As the air begins to cool, retail in the Twin Cities is beginning to heat up. Several established boutiques are getting shiny new locations, while a couple of new concepts hit the scene.
Cake Plus-Size Resale
Location: 5155 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis
Who’s Involved: Cat Polivoda, owner of the online plus-size resale shop, Cat’s Closet
Projected Opening: October 6
This new brick-and-mortar concept—a resale store for plus-sized clothing—is the first of its kind in the Twin Cities. It comes from St. Paul-based, plus-size fashion blogger Cat Polivoda after more than three years operating her plus-size resale shop, Cat’s Closet, online and at pop-up events. Rebranded as Cake Plus-Size Resale, the shop emphasizes body positivity and size inclusivity and plans to carry new accessories, jewelry, art, books, gifts, and body-positive and activism-inspired merchandise from local makers in addition to its selection of secondhand clothing for all genders. Before it opens at its permanent location, the shop will host a free pop-up shopping event and panel discussion (which features Project Runway Season 16 contestant Samantha Rei) on plus-size fashion in partnership with Arc’s Value Village at Surly Brewing Company in Minneapolis on Tuesday, September 12 from 7 to 10 p.m. (Register at eventbrite.com) catinspired.com/cake
Stephanie’s (new location)
New shoes for fall at stephanie’s, image Courtesy stephanie’s
Location: The Finn, 735 Cleveland Ave. S., St. Paul
Who’s Involved: Stephanie Morrissey (owner) and Lora Horgen (manager and co-buyer)
Projected Opening: September 12
After a dozen years in the Highland Park neighborhood of St. Paul, women’s clothing boutique Stephanie’s is making a move—across the street. The store will take up residence at the Finn, a new boutique-style apartment building that will have tenants including Agra Culture Kitchen & Press, exercise studio Alchemy, and a to-be-announced salon on its first level. Stephanie Morrissey, a St. Paul native, founded the store to provide a go-to place to find classic looks from brands such as DVF, Nicole Miller, Ecru, and Shoshanna that are appropriate for any age, and wearable from day to night. Morrissey says that the new store will bring in some new designers, including alice + olivia by Stacey Bendet and Rebecca Minkoff, plus after long last, footwear. stephaniesshop.com
Mille (new location)
inside the new mille, image Courtesy mille
Location: 4760 Grand Ave. S., Minneapolis
Who’s Involved: Michelle LeBlanc (owner)
Projected Opening: September 5
Michelle LeBlanc had been delivering her signature “luxe hippie” style long before her south Minneapolis shop Mille opened in 2012. The store, originally named Pretty Mommy, began online as an e-commerce shop, where it gained a national following thanks to its unique blend of apparel, jewelry, fragrance, screen prints, and home goods from under-the-radar luxury brands such as No.6, Clare V., and Maryam Nassir Zadeh. The selection has a hand-crafted vibe coupled with a decidedly modern eye. Recently, LeBlanc moved into a nearby corner storefront. “We’ve needed more space to devote to the e-commerce side of our business for a while,” she says, “but still wanted to stay in the same neighborhood, so when this corner space opened up it was a natural fit.” The larger new storefront features custom-made fixtures by local designer Marvin Freitas—and at double the size of its previous space, much more space to shop. shopmille.com
Duke Albert
duke albert, image by jahna peloquin
Location: 2516 Central Ave. NE., Minneapolis
Who’s Involved: Sarah Dwyer (former co-owner of Arrow, also formerly of Intoto) and Christopher Drees (former creative director/window display designer of Arrow)
Projected Opening: Now open, grand opening in September
Over the summer, a new lifestyle boutique quietly opened its doors near the corner of Central and Lowry avenues in Northeast Minneapolis. Duke Albert offers a casual-chic mix of home goods, apothecary items, leather goods, jewelry, coffee table books, stylish magazines, greeting cards, and vintage clothing. The new store rose from the ashes of Arrow, the beloved North Loop designer clothing store that closed last summer after a four-year run, and was founded by two Arrow alums, Sarah Dwyer and Christopher Drees. The majority of the store’s merchandise is stocked with unique gifts and home goods from independent designers and artists from Minnesota and all over the world, including leather skulls by Brooklyn design studio Heavy Eyes and custom-made leather accessories by Minneapolis maker Danielle Sakry. Read more and get a first look inside the store on the MNMO Style blog. dukealbert.com
