First Look: Atmosfere North Loop

A decade after first opening in Uptown, Atmosfere is opening its second location—in Minneapolis’ ever-expanding North Loop district. Located next door to Haus Salon in the ElseWarehouse building, in a garden-level space mirroring that of Borough’s basement cocktail lounge Parlor, the new store owned by Twin Cities retail vet Dan Capetz has a stripped-down yet chic vibe that perfectly meshes with the historic, industrial vibe of the Warehouse District.

Dan Capetz and his son, store manager Damon Capetz, have outfitted the space with reclaimed wood and metal siding salvaged from a barn in Wisconsin and Edison light bulbs decorating a wall (“They look really cool at night,” Damon says). The space was designed in collaboration with a couple of contractors Damon says he’s known since he was in kindergarten. The corrugated metal fitting rooms, rough-hewn wood tables and fixtures, and the cement floors and pillars stay true to the space’s history while giving it a modern feel.

The main difference between the new store and its Calhoun Square counterpart is the addition of women’s clothing, including casual, contemporary dresses, tops, and denim from brands such as Kinetix, Jachs Girlfriend, Alternative Earth, and Shades of Grey by Micha Cohen. Women’s clothing will be about 40 percent of the store’s offerings, with 60 percent devoted to menswear.

He says the merchandise is aimed at the North Loop dweller as well as those working in the slew of creative agencies in the area. “I want it to be fun but approachable, and everyday appropriate,” Damon Capetz says, “something you can wear to work and then to happy hour.”

Accordingly, the new shop has a more casual vibe than the Calhoun Square store, with less of an emphasis on suiting but many of the same brands popular among Atmosfere’s customers, including Ben Sherman and Penguin knits. Damon says that he works with those brands’ buyers to buy products that didn’t get picked up by Macy’s or Nordstrom—typically the more bold patterns and styles. The new store has also introduced some new men’s brands to the store, such as Copenhagen brand Bruun & Stengade and Denmark’s Tailored Originals, with L.A. line Singer + Sargent to come in the fall. It also carries both men’s and women’s product lines from Shades of Grey, Jachs and hot Australian denim brand Neuw Denim.

Another exciting addition coming soon: an in-house tailoring shop that will do same-day alterations.

The new store is just one aspect of the evolution underway at Atmosfere. Damon tells me that he’s in the process of buying the company from his dad, who he says is planning to retire in the next couple of years. “He wanted me to go on a build-out process before he retired,” Damon says of the new store, adding that Dan will continue to be involved with the business. So far, it looks like Damon’s on the right track.

Now open. 730 Washington Ave. N., Mpls., 612-333-1843, atmosferempls.com

[Photos by Jahna Peloquin]