Coffee shop inspired by Australia's Sunshine Coast opens in downtown Minneapolis skyway

Despite tough times for restaurants, one ambitious couple is planting roots in the downtown Minneapolis skyway system.

Eric and Mallory Nordberg moved back to Minnesota last year. And after a few years of running coffee carts, they found a walkable spot with ideal hours and weekends off for their young family. 

That's how Barra was born on Ninth Street and Nicollet Avenue.

It's a simplistic shop inspired by Mallory Nordberg's Australian upbringing and a picture-perfect family trip to Australia's sunshine coast that they wanted to bottle up and relive in every latte. 

"We were in the sunshine coast in 2024 and stayed at this house on Barra Crescent and we would walk every morning to the local coffee shops," said Mallory Nordberg. "And just dream about him one day opening up his own thing."

This spot is for the espresso heads and coffee nerds out there. No whipped cream, caramel or unicorn drinks, but instead they stick to a minimal menu featuring hand-picked rotating roaster. 

The couple is hoping workers returning to Target and students at St. Thomas University step away from the office coffee and allow them to cater to the caffeine craving crowd yearning for a mid-morning jolt of inspiration. 

They're realizing their dreams as downtown Minneapolis figures out its next act.

"Minneapolis is coming back up, people are coming back downtown. We wanted to be part of that revitalization," said Mallory Nordberg.

The shop also has baked goods and matcha.

The skyway system is about 60% occupied and the downtown council says the vacancies are stable. While some spots are opening up like Grid Coffee, Eggflip, Paperboy Sandwiches and Sota. Some have closed temporarily due to Operation Metro Surge.