Pride at MoonStone MPLS: Events, Workshops, and Community All June Long
MoonStone MPLS: Curiosity, Community, and Queer Space in Longfellow Minneapolis
Redesign did not just give us a building. They introduced us to a neighborhood that was already paying attention. When Jessie reached out to write this piece, we had been in the space for less than a year, and I was still getting used to saying "our Longfellow location" out loud. Being featured as part of what Redesign is building on East Lake Street felt like being officially counted among the people who belong here. This one meant a lot.
Read the full article here.
Redesign Inc., the nonprofit community developer that helped MoonStone MPLS find its home on East Lake Street, published this feature as part of their Announcements series. Writer Jessie Roeming captures Brenna Wernersbach's voice through a Q&A that goes deeper than most press coverage.
MoonStone MPLS describes itself as curiosity-driven. The shop carries natural gems, magical gifts, and handmade work by local artists. It provides community space for instructors, makers, and people looking to connect with the planet and with each other. If you have an open mind and want to learn something new or understand something about yourself, that is what the shop is there for.
Brenna's path to opening MoonStone started the way it does for a lot of customers: picking up rocks as a kid, collecting agates, eventually working at a crystal shop. The business combines that lifelong curiosity with years of small business experience across coffee shops, bookstores, and gift shops, and a background as a licensed psychologist specializing in gender and sexuality.
The Longfellow location was a turning point. After struggling to get noticed by landlords as a small business, connecting with Redesign changed the trajectory. Redesign provided funding for the exterior paint and the shop garden, responded quickly to space issues, and helped MoonStone feel like it had a real partner in the neighborhood. Sign painter Phil Vandervaart painted the storefront by hand, making it an immediate landmark on East Lake Street.
The shop's queer-affirming identity is woven into the space rather than placed on the door. Inside, visitors find pronoun pins, queer-inclusive products, and representation that makes people feel welcome without announcement. Brenna has been surprised and moved by how many parents stop in and quietly share that they have trans kids. The shop creates recognition through small signals.
Redesign Inc. tenants are part of a broader network that includes the Summer Savings Passport, a neighborhood coupon book, and connections to the Longfellow Business Association. MoonStone is actively building its events model as the primary way it puts its community values into practice.
