Retailers are reacting to COVID-19 with special deals and gift card incentives, and pivoting their models to online, with virtual styling services, virtual style shows and other new ways to shop. Here are this week’s top *virtual* style happenings:
Clockwise from top left: Mother’s Day bouquets at The Foundry Home Goods; mask sets by Joynoelle; floral pots from Patina; Minny & Paul’s “Mama Bear” gift set
CURBSIDE PICKUP BEGINS
Beginning today, retail businesses and other non-critical businesses in Minnesota may begin offering curbside pickup as long as they take safety precautions until stores are allowed to reopen. Some retailers confirmed to begin curbside pickup include:
Galleria in Edina is offering curbside pickup from select stores, including local retailers Roe Wolfe, Pumpz, Melly, Allure Intimate Apparel and Ampersand, plus Free People, Williams-Sonoma and more. Visit galleriaedina.com for an updated list and map of pickup locations.
The Foundry Home Goods is offering pickup 5–7pm daily. Visit thefoundryhomegoods.com and call the store at 612-333-8484 to order.
June Resale is offering curbside pickup and free shipping. Shop online at juneresale.com.
Mille is offering curbside pickup on Fridays from 11am–3pm. Shop online at shopmille.com.
Vintage store carousel + folk is offering curbside pickup every Friday from noon–4pm. Visit carouselandfolk.com to order.
Common Coast boutique in St. Paul is offering curbside pickup plus free shipping on orders over $50. Visit shopcommoncoast.com and call 651-800-1835 to order.
Atelier957 has added curbside pickup, plus a new service called “Marina’s Box,” in which store owner Marina will curate a box just for you—and you only pay for what you keep. Call or email the store for the box service, and shop online at atelier957.com.
Wild Things Antiques in Uptown is offering curbside pickup plus curbside delivery on orders over $75. Shop online at wildthingsantiques.com and call 513-301-9604 to order.
Electric Fetus record store is starting curbside pickup on Wednesday, May 6. They will be doing curbside 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Orders can be placed by calling the store at 612-870-9300 or electricfetus.com.
Smith + Trade Mercantile in Stillwater is offering curbside pickup. Visit smithandtrade.com and call 651-342-2976 to order.
Tare Market, the eco-friendly, zero-waste food and health store, is open for business at its storefront, but is also offering curbide pickup daily plus free delivery on Fridays within 6 miles of the store and shopping for non-bulk items. Visit thetaremarket.com to learn how to order.
Patina’s chain of eight Twin Cities stores have reopened for curbside pickup and shipping phone orders. To help with order placing, each location has personal shoppers available to answer any inquiries over the phone. Until the website is up and running, Patina is showcasing new products on its Facebook and Instagram pages. Items can be picked up curbside Monday-Saturday from 10am–8pm and Sunday 11am–5pm. View the full list of Patina stores and phone numbers at @patinastores and shop online at patinastores.com.
Von Maur at Rosedale Center is offering curbside pickup. Visit vonmaur.com to see availability and call 763-204-6966 to order.
Mall of America is offering contact-free curbside pickup for select stores, including Nordstrom, Levi's, DSW and Free People. Visit mallofamerica.com/curbside for an updated list of stores and how-to.
Wondering if your favorite store is offering curbside pickup? Just give them a call or shoot them an email to find out.
THIS WEEK’S SHOPPING EVENTS:
The Mill City Farmers Market is back—albeit in a different form due to the COVID-19 outbreak (and sadly, without the artisan market). Because the State of Minnesota considers farmers markets essential grocery providers, the long-running market plans to remain open to serve the community and support its local farming partners every Saturday beginning this weekend through October, unless otherwise directed by officials. But this means shopping safely—there will be special social distancing guidelines in place that shoppers must follow. Be sure to visit the Mill City Farmers Market website before heading to the market at millcityfarmersmarket.org/covid-19.
The Plucked! Bazaar event has gone virtual. Created by Becky Sturm of StormSister Spatique, the bazaar highlights goods by more than a dozen handpicked local artisans and makers including Siena Soap Company, Northern Glasses, Excelsior Candle Company and Cactus Boxes, offering exclusive products and new launches. Shop on the Facebook event beginning at 9 am on Sunday, 5/10, running for 48 hours.
Local designer Joynoelle has launched small runs of packs of 3 masks on her website. Each reversible mask is created using non-woven polypropylene sewn between 2 layers of 100% cotton (one layer is patterned the other is plain), elastic ties and bendable nose clamps for a secure fit. Each 3 mask pack will be $60 with curbside pickup at joynoelle.com. She is also still making masks for Birchwood Cafe, which is selling to benefit the Food Group. Get more details on those and more masks by local designers HERE.
