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“We are a college campus without a [nearby] pizzeria,” he said.

Throughout the time he has lived near Hamline, Berkson has seen many lost opportunities for evolvement in the area.

“Places [in the neighborhood] would go up for rent,” he said. “I’d hope maybe an eatery or a cafÄ would
open up, and it would end up being an auto-insurance place or a pawn shop.”

“What happens in this community is important to me,” Berkson said.

Now, out of frustration, Berkson is putting together a project to turn Midway business in a new direction.

In attempt to make the neighborhood surrounding Hamline more student-friendly, Berkson is working to show entrepreneurs that the Midway is a great place to open up shop.

“We can promote the idea that we are a campus with a lot of students who are good customers,” he said.

Berkson, Hamline’s Campus Life Committee, the Hamline-Midway Coalition, some local business-owners, and a few Hamline students are the current representatives working with the project.

"Rather than be passive bystanders, we can be involved in the process [of bringing student-friendly businesses to the area],” Berkson said.

To achieve their community development goals, Berkson and his counterparts must first wait for a space vacancy in the neighborhood.

When there is room for a new store or restaurant Midway neighborhood, Berkson said, his group will take initiative and talk to owners of already-established businesses that may be of use or of interest to students, and attempt to interest them in moving or adding a second location to the area.

Berkson said he would like to see eateries such as Izzy’s Ice Cream CafÄ come to the neighborhood.
Izzy’s is currently located on Marshall Avenue near the University of St. Thomas.

Places like Izzy’s could benefit from adding another location near Hamline, he said.

Though Berkson said the project is not yet formalized, he remains optimistic about possible changes in the neighborhood surrounding Hamline’s campus.

“There have been productive and hopeful conversations,” he said.

“I’m hoping that in five to seven years, [graduated] students come back and go ‘whoa’ after seeing the changes.”

Hamline students interested in bringing new types of businesses to the area can contact Professor Berkson or the Campus Life Committee.

Berkson said that even simple ideas on what kinds of businesses students want to see established near Hamline in the future will be appreciated.