When it was founded by Eric and Andrew Dayton in 2011, Askov Finlayson was on the cusp of North Loop’s now-booming retail and restaurant scene. Now, the men’s lifestyle store is on the move. Originally housed in the same Dayton-owned historic warehouse as the restaurant the Bachelor Farmer and craft cocktail hotspot Marvel Bar, the store has specialized in a finely edited selection of American-made and internationally-manufactured goods—including Faribault Woolen Mill blankets, Fjällräven outerwear and backpacks, leather accessories by Leatherworks Minnesota, and its own namesake clothing line, including its signature ball caps emblazoned with the word “North.”
Following last year’s announcement that the Dayton brothers had acquired the former Historic Hennepin Hotel where it would relocate Askov Finlayson and corporate offices, a press release has filled in some more details. Slated to open in early August adjacent to the original store at 204 North 1st Street, the new space will double the square footage of the original store, with one major addition: a showroom dedicated to hip eyewear company Warby Parker—the brand’s first retail outpost in Minnesota. Designed by Minneapolis-based architect James Dayton Design, the new store will also feature furnishings by local design company RO/LU, inspired by the “North” movement Eric Dayton has helped spearhead. The new location will also introduce an exclusive, new collaboration of bags and small accessories with Duluth, Minnesota–based Frost River, a hand-painted paddle custom-designed by Winona, Minnesota–based Sanborn Canoe Co., and a series of duffel bags in collaboration with Best American Duffel.
As for the soon-to-be-former storefront, it will be replaced by a cafe and sandwich shop operated by the Bachelor Farmer, while the area between the two buildings will be transformed into a “pocket park” with grass and seating.
