MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota — Major League Baseball season opening day is just weeks away, and when fans set foot in Target Field next month, they’ll notice something new at Gate 34.
Presented by US Bank, Creator’s Corner will feature three local small businesses providing free retail space for the season.
The Minnesota Twins and US Bank announced the multi-year partnership earlier this week.
“We have found that we have such a shared passion to continue investing in the communities we serve and to use our voice in that community as a platform to reinvest in small and local businesses – especially those that are… focus on BIPOC and women. own community,” said Sean Moore, vice president of brand partnerships at Twins.
Local curator Mich Berthiaume, who is also behind The Dayton’s Project, has compiled an initial list of 10 nominations. From there, a committee selected the final three.
Moore said it involves a financial investment of $10,000 per company. They were also aware of the challenges of being a small business while trying to fill 81 regular-season home games, which is why Twins’ hospitality and retail partner, Delaware North, will provide staffing support.
“We’re basically buying products, giving them the promotional benefits, and we’re going to have someone handle the sales and distribution of all the products. So if you participate, you’re guaranteed to sell $10,000 worth of merchandise. ‘ Moore said.
They chose Gate 34 as the location for Creator’s Corner because about 60% of the fans go through this gate per game.
“One of their first impressions will be being able to look at some of these items, non-traditional items that aren’t typically available in a ballpark,” Moore said.
Applications for the next season are expected to start in June or July.
Here’s a look at the three companies featured in Creator’s Corner 2023.
Must be a ruff
Reggie Carter was inspired to start his gourmet bakery for dog treats after welcoming his dog Kirby to the family.
“Before we got her I did a lot of research because I wanted her to live a long time. So I grew up on a farm down south and the farm dogs would live a really long time – 17, 18 years old. So throughout my research, the only connection I found was the food the dogs ate,” Carter said.
Carter started making Kirby’s food himself, including her dog treats. By April 2021, Carter had launched Must be Ruff. Brooklyn Park Bakery focuses on gourmet dog treats made with wholesome ingredients.
While fans can’t bring their dogs to the finish field, Carter is confident people will still want to bring home a treat for their pets. He got into the same situation as a seller at the Minnesota State Fair and still had strong sales.
“The dogs are part of the family. They want to bring home something beautiful,” Carter said.
Referring to the occasion, Carter said, “They have thousands and thousands of fans that come to their home games. It is an excellent opportunity for advertising, marketing and getting my company’s name out there. It’s just great.”
Photo credit: Heidi Wigdahl
Must Be Ruff sells its “Ruff Cake”, “Kirby’s Donut” and pumpkin bones.
Native American trading post
Native Roots Trading Post supports native artists and makers in Minnesota and beyond. Jalayne Johnson is based in St. Paul and started the business with her father, Robert Pilot, about a year and a half ago. They were also vendors at The Dayton’s Project and at the Minnesota State Fair.
“Our primary focus is not only to showcase our Native American artists, but also to educate people about appropriation. There’s a lot of it and we just want everyone to know that we know our artists personally and we’re proud of that and of our culture. ‘ Johnson said. “If you buy from an Indian artist, you can wear his stuff. You just need to know who you’re buying from, what their name is and what tribe they’re from, and maybe a little bit about them -appropriation. you support someone; you support its culture. You don’t just wear it to be fashionable. You wear it because it means something to this artist.”
Johnson said of the opportunity to showcase the work of Native American artists and makers at Target Field, “I was speechless. I couldn’t even believe it. It’s such an honor.”
Photo credit: Heidi Wigdahl
Cards by David Ben White (Oglala Lakota)
SJC body love
Sabrina D. Jones has suffered from neurodermatitis since she was 8 years old. It subsided a little as she got older, but then returned along with other skin issues when she became pregnant.
Jones started making her own products and saw improvement. This prompted her to found SJC Body Love in 2015.
“We make skin care products that are made with pure medicated oils that are also blended with carrier oils to soothe the skin of people with stress and sensitive skin,” Jones said.
Jones said there are no mystery ingredients in SJC Body Love products and they contain 10 ingredients or fewer.
SJC Body Love has transformed from a physical store to a supplier.
In the Creator’s Corner announcement, Jones said, “It couldn’t have come at a better time… I was really struggling to make this shift and to receive this, it was just absolutely amazing. Absolutely amazing. It was hard like everything else. Working this shift over the past year has been such a gift.”
Photo credit: Heidi Wigdahl
SJC body love
Do you know a local business that we should feature in our Behind the Business segment? Email Heidi Wigdahl at hwigdahl@kare11.com.
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