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Super Bowl Of Retail Coming To Minneapolis; Here Are Its MVPs

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In just a few short weeks Minneapolis will roll out the red carpet to welcome guests to the Super Bowl LII. Exactly how many people will make the trek to the Twin Cities vary widely from estimates of 125,000 to 1 million. But no matter the actual number, all of them are going to need places to stay and food to eat, so hotels and restaurants are gearing up for a super bowl of their own.

And in addition to football, those guests will also participate in another favorite American pastime: shopping. The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development estimated that these guests will contribute $324 million to the local economy.

Running side-by-side with the Super Bowl will be a “super bowl” of retail. Here are predictions of the retail game’s MVPs :

Askov Finlayson

This year’s Super Bowl is branded as “Bold North,” and menswear haberdasher Askov Finlayson is certainly on brand. In fact, Askov Finlayson’s Eric Dayton, who founded the company along with brother Andrew, is credited with being the inspiration of the theme. In a 2015 TED talk, Eric challenged people to celebrate the cold and called on Minnesota natives to secede from the Midwest to become “The North.” Being the son of Gov. Mark Dayton, he is in a position to make this happen.

“Keep The North Cold” is the branding message for Askov Finlayson and everything in the product line follows that mantra. Furthermore, the company backs up the brand promise with an official “Keep The North Cold” initiative, which gives money to local organizations in support of the cause and its new “Give 110%” program fights climate change. The company has committed $1 million to the cause over the next five years.

With its unparalleled success in outfitting Minnesota natives, Askov Finlayson is now looking beyond the state’s borders to take its message and brand to the rest of the country starting with a limited time collaboration with Target (see below). Given Minneapolis average high temperature is only 29° in February, those headed out to US Bank Stadium for the game are advised to swing by the Askov Finlayson shop in the North Loop neighborhood to get properly outfitted for the cold.

Target

With its headquarters in downtown Nicollet Mall and its flagship store’s $10 million makeover just completed, Target has big plans for the Super Bowl. The Nicollet Mall will host Verizon’s 10-day Super Bowl LIVE festival featuring live concerts, food vendors, national broadcasts and an ice skating rink provided by Hyundai.

In addition, for the first time ever, Target is opening its Target Plaza Commons space to all. It features workout studios, game areas and coffeehouse shared workspace for company employees. Open to the public from Jan. 26 through Feb 4, it is being made over into the Bullseye Lodge with a Minnesota-inspired north woods theme.

On the merchandising front, Target is supplying company-designed uniforms to the more than 10,000 volunteers that will serve at the Super Bowl. And it will launch a limited-edition collection featuring more than 50 products under the Askov Finlayson for Target brand, including clothing and accessories for men, women, kids, toddlers and babies, as well as home décor products and a snow tube for sledding.

Target

Galleria Edina Mall

The area’s premier luxury shopping destination, Galleria Edina Mall will host a number of special events tailored to the luxury-leaning customer. Tiffany & Co will display NFL Trophies, all handcrafted by Tiffany jewelers. Porsche will open a pop-up shop in the mall for the duration of events, along with Ribnick Luxury Outerwear and Excelr8, an electric bike shop, also making the Galleria home for a limited time.

And on Friday before game day, NFL wives and significant others will walk the runway at the mall’s Design Within Reach store dressed in fashions from the mall’s tenants in the annual Off the Field Players’ Wives Fashion Show. After this ticketed event, with a portion of the proceeds going to The Women’s Foundation of Minnesota, the wives will be joined by their NFL husbands for the show’s finale.

Mall of America

For the hoi polloi, the Mall of America is going all out to make it a must-visit destination for the Super Bowl guests. The Super Bowl teams are slated to stay at the MOA’s two hotels, with the NFL buying out the 342-room Marriott for the Patriots and the 500-room Radisson for the Eagles, so people will be drawn to catch a glimpse of their favorite players.

The mall’s third floor will host Radio Row where over 150 media outlets will broadcast live throughout game week with many players expected to turn up for interviews. The Best Buy store will showcase the “ultimate man cave” in its Tech Zone in the mall’s rotunda to provide inspiration for shoppers to take home the ultimate TV viewing experience. Macy’s will feature an End Zone for football merchandise and souvenirs and will host athletes for personal appearances.

MOA will also have a plethora of pop-up shops over the course of Super Bowl celebrations, including Minnesota-based Faribault Woolen Mills with 100% wool apparel and accessories, the Mall of America’s own Minnesota Marketplace featuring locally-made and sourced products, and new-age Casper bedding company will have a popup sleep center with a limited-edition cashmere throw available.

And in a quasi-virtual reality experience, its West Market Square area will be set up to give people the experience of standing on the field in the US Bank Stadium in a 4D Super Bowl Dome Experience.

“Mall of America is the heart of a lot of the activity thats going to be taking place around the Super Bowl,” said Jill Renslow, senior VP of business development, in a local television interview.

Martin Patrick 3

Located in Minneapolis’ North Loop, Martin Patrick 3 started life in 1991 as co-owners Greg Walsh and Dana Swindler’s interior design firm. Walsh says the store’s distinctive name pays homage to the name his parents originally planned for him, after that of his father and grandfather.

Not long after moving downtown into its historic warehouse building, Martin Patrick 3 added a furniture studio as its first retail initiative, then expanded again into men’s clothing. The store is surrounded by other cutting-edge retailers like Askov Finlayson, Shinola, Arrow, D. Nolo and Cooks of Crocus Hill and many restaurants for the urban dining crowd. With plenty of space to grow, Martin Patrick 3 has added a jeweler, barber shop, tailor and Jonathan Adler gallery as shops within the shop.

Leading up to the Super Bowl, Martin Patrick 3 is hosting Lululemon in a popup shop called The Back Room where guests can shop for active wear, as well as take yoga and other exercise classes. Many of the stores featured brands, such as Boglioli, Theory, Vince, Bogner and Jack Mason, will be on site for special events and Grey Goose will host an Ice Bar. The festivities will culminate in a Tail Gate party on Super Bowl Sunday.

Modestly bragging that the store has seen 30%-40% growth over each of the last four years, Walsh told the Star Tribune that,“It’s crazy busy. All engines are firing – furniture, apparel, and design each contribute.”

“Bold North” means “Bold Retail”

This is but a taste of the shopping experiences in store for Minneapolis’ Super Bowl guests. Without a doubt, Minneapolis is a happening place for retail . Maybe it’s the long, cold winters that give house-bound entrepreneurs a chance to dream up new kinds of extraordinary retail experiences, then allow plenty of time to turn those visions into a plan. In a recent Fast Company article, entitled “The future of retail in the age of Amazon,” three of the five retailers profiled are based in the Twin Cities. So the “Bold North” tagline can also signify “Bold Retail.

It almost makes me wish I had made plans to visit this February. But then among us eastern Pennsylvania natives, “who’d a thunk” the Eagles would ever make it to the Super Bowl. Go, Eagles!

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