Local businesses receive students

On Tuesday, Sept. 29, students had the opportunity to experience community through the Joetown Walking Crawl, an event hosted in collaboration with the Eugene J. McCarthy Center for Public Policy and Civic Engagement, the Donald McNeely Center for Entrepreneurship and St. Joseph businesses. Now an annual event, the Joetown Walking Crawl brings Bennies and Johnnies to several independent businesses throughout St. Joseph. The guided tour lets students meet local business owners, hear the stories behind their businesses and experience a slice of what our community has to offer.

“I really enjoyed that many of our businesses in St. Joe are very focused on the community life and preserving/making experiences that can’t be found very easily,” CSB sophomore Jennifer Chaclan said via email.

The Crawl was created in 2023 by CSB+SJU professors Paul Marsnik, Matt Lindstrom, Emily Paup and Steve Shwarz, along with Mary Bruno, owner of St. Joseph’s Bruno Press. The idea grew out of a desire for students to feel more connected to the broader campus community, which they believed they could do by learning more about the people behind local businesses.

That desire for connection remains at the heart of the event. “I enjoyed that I was able to meet the people who work in the community and grateful to see CSB+SJU students,” Chaclan said.

This year’s Crawl included stops at Bruno Press, Jupiter Moon Ice Cream, Krewe Restaurant, Minnesota Street Market and The House Food and Tap. From printing a personal keepsake at Bruno Press to enjoying jambalaya at Krewe, students learned about our local business community by truly engaging with it.

The Crawl’s focus extends beyond simply introducing students to places to eat or shop. Organizers hope learning the stories behind St. Joseph’s businesses will encourage students to see the city as a community they can participate in, rather than the just town surrounding their college.

Beyond providing spaces for students to eat or work, the community offers opportunities that extend beyond the traditional college experience. Local businesses can serve as places for students to spend time or study, find employment, meet community members and discover potential career paths. These businesses can serve as a bridge between the larger St. Joseph community and our campuses.

For students new to the area, that bridge can be especially important. College life can easily center on campus. Classes, residence halls, campus dining and student organizations provide much of what students need, making it possible to spend weeks or even months without exploring the community immediately outside the college. While our campuses might sustain us for a time, our Benedictine values teach us that community is best when shared, which is exactly what calls us to the gathering spaces of the St. Joseph businesses.

The Walking Crawl offers an intentional introduction to St. Joseph. Rather than simply telling students that local businesses are there, organizers take students directly into those spaces and introduce them to the people who run them. The event also gives local businesses a chance to meet the students who make up a significant part of the broader community.

As the event continues to grow, organizers hope to involve additional local businesses and expand the tradition. For students who may still be learning their way around St. Joseph, Tuesday’s Crawl offered a starting point — not just to find a new place to eat or shop, but to begin seeing the community beyond campus as their own.

“My favorite part was to know that every establishment was happy to see each other succeed,” Chaclan said.