Minnesota’s New Cool Image as ‘the North’
From today's WSJ.
When brothers Eric and Andrew Dayton ordered 150 hats boldly knitted with the word “North” to sell in their trendy Minneapolis store, Askov Finlayson, the hats sold out in four days. That was last winter; the hats have since been impossible to keep in stock. “North” has a special meaning in Minnesota these days, and it is gradually gaining a stronger following. Though most Americans consider the state part of the Midwest, a number of local influencers are proposing to redefine Minnesota as a region that the U.S., officially at least, currently lacks: the North. They want their region to be recognized for its innovative, sturdy character, honed by long, cold winters.
Supporters of “North” say that being lumped in with the Midwest causes people to lose sight of their region’s special nature. “We don’t behave like the rest of the Midwest,” says Andrew Blauvelt, senior curator of design, research and publishing at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, which recently hosted a standing-room-only symposium on Minnesota’s regional identity.
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“I think Eric is on to something here,” says Katie Clark Sieben, Minnesota’s commissioner of the Department of Employment and Economic Development. She says some of the concepts defining the North—such as viewing Minnesota’s cold weather as a boon—were used in the state’s successful bid to host the 2018 Super Bowl in Minneapolis. Ad agencies advised, “you’ve got to own the cold,” says Ms. Clark Sieben. She points out that the state’s motto is “L’Etoile du Nord,” or Star of the North.
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Seeing their rugged homegrown brands taking a national stage—as luxury goods, no less—comes as a shock to some Minnesotans. “I was in New York and saw Duluth Packs in Barneys, and my head almost exploded,” says Eric Dayton, referring to the sturdy bags made in Duluth, Minn., since 1882. “It’s funny to see these brands being discovered by people in New York.”
Tim O’Phelan was surprised last fall to discover interest in buying his “Domer” bags extended nationally. The bags are made of material from the Minneapolis Metrodome, (really?) which had a roof of Teflon-coated fiberglass that famously collapsed in a 2010 snowstorm. Mr. O’Phelan had figured the bags would appeal to Twin City locals and initially marketed them to Minnesota retailers as well as online. But the bags have a lifetime guarantee and a made-in-Minnesota pedigree, and they appeal to the utilitarian-chic trend. After he presented them at a recent trade show, stores across the country began to reach out for them, he says. Minnesota is also the home of Red Wing shoes—lately nearly as chic as Birkenstocks—which have been worn for decades by hunters and factory workers. And there are Faribault woolens, made in Faribault, Minn., by a 150-year-old company famous for its warm wool blankets.
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Still, in the true low-drama style of the region, “North” isn't exactly a campaign. There is no marketing budget or organizing committee. There are other names proposed, such as “North Coast” and “Upper Midwest”—though “North” seems to be taking the lead. Most people agree that parts of other states, such as the Dakotas, part of Wisconsin and Michigan’s upper peninsula, also belong in the North. There are no planning meetings. After the panel at the Walker Art Center, a group including Mr. Dayton went out for drinks to discuss the next steps, which mainly involve talking about the idea at every opportunity.
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Eric and Andrew bought a building in Minneapolis’s trendy warehouse district and rehabbed it, creating a restaurant, bar and the Askov Finlayson store, which is named for a highway exit they passed as children on the way to their family cabin “up north” among the state’s many lakes. “On the way up, the sign reads Finlayson Askov. And on the way down, it reads Askov Finlayson. It’s fair, and that’s the best part,” the store’s website explains. The store sells a variety of goods that fit the brothers’ trendy aesthetic, from their own trademark men’s slacks (made in San Francisco) to made-in-Minnesota canoe paddles and candles. There is an emphasis on utilitarian chic, which includes products from around the globe.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/minnesotas-new-cool-image-as-the-north-1421881346
The "North" hats
Right Field Domer Bag
= new reply since forum marked as read
I still miss Dayton's
and I really, really hate Macy's.
When it was Marshall Fields, I still called it Dayton's. I think most everyone did. My sister's kids use to say "Mom, it's Marshall Fields." She said, "It used to be Dayton's, and I will always call it Dayton's." She doesn't call it Dayton's anymore. In fact, I haven't heard anyone call it Dayton's in ages because it's nothing like that store. Sigh.
The comment section of this article was full of disdain for "liberal" state and for our senator Franken. And I wanted to comment that we are glad that the like of them will not move over. Never got around to, though
