THE BRIX REPORT IS HERE!

The BRIX Report has arrived!

The cover of this year's report comes from our long-time collaborator, Adewale Agboola (BRIX Report II & III).He took this photograph in the days following the protests over the murder of George Floyd and the subsequent unrest and rioting. This was the clean-up. Hundreds of people came out of their homes in Minneapolis and began to pitch in, helping rebuild their community.

We could have found a nice picture of a well-lit home, or kids playing in the snow, or a pretty tree. A different real estate agency might take that approach. And this wasn't an immediate unanimous decision—the image brought up a lot of feelings around here. We know people who lost homes and businesses.

But to sweep the massive changes that 2020 sent us (locally, nationally, globally) under the proverbial rug didn't feel right to us. We live here. This is our community.
If we are going to earn anyone's trust, we have to be real about where the metro finds itself.

The cover is both an acknowledgement of where we've been and a hope for where we're going. The path ahead will be hard, but the people of the Twin Cities don't break down in the face of difficulty. And we'll be doing it together.

In this issue, we'll remember businesses that didn't make it, meet organizations that are making a difference in our community, and imagine what the future of the Twin Cities Metro might look like, both the serious ideas with funding and the more whimsical proposals.

We've also got hot (and not) trends in the metro (you won't believe what the pool guys are saying), top wellness spots with exceptional online offerings, the hidden waterfalls sprinkled across the metro, the best takeout, and more. And, of course, as always, we'll have the numbers from last year in the BRIX Market Report and our predictions for the coming year.