A $5 million makeover of the Crystal Court at IDS was completed in 2021, but new seating and a sleek reflection pool didn’t wipe out the ghosts of retailers past. The edge of a Nordstrom Rack sign still peeks out from behind the window boards on the shuttered store. Next to it, the former Gap space sits empty. Same goes for the Love from Minnesota gift store, the old Rocco Altobelli Salon, and Hubert White’s prime storefront overlooking Nicollet Mall.

But Deb Kolar, who leases the space for Florida-based owner Accesso Partners, says she’s feeling optimistic—something she hasn’t felt since the start of the pandemic.

“For the first time in a really long time, we’re actually talking about retail deals” in the iconic two-level lobby of the tallest tower in downtown Minneapolis, Kolar says.

When the future of Mediterranean fast-casual chain Roti seemed uncertain after its owners declared bankruptcy, Kolar says another operator was quick to inquire about the street-level space. (Roti held onto it.) Leasing agents have reached out about the second-level space T-Mobile will soon vacate. And a “competitor of Nordstrom Rack” recently inquired about its nearly 39,000-square-foot space, she says. “True retailers,” Kolar emphasizes—“not another bank.”

But the only Crystal Court build-out underway is, indeed, another bank. Associated Bank is getting ready to open in the old Banana Republic space on the second level. That will bring the total number of retail banks on the skyway level to six. That’s US Bank, Bank of America, Huntington Bank, Wells Fargo, and Bremer (soon to be Old National).

Why even bother with a high-visibility (high-rent) downtown bank when digital banking and apps have made cash irrelevant to an entire generation of consumers? “It’s not necessarily depositing a check or taking money out,” Kolar says. “It’s financial planning, business lending. The banks need people to come in, and we’ve proven that Crystal Court is where people are.”

Crystal Court overindexed on banks even before the pandemic; their growing numbers are just more obvious without a variety of shops sprinkled among them. Overall, the court is 62% leased, but that includes Nordstrom Rack, which the retailer still pays rent on. As for the competitor that recently inquired about the space, Kolar says, that would be up to Nordstrom until its lease ends in 2027.

More IDS: Associated Bank announced on June 12 plans to move its downtown offices to IDS.