Another Locally-Owned Business Has Now Permanently Closed In Minnesota

Recently, Duluth Mayor Roger Reinert outlined the City of Duluth’s commitment to investing in downtown revitalization, stressing that downtowns are the economic engine of every community in Minnesota and beyond.

"When downtown is strong, the entire city benefits. And when it struggles, the entire community feels it. “Residents, visitors, employees, and business owners alike want our downtown to feel clean, safe, active, and welcoming," Mayor Reinert said.

He then outlined plans to continue progress downtown, which included:

• The City is proactively working to remove barriers to encouraging new investment in the downtown district, including the advancement of zoning changes to make development easier and more flexible to encourage the re-use of existing downtown buildings, including housing and commercial business.
• The City is currently working to complete an Alternative Urban Areawide Review (AUAR) to clear the way for future development.
• The City is working with the Duluth Economic Development Authority to bring more housing downtown, with more housing and retail/commercial, to reactivate foot traffic and activity downtown while helping meet the 9000-unit housing demand outlined in the recent Maxfield Housing Study.
• The 1200 Fund and DEDA are bringing more financial tools, like their Storefront Loan and Historic Loan, online to support investment in existing buildings.

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However, as the City and its partners work to revitalize Downtown Duluth, several businesses have faced hardships and have had to close.

Recent examples of downtown area businesses that have closed, or have announced plans to close, include Blackwater Lounge, Paddle North, the downtown Wells Fargo Branch, Snyder Drug, Hallmark, Hoops Brewing, and Valentini's. Now, another business can unfortunately be added to the list.

Locally-Owned Downtown Duluth Business Has Officially Closed

LuLu's Pizza, located at 420 W. Superior Street in downtown Duluth, opened in early 2020 by siblings Connor Riley and Lucy Stoyke-Riley.

The shop featured artisanal, handcrafted pizza, made on its unique slow-fermented sourdough crust and creative toppings. Favorites included the Bahn Mi-Za (Italian/Vietnamese fusion), Tandoori Tikka, and creative chicken pizzas.

However, despite opening in a challenging time, just before the pandemic, and successfully navigating the pandemic for several years, as well as other challenges like the Superior Street construction, they have now permanently closed.

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The disappointing announcement was made on social media, just two days before its final day of operation, which was Friday, February 13.

The announcement was met with many comments from customers who were sad to hear the news. One comment read in part, "This brings me such sadness! I have held this pizza in high esteem as the best in Duluth; the Bahn Mi was great. What a loss for the city. Thank you for a great six years!!!"

Another customer wrote, "I am tearing up at my desk right now. Thank you for all the yummy slices for lunch at work. Forever my favorite pizza place."

The City of Duluth is focused on revitalizing its downtown area, but it just lost another locally-owned, family-run business.