Road Work Ahead: Small business owners are fighting back against construction zones in Northeast Minneapolis

Small business owners are fighting back against construction zones that are leaving them isolated and on the brink of closure in Northeast Minneapolis.

Streets between Main Street and 8th Street SE in the Nicollet Island-East Bank neighborhood are expected to be reduced to a single lane until the end of the year. It's already had an effect on Vellee Deli, who announced on social media they were closing their doors and trying to work out a new deal with landlords.

"Unless you live nearby, you may not know that ever since we opened, our streets have been plagued by two years of relentless construction, which has eliminated street parking and caused major disruptions to our retail parking lot, making it incredibly hard for many of you to reach us," said the owners.

It also means less traffic for shops like Olio Vintage on 5th Street NE. Owner Carrie Martinson says this past weekend local shops banded together to try to combat the issue by throwing the Northeast Vintage Block Party.

"I think we had 500 to 600 people," says Martinson. "It wasn't easy, still, for people to get here and the fact that so many people did come out, it's really rewarding."

She says she and others still worry about going out of business.

Just this past weekend, four Twin Cities restaurant locations unexpectedly closed their doors including Barrio in Lowertown St. Paul.

Martinson said she says its a widespread problem.

"There are, I know of several neighborhoods in St. Paul and Minneapolis, being really hard hit by construction, including the Uptown area," she explained. "We have a lot of friends with vintage shops in that area and they're having a really hard time as well."