Chicago Trend buys Minneapolis mall, seeks community investors

Chicago-based social enterprise Chicago Trend is buying the Hawthorn Crossings strip mall in north Minneapolis and launching a crowdfunding campaign to make it 49% community-owned, with investments starting at $1,000. The company aims to build local wealth in one of the Twin Cities' lowest-income, most diverse neighborhoods, countering gentrification. CEO Lyneir Richardson expects returns to triple by 2036; the McKnight Foundation backed the purchase.