The Originals: Seven Local Retailers with One-of-a-Kind Concepts

Each year we profile a group of inspired local retailers. This year, we tip our hats to seven business owners who offer completely original, one-of-a-kind concepts. They provide Twin Citians with a broad spectrum of niches and shopping experiences.

Jason Alvey
The Four Firkins

Australia native Jason Alvey still remembers having his first glass of Summit Extra Pale Ale at the Uptown Pizza Lucé in 2001. “I didn’t know beer could taste that good,” Alvey says. It was love at first sip, and Alvey dove head-first into what he calls Minnesota’s “incredible beer culture.” After seeing beer enthusiasts line up around the block for the first chance to grab Colorado brew Fat Tire in 2007, Alvey says he “knew there was an opportunity to be had.” The result is The Four Firkins, a beer boutique that offers more than 750 kinds of craft beer (no macrobrews allowed), a great selection of brewery-specific stemware, a temperature-controlled cooler for ageable beers, and a staff of “beer geeks” who can help you navigate the bottle-filled shelves. “I would say 80 percent of the people who walk through the doors aren’t beer enthusiasts, they just like beer,” Alvey says. “We’re creating beer geeks. I love that.”

Ellen Hertz
Max’s

“Jewelry is in my DNA,” says Ellen Hertz with a chuckle. Her grandfather Max had owned a jewelry store in her home state of Michigan. So when she left her job in 2005 after 21 years in the corporate world, she decided it was time to embrace her heritage. Max’s opened in 2006, a hybrid of fine jewelry, fancy chocolates, unique home pieces, and a few other assorted items that have a few things in common: Items are always artisan made, and often exclusive to the Twin Cities. Though she admits that $10,000 cuff bracelets and $10 chocolates are an odd pairing, she also sees them as a perfect fit. “Why not put chocolate and jewelry together? They are both luxuries,” says Hertz, who admits to feeding her chocolate habit daily.

Nancy Shank
dugo

The idea behind dugo (read: dress up go out) is simple—every woman should have the opportunity to look her best, whether she is going to a gala or the grocery store. “I saw needs that were not being met for Twin Cities women,” says owner Nancy Shank, who opened her Galleria shop nearly four years ago. “I wanted to offer unique, good-looking, wearable clothes for all occasions.” Her store offers blouses for less than $100 and gowns that top $3,000 from designers such as Marc Cain and Catherine Andre—both exclusive to the Twin Cities—as well as familiar names such as Lafayette 148 and Badgley Mischka. The daughter of a designer mother who had her own children’s line, Shank pays particular attention to the fit and quality of the clothes dugo offers. She travels to New York four to six times a year to keep her store looking fresh. “There is always a new way for women to express themselves,” says Shank.

Amanda Kautt
L’Atelier Couture

Only a few large racks and cases of accessories dot L'Atelier Couture’s simple space, so brides-to-be can savor sifting through dresses by Vera Wang, Elizabeth Fillmore, Carolina Herrera, and other top-tier bridal designers. A studio art major and lover of all things “girly,” owner Amanda Kautt hand-picks each dress from her trips to the New York bridal market and abroad. Of the 10 lines offered at L'Atelier, all but two are exclusive to the region. “I knew I took a risk putting couture in the name and really pushing couture dresses,” she says. “But I wanted brides to know they were part of something special.” It’s a plan that has worked brilliantly. L’Atelier draws brides from all over the country—a few have even traveled from as far as Japan and France—and many of her brides have been featured in national bridal magazines. But as much as she appreciates the recognition from customers and the industry, Kautt says her store is ultimately about the bride’s big day. “I want them to feel special,” she says. “I want the experience to extend past the wedding day, I want it to be something they remember.”

Kevin Cunningham
iware

In his 32 years as an optician, Kevin Cunningham says he has seen the technology for eyewear go from the equivalent of “a Kodak instamatic to HD technology.” Yet he continues to shape each lens by hand, which enables him to get the best fit for his customer’s frame. He can carefully mold the lens, just as he carefully molds the selection of frames in his Northeast Minneapolis shop. “You can get Chanel or those kinds of frames anywhere,” he says. “I want to offer something different.” Offerings include local line Ogi, as well as lines such as Lafont and Dilem and even a selection of frames he handcrafts from bamboo and a flexible lens material. Cunningham aims to offer a little bit of every style so customers can find their perfect fit. “In the optical business, there are hundreds of options for customers to choose from,” he says. “It is important to explain—without overwhelming—how to get the right fit of fashion and technology. Getting new glasses should be fun.”

Kendra Lewis
bébé babble

After spending years as trend and product development design manager at Target, Kendra Lewis developed a great eye for design. When she decided to follow her passion and open a children’s boutique in Edina, she knew she would have no problem filling the store with clothes, furniture, toys, strollers, and accessories that looked great. But it was the birth of her son Gabriel, now 4, that helped bring her merchandise into perspective. “I’ve learned that the product didn’t only have to have great design, but it needed to function well,” says Lewis. “Now that’s what I look for—it has to look great, but also work.” Coupled with her commitment to bringing in local and exclusive brands such as Pink Chicken and kit+lili, Lewis’s approach has earned her a loyal following, some of whom wish the store would expand beyond sizes 0 to 8. “The greatest compliment I get is when moms say they want something for themselves,” says Lewis.

Scott Johnson
O’Day Cache

Scott Johnson’s Asian-influenced boutique on Nicollet Mall offers a little bit of everything—from 400-year-old antique Chinese window panels to one-of-a-kind dresses and artisan-made jewelry. Johnson and business partner Cindy O’Day, who opened and now runs the O’Day Cache in Fargo, travel to China a few times a year to scour the markets for one-of-a-kind antiques and artisan-made crafts. “I tend to find things based on what I like, but if you are passionate about the product, you can always get the customer excited,” says Johnson, adding that it is the commitment to unique merchandise and a mixture of high and low price points that keep customers coming back.