Now Open: AlwaysMod

Fifteen years after first opening its doors in Minneapolis’ North Loop neighborhood and five years after relocating to Glenwood Avenue on the edge of downtown, FinnStyle’s retail store has been reinvented as AlwaysMod. But the change is more of an evolution than a dissolution; AlwaysMod has expanded on FinnStyle’s assortment of Finnish home goods to include a broader range of products from the world of modern design, spanning furniture, lighting, bedding, and tabletop from more than 20 brands. Additions include Italian housewares and kitchen utensil company Alessi, Danish sterling silver home goods designer Georg Jensen, Swedish textile brand Viskaform, and famed Danish furniture brand Fritz Hansen, which is well known for its Arne Jacobsen Swan and Egg chairs. Additional names include Artek, Chilewich, Dwell Studio, Jonathan Adler, Tom Dixon, Riedel, and Vitra. And fans of FinnStyle’s two most popular brands, Marrimekko and Iittala, can breathe easier knowing those product lines are represented at the new store.

Though the name may be new to Minnesotans, the AlwaysMod brand has existed since 2007 as one of the six online stores under the Our World Shops umbrella, FinnStyle’s parent company. When it came time for Our World Shops to move its headquarters and shop to accommodate a larger warehouse, the company’s founder and owner Ben Horn decided to rebrand the store from FinnStyle to AlwaysMod because he says it has the biggest potential for growth of the company’s six online retailers. And since FinnStyle was already maxed out on Finnish imports, he says it was important to expand on the concept in order to fill the new storefront’s additional 2,000 square feet—making it twice the size of FinnStyle’s former Glenwood Avenue location.

Despite the name change, Horn says he’s not worried about losing FinnStyle’s loyal, local client base (which can still shop FinnStyle’s goods online at finnstyle.com). “After 15 years, we have a strong following in the Finnish community and a lot of our customers have followed us to every location,” he says. “Now with the addition of Danish and German brands, I think we’re only going to increase the interest of people who love contemporary design.”’

Now open. AlwaysMod, 905 Decatur Ave. N., Golden Valley, 763-746-5600, alwaysmod.com

Iittala glass birds and Marrimekko textiles

Marrimekko towels and totes

Fritz Hansen chairs