The vintage clothing store may soon get a warmer welcome in the Minneapolis zoning code.
For years, Minneapolis has prohibited "secondhand goods" stores from locating with 1,000 feet of each other. Council Member Elizabeth Glidden has proposed eliminating the restriction, a proposal that passed the city planning commission last week.
"Second hand goods use to be a dirty word," Glidden said. "Today I think we really encourage reusing and recycling ... It is a popular concept."
Glidden proposed the change after hearing distressing stories from constituents. One man bought a row of commercial properties, but lost a prospective tenant because of a nearby mission that sold clothing.
She also learned that the rules surrounding secondhand goods store placement are so complicated that city staff have had a hard time determining when the restriction applies.
Specifically, the current rules bar secondhand goods stores from locating within 1,000 feet of other secondhand goods stores, currency exchanges, missions, pawnshops and donation collection bins.
"I believe that this is just an ordinance that doesn't suit today's sensibilities and market," Glidden said.
The proposal now heads to the council's zoning and planning committee.
