. The Apple store closed at the onset of the pandemic and never reopened.
Today, Remes sees a place "ripe for reinvention."
"I care about Uptown, I care about the city," he said. "I want there to be a vibrant, dynamic Uptown that I remember growing up in."
Remes said he's committed to bringing new life and energy to Uptown through the space. However, his exact plan for the space isn't yet decided.
"Anything is possible," he said.
His company, First & First, describes itself as "reimagining historically significant sites within the Minneapolis and St. Paul urban landscape," turning "neglected spaces into inspired places that facilitate creative and cultural experiences."
Previous developments include the $8 million Icehouse Plaza redevelopment at 26th and Nicollet in 2010, which turned a derelict plot into a new urban hub, paving the way for the Icehouse music venue, climbing facility Vertical Endeavors, and several other eateries.
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