Co-working space debut brings laughter to the Northside
Jesse Ross and his wife, Tyler, share a laugh after their debut of Proximity Collective on April 10. Photo by Azhae’la Hanson
By Azhae’la Hanson, Reporter
In April, Northsider Jesse Ross hosted his first gathering in the commercial property he purchased in 2022. A once-cold warehouse at 2518 Second St. N. was broken in by a warm Northside welcome. The only fee? Laughter.
It was a Northside event through and through. Comedian and Northsider Ashli Henderson brought a lineup of comics. The owners of Soul Bowl catered, jokes landed that talked about local institutions, like growing up at Willard Middle School and floating in a sound bath at the V3 Center.
He bought the property out of concern for the lack of Black ownership in North Minneapolis in hopes of igniting a culture that prevents displacement. He created Proximity Collective
The evening was a labor of love. Most of the furniture in the building was donated by other Black-owned businesses. Ross ran the sound system and lights all night. His wife, Tyler, eagerly gave tours of the building's amenities.
“When we don't have the space that we need, we could be limited to what we're able to produce,” attendee Jibreel Khumas said. “So when we have the space, I believe there's going to be more greatness coming out of our area. Having something that's Black-owned in a community that is responsible for all of the culture, if I dare say, in Minneapolis, is monumental.”
Northside comedian Ashli Henderson kept the night lively and guests laughing. She hosted a free comedy night to welcome the community into Proximity Collective. Photo by Azhae’la Hanson
This was exactly what Ross had in mind when he started out four years ago.
He reminisced about memories at Northside cultural institutions, like sitting under the table at the Urban League while his mom was working. It was a time when everyone was in the room, engaging with one another.
Proximity Collective is a 68,000-square-foot co-working space. It offers affordable memberships to access offices, gathering spaces, and photography and podcast studios. In addition to the co-working space, Appetite for Change recently moved into the building. Ross also hopes to start a t-shirt company that trains youth on starting their own businesses.
To him, change means ownership and connection. In an interview with North News, Ross wore his work uniform: hoodie, jeans, and Jordans.
The hoodie had an illustration of a Black man golfing in similar attire as Ross, with a gold chain around his neck.
“The reality is, we don't own spaces in our community,” he said. “We don't own enough, and if you don't own it, you don't get the opportunity to change the decisions made. So I just wanted to figure out how to go upstream and fight that.”
During the comedy show, strangers looked at strangers and exchanged bright smiles. Some laughed so hard they coughed. A couple was grateful for a night without the baby. A woman celebrated her 69th birthday. By the end of the night, through laughter, strangers became neighbors; Northsiders.
“I wanted to be someone who could shed light, and also bring our community here on a high note, which is through laughter, to see what we have here in our community,” Henderson said. “Because a lot of the time it's not that we don't have it, it's that we don't know. We are creating a culture here that most people say doesn't exist, but I believe that we just need to be exposed.”
Ross hopes the space plays a small part in a much larger story for the Northside.
“That's how we win,” he said. “We don't live in isolation. We don't get to those places in isolation. I haven't, and I don't think I will, but it just feels good to know you can play a small part in a really big story, and that's all I care about. All I want to do.”
The story would be of a Northside that decides and defines success.
Applications to use the space opened in April. A formal opening is being planned for June.