CROOKED WATER Crooked Water owner Heather Manley builds her business strategy around the principles of communal support. When the coronavirus began its cruel throttle on bars and restaurants, she wasted no time putting these principles in action. One hundred percent of Crooked Water’s March profits were poured back into the local hospitality industry, and they’ve since held weekly fundraisers backing Twin Cities’ bars and bartenders. When they’re not providing financial assistance, they’re also simply touching base, which can be just as crucial. “I’ve reached out to a ton of people in the industry during the pandemic, just to check in with them to make sure they’re okay,” Manley said. “COVID’s affected everybody, and everyone’s had to pivot. It’s important that we lean into each other and make sure we’re all getting through this.” This manner of leaning in expands past the industry. Shortly after the Minneapolis protests began, Manley and her team visited the movement’s Lake Street epicenter, a trip that wasn’t just about helping to clean up leftover debris. “While we walked through the neighborhood, we kept asking ourselves what we can learn from each other to help us evolve our mindset,” Manley said. “We’ve been woken out of complacency, and now’s the time to get together as a community and move forward in the right direction.”
were still 2019. It’s justifiable, if not expected, in 2020. Yet its usage is never used self-referentially. It’s not necessarily needed: They’re hanging tough, thanks in part to retail sales and innovations of necessity like to-go cocktails. Kreidler exclusively uses “survival” in the context of helping others, which is something Tattersall has been doing since events started cancelling and non-essential businesses shut down. The distillery partnered with Du Nord to produce hand sanitizer. They also partnered with a local grocery store to donate their sanitizer proceeds to Minnesota’s Second Harvest Heartland Food Bank, an act that
yielded one million meals for people in need. These acts provide comforting proof that goodness can still happen during chaos. These partnerships and acts of kindness connect to a sense of community that remains intact despite COVID-19’s potential to sever it. In a weird way, it’s not too dissimilar to the connection I picked up on when I crashed Tattersall’s fourth birthday party in 2019. It doesn’t look the same, of course. It won’t until people can safely gather at the bar and raise a glass once more. But it’s there, and it will be realized in full on the other side of this pandemic.
Tattersall Distilling is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. For more information visit www.tattersalldistilling.com or call (612) 584-4152.
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