Business owners ask Minneapolis for more support, less red tape

Julie Kearns opened a secondhand store in Minneapolis’ Longfellow neighborhood and decided to ask the city about offering wine or beer for special events, like a store anniversary party or a book club meeting. She’d seen similar events at other businesses, and figured it would be easy to get approval.

Instead, Kearns says, she stumbled into a maze of regulations, was blocked by a city inspector without discussion, and developed the sinking suspicion that she’d have been better off holding the party and dealing with any consequences later.

Read more in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.