Sustainable jewelry brand East Fourth Street is doing a big spring sale. Save up to 30% off on samples, retired and one-of-a-kind pieces now through 5/10. All items final sale. Shop online at eastfourthstreet.com/collections/spring-sale.
Just announced: Stephanie’s in St. Paul is offering 20% off sitewide until they can reopen their doors. Shop online at stephaniesshop.com.
Looking for help with your virtual shopping or not sure where to start? Enter The Virtualist, a new company that launches today that offers virtual styling appointments with locally owned boutiques. Co-founded by local fashion producer and stylist extraordinaire, Grant Whittaker, the company was founded to "support brick and mortar and evolve retail into this new virtual way of life." The brand is launching with stores in Edina and plans to roll out to other neighborhoods. Learn more at www.thevirtualist.com and follow them at @thevirtualist on Instagram.
MOTHER’S DAY SHOPPING:
Grethen House is having a Mother's Day Sale. Save 15% off your entire purchase now through May 10 at grethenhouse.com with code MOTHER15
Ginny Sims Ceramics make a great Mother’s Day gift. She just added some new vases and pitchers to her website, plus make a note: she’s having a sale this Sunday beginning at 4pm. Visit @ginnysimsceramics on Instagram or ginnysimsceramics.com.
Holistic Purity CBD is offering a couple of Mother’s Day deals: A Mother’s Day bundle that includes MCT Oil and Soft Gels for 20% off the original price, and 20% off CBD Balm with code MOM20 at holisticpurity.com.
Local gifting studio Minny & Paul is known for curating high-quality goods from local makers and brands. Their new Mother's Day box, Mama Bear ($78), features some local tea favorites, handcrafted milk soap, chocolates and more in a keepsake box. You can also check out other box options to find one that Mom is sure to love at minnyandpaul.com. Note: Shipped orders must be placed by 5/4 to ensure on-time delivery.
Local jewelry brand Jac & Violet is offering a special for Mother’s Day: From now until May 31, get free shipping (no code required) on all orders, plus receive a free greeting notecard of your choice with the discount code GIFTS at checkout. Shop now at jacandviolet.com. Note: Shipped orders must be placed by Tuesday, 5/5 to ensure on-time delivery.
Fair Anita, a locally owned brand selling fair-trade, ethically made jewelry and other accessories, is having a Mother’s Day Sale: Buy two items, get one free site-wide with code SUPPORTWOMEN at checkout at. fairanita.com. Gift wrapping is also available.
Larissa Loden's new Quarantine Craft Club jewelry kits make a great Mother's Day gift. All orders placed through Monday 5/4 at midnight will ship in time for Mother's Day, and she's also offering curbside pickup Friday from 10am–2pm. Shop now at larissaloden.com.
Stephanie’s is selling customizable gift boxes, including two curated gift boxes for Mother's Day at stephaniesshop.com. Get free shipping on orders over $150 with code FREESHIP
Patina has a special assortment for Mother’s Day gifts available to shop on their website, patinastores.com/collections/mothers-day.
The Foundry Home Goods is selling Mother’s Day bouquets this week; reserve a no-contact curbside pickup time for those on Saturday, May 9 or Sunday, May 10 by calling the store at 612-333-8484 or visiting thefoundryhomegoods.com.
ONGOING DEALS:
1004 Designs is offering 75% off its Fall/Winter 2019 collection of hand-knit apparel and accessories with code STAYHOME at 1004designs.com, plus free shipping.
Al’s Tailoring is offering 15% off all its handmade goods at alstailoring.com with code FRANDZ
A MANO Ceramics is offering free shipping on all orders over $75 at www.weshopamano.com with code SHIPPINGLOVE
Atelier957 has new markdowns from 30 to 70% off at atelier957.com. Virtual styling sessions are also available.
Bluebird Boutique in Edina is offering 20% to 50% off everything online at bluebirdboutique.com (no code needed; discount added at checkout). It’s also running a gift card special: Get a $125 gift card for $100, $250 for $200, and $375 for $300.
Cake Plus-Size Resale is updating its online shop and offering virtual style sessions at cakeplussize.com.
Covered is available for virtual shopping appointments and offering free shipping. Find them on Instagram @covereduptown.
Local brand De Nova is offering 20% off its luxe robes (great for lounging around the house) with code BETTERTOGETHER at mydenova.com.
Duke Albert is offering free shipping and free same-day local delivery on all orders at dukealbert.com
dugo is offering an extra $25 credit when you buy a $100 gift card, available on their website at dressupgoout.com/collections/gift-cards.
The Fitting Room is offering a free $20 gift card for every $100 gift card purchase made online via thefittingroommpls.com. You can also make a virtual shopping appointment.
Flirt Boutique recently