[UPDATE: MINQ’s Southdale location is now closed.]
It’s a little hard to keep track of MINQ. At the beginning of 2014, owner Stacey Finnegan opened a location at 50th & France that she would close earlier this year. Last fall, the retailer opened a temporary location in the IDS Center over the holidays. Then last July, the on-the-go local retailer closed its original location in St. Louis Park after two years of business.
MINQ is on the move again, this time opening at Southdale on the first floor near Banana Republic. The women’s-only concept opened this past weekend with a fresh selection of fashion-forward apparel and accessories, plus a few gift items. Fall’s biggest trends—shaggy faux-fur coats, fringe, faux-suede, culottes, and grommets—are represented in mid-priced brands such as Bailey44 and Henry & Belle denim. For the new location, Finnegan has also introduced some lower-priced lines such as Liberty Garden and Arc & Co.
Despite all the attention going Ridgedale’s way following its expansion and renovation, Finnegan says the Southdale location is a “strategic decision to grow the MINQ* brand via the Simon Properties national footprint.” Locally, the property development group owns both Albertville Premium Outlets and Twin Cities Premium Outlets, Maplewood Mall, and Duluth’s Miller Hill Mall as well as other shopping centers around the world. Currently, Southdale is home to mostly big, national chains—J. Crew, the Gap, Ann Taylor, Macy’s, Herberger’s—though it recently welcomed one of its only independent, upscale boutiques, luxury perfume boutique La Petite Parfumerie. MINQ*’s short-term lease runs through the holiday season; depending on how successful the location is, Finnegan will decide whether to stay at Southdale or head somewhere else. Stay tuned.
Take a look into the new MINQ:
all images by Jahna Peloquin