Pineapple at Mona Williams
the laundress at pineapple at mona williams, image Courtesy mona williams
Location: Mona Williams at Mall of America, 138 South Avenue, Bloomington
Who’s Involved: Patric Richardson, owner of Mona Williams, host of Laundry Camp, and “The Laundry Evangelist” blogger
Projected Opening: September 1
After appearing on a WCCO news segment about laundry sheets, it became clear to Patric Richardson, the owner of local boutique Mona Williams and a self-professed “laundry evangelist,” that he should help spread the gospel of good, clean laundry. It began when he started carrying the full product line from luxury cleaning brand, The Laundress, and earlier this year, he formulated his own laundry detergent under “The Laundry Evangelist” label. Now, he’s taking things to the next step with the debut of Pineapple, a store-within-a-store concept at his Mall of America boutique that offers a mix of laundry and home cleaning products from brands with an emphasis on high-quality, eco-friendly, beautifully scented ingredients, including New Hampshire-based small-batch maker, Farmhouse, and Minnesota’s own Illume. Richardson says the products are also great for gift giving, especially The Laundress’s collaboration with elite fragrance house Le Labo with its most popular scent, Santal 33. The concept launches in-store on September 1, with an e-commerce site coming soon.
Design Within Reach
rendering Courtesy dfa, design architect for dwr edina studio
Location: Galleria in Edina
Projected Opening: September
Nearly four years after shuttering its Uptown location, modern furniture retailer Design Within Reach reopens at Edina’s Galleria this September. The 18,000-square-foot store will be larger and grander than its predecessor, with 40 room vignettes designed in partnership with New York-based architecture firm DFA and dramatic lighting by Light Studio LA. The store gets some homegrown flavor courtesy of “Minnesota House,” a series of rooms designed to evoke a luxury lake house, developed in consultation with NewStudio Architecture of White Bear Lake. Design Within Reach is known for its broad selection of authentic modern furniture, lighting, and accessories from designers past and present, such as Charles and Ray Eames, Norm Architects, Herman Miller, Knoll, Cassina, Vitra, Muuto, Fritz Hansen, and Duluth-based outdoor furniture line Loll Designs, as well as exclusive products developed by DWR. The new store part of the Galleria’s recent expansion, which added 20,000 square feet of retail space to its northeast end. With Galleria home retailers already including Gabberts, Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn, Arhaus, and Restoration Hardware, the addition of Design Within Reach further cements the shopping center’s reputation as a furniture retail hotspot. dwr.com or galleriaedina.com
Willful Goods
willful goods, image Courtesy willful goods
Location: TBD
Who’s Involved: Araya Jensen (owner/designer)
Projected Opening: Holiday/early 2018
After debuting her line of wooden spoons with brightly colored rubber detailing, Araya Jensen found a hit on her hands, and quickly expanded into making wood bowls and other home goods under the label Wind & Willow. Three years ago, she opened a retail store and workspace in the Tangletown neighborhood of Minneapolis to showcase her wares, eventually rebranding the business as Willful. Its product line has since expanded to include handwoven wool rugs, throw pillows, tea towels, and cast-resin kitchen utensils—all featuring Jensen’s signature bright colors. Recently, the designer shuttered that location and is currently on the hunt for the perfect space. In the meantime, she says she’ll be doing a satellite shop in the Thorp Building and potentially pop-ups over the holidays. In the meantime, you can still shop the brand’s line of goods online at willfulgoods.com.
