Reconstruction is having a major impact on people who live, work and drive along part of Hennepin Avenue in Minneapolis’ Uptown neighborhood.

Right now, crews are working on the stretch from 26th Street to Douglas Avenue, and one pizza business even decided to close during construction.

“It’s understandable, at some point it just does come down to the dollars and cents,” said John Galvin, co-owner of Litt Pinball Ball.

Litt Pinball Ball opened in October 2023. Galvin says things have been going pretty well since the construction started outside his business.

“Just to focus our energy in a more positive way instead of dwelling on ‘oh this stinks,'” Galvin said.

Just down the road on Hennepin Avenue South is Pizza Shark, which posted a sign on the door saying it’s closed during construction.

The work is part of a two-phase approach by the City of Minneapolis to upgrade the design of Hennepin Avenue, something that hasn’t been done in 65 years.

“In the end, I think the construction is going to be great for the businesses. I think it’ll help the flow of traffic,” said Anna Needham, owner of Tao Organic Cafe and Herbery, which has been located off of Hennepin Avenue since 1968.

“Just with traffic coming through, we have a lot of walkup traffic and that still continues,” she added.

The City of Minneapolis says they are offering weekly stakeholder meetings to get updates on the work, along with one-on-one meetings with businesses.

“I’m actually impressed with how the city is dealing with it,” Needham said.

Whether you’re a neighborhood staple or starting to make a name for yourself in Uptown, both businesses agree that attitude is everything.

“There’s a lot of people that will support us and show up no matter what,” Galvin said.

“This is a temporary pain for a bigger gain down the road,” Needham added.

The City of Minneapolis says the work is progressing on schedule and is expected to be completed in late November.

For more information on the project, CLICK HERE.