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Minneapolis is finally starting to get the national recognition it deserves for being a hub of great culture (thank you Walker Art Center and Guthrie Theater) and inventive restaurants (thank you too, chef Gavin Kaysen). But the city’s shopping scene remains largely overshadowed by the suburban mass-market behemoth that is the Mall of America. It's a shame, because locally-owned shops cropping up all around town are certainly worthy of attention, and the message they are celebrating is: Buy and make local.
Askov Finlayson
Take, for example, Askov Finlayson, co-founded by Eric and Andrew Dayton, sons of Minnesota governor Mark Dayton, whose retailing family pioneered Target. Located in downtown Minneapolis’s North Loop neighborhood, the shop was originally launched in 2011 as a men’s outdoor clothing mecca that empowered Minnesotans to embrace their cold winters. It’s since become the face of the North movement.
The Dayton brothers, who also run a hidden bar below Askov Finlayson and a less hidden restaurant next door, are constantly innovating. Case in point: They recently decided to go all-in on their shop’s mission to #KeepTheNorthCold. Starting this year, the store will measure its annual carbon footprint—including for the production of its namesake items, like it’s Minnesota-made North stocking caps—and give 110 percent of that cost to organizations combatting climate change. Meanwhile, Eric is the founder of the retail-related Skyway Avoidance Society (long story; read this), which shoppers can ask to join at Askov Finlayson’s register.
Wilson & Willy's Neighbor Goods
Given Askov Finlayson’s forward-thinking, it probably comes as no surprise that the store collaborates on products with other Minnesota brands—think Frost River wax canvas bags from Duluth and Sanborn Canoe Co. paddles from Winona. This is also the DNA of the shop’s North Loop neighbor Wilson & Willy’s Neighbor Goods. The brainchild of John Mooty, the son of the CEO of Faribault Woolen Mill (its wool blankets are ubiquitous in chic shops across the country), Wilson & Willy’s is a modern day general store that sells everything from home goods to men’s and women’s clothing made in partnership with small manufacturers. Many of the Minnesota collaborations are available only at the store, including Duluth Pack laptop bags made in Duluth, and, of course, a special Faribault wool blanket.
Mooty, who spent time working in marketing at the Faribault Woolen Mill, is a big thinker too. He recently rebooted the Northwestern Knitting Company brand, which was founded in 1888 in a factory that is now Minneapolis’s International Market Square. It became the world’s largest underwear manufacturer before closing in 1981. The relaunched brand has divine Marino Dual Cloth Pullover sweatshirts that are for sale only at the Wilson & Willy shop (or on the NWKC’s website).
Milkweed Books
Down the street on Washington Avenue, Milkweed Books is the newest bookstore in a town that’s known for its literary culture. It’s housed on the ground floor of downtown Minneapolis’ Open Book building, the country’s largest literary arts center. The shop is a project of Milkweed Editions, an independent publisher based upstairs. Milkweed Books’ nonprofit status has the freedom to advocate for titles you won’t see in other shops. The uber-knowledgeable staff and highly curated shelves will ensure you leave with an under-the-radar selection that will soon hit the cultural zeitgeist.
While the shop carries books by various publishers, pick up one of Milkweed’s own books, like Beth Dooley’s In Winter’s Kitchen, about Minnesota’s sustainable food culture, or their best-seller: Botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass, which ingeniously mixes Indigenous teachings with scientific method.
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Speaking of the arts, don’t overlook the city’s museum shops. The one at the Whittier neighborhood’s Minneapolis Institute of Art was recently remodeled so it feels like a living room, and it’s now overseen by popular The American Edit blogger Rita Mehta, who has an excellent eye. The store even sells MIA honey—produced by beehives that the museum keeps on its roof.
Handsome Cycles
Across the Mississippi River is Northeast Minneapolis’s historic Thorp Building, a maze-like complex of warehouse spaces used for art studios, galleries, and other creative ventures. You won’t find anything in here unless you go looking for it. Hidden deep inside is the workshop of Handsome Cycles, whose founders Ben Morrison and Jesse Erikson make bikes with the quality and craftsmanship of a bespoke ride but at an approachable price point (starting around $600 as opposed to north of $4,000 for a custom bike). Make an in-person appointment at Handsome to get your bike customized by choosing your own handlebars or paint job, or stop by to check out a small store adjacent to the warehouse.
Black Blue, Martin Patrick 3, and Idun
On the other side of town, near Lake Harriet in the residential Linden Hills neighborhood, is the city’s second outpost of the cool coffee shop Penny’s (order the matcha with the house-made almond milk). But little do most people know that this new grounds central has a chic pop-up shop in its basement. The most recent iteration housed Black Blue, a St. Paul men’s shop on Selby Avenue that sells not only international brands (Barbour, Canada Goose, Filson) but also Minnesota labels such as J.W. Hulme, which can also be snapped up at the North Loop’s Martin Patrick 3 (MP3 insider advice: make an appointment for the private lounge, where shopping is accompanied by whiskey shots). It’s worth pointing out that two blocks down from Black Blue’s St. Paul location is Idun, a women’s boutique founded by Dahlia Brue, which stocks hard-to-find (in the MSP area, at least) apparel in a beautifully curated shop.
Golden Rule
A little outside of town is Excelsior is a quaint Minneapolis suburb on Lake Minnetonka (which has purifying waters, according to Prince). New restaurants and shops are cropping up there, and the aesthetic is being elevated quite a bit. A young, dynamic store to check out is Golden Rule, started by jewelry designer Erin Duininck. In addition to selling Duininck’s own wares (which you can have personalized in the store), the shop sells small-batch apothecary items, interesting wall art, and women’s clothing. Behind the shop in Golden Rule's carriage house, local leather goods brand Solid Manufacturing Co., founded by husband and wife duo Dan and Alex Cordell, opened the Ace General Store, where they sell their line among other items.
Gray Home & Lifestyle
Next door is Gray Home & Lifestyle, launched by the mother-daughter duo Dee Dee and Chloe Lappen who have created a minimalistic oasis for your home and body needs with a well-edited mix of the artisan-made. The store also worked with local designers, such as St. Paul-based Hackwith Design House, a women’s apparel line by Lisa Hackwith, to craft collections specific to the store. Additionally, Gray has its own line of pottery, which is made in collaboration with the Minnesota brand Red Wing Stoneware Co., founded in 1877 in Red Wing—also home to the namesake shoes.
Now who said the only shopping in Minneapolis is at the Mall of America?