TGIF shopping: Askov Finlayson opens flagship location

Men’s apparel brand Askov Finlayson is celebrating the opening of their new flagship location at their home base of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The new space–located adjacent to their current home–offers double the square footage, all the proof needed to showcase AF’s tremendous growth over the past four years. Alongside their expanded collection of products, they also offers an assortment of local, American, and global brands.

“It’s exciting to see the brand come to life as a physical environment,” says Eric Dayton, who co-founded AF with his brother, Andrew, in 2011. “Everything from the color of the millwork to the small brass detailing in the floor looks and feels like us. We’ll be creating a coffee and sandwich shop in the old space that will open this fall, and the courtyard will provide cafe seating during the day. And then we’re retrofitting an old Airstream trailer that will go into the back of the outdoor area next spring. In the evenings, the trailer’s hatch will pop open and the courtyard will transform into a beer garden. I love the blending of the indoor and outdoor spaces and it will be fun to see the way the café, beer garden, and store all interact together.”

Additionally, the store will feature Warby Parker at Askov Finlayson (their first retail presence in Minnesota), a 250-square-foot showroom offering the brand’s full collection of frames.

“I met the Warby Parker founders through a mutual friend when they were MBA students at Wharton and I was at Stanford Business School,” says Dayton. “We had talked about a Minneapolis partnership early on, but Askov Finlayson’s previous space was too small for any kind of shop-in-shop. [Warby Parker co-founder and co-CEO] Neil Blumenthal brought the idea back up about a year ago, just as we were considering expanding. The timing was perfect and Warby Parker fits beautifully into the new store.”

In addition to the new store, AF also recently introduced shorts and swim trunks. “Manual readers will love the cadet/navy two-tone color combination; it’s my favorite. I’m also really excited about the new colors that Frost River did just for our store. They’ve become famous for making all their products in only one color: field tan. And so for the first time their great bags are available through us in navy blue, forest green, and a really nice medium grey.”

Be sure to check out Askov Finlayson’s new flagship store at 204 North 1st Street in Minneapolis or shop online here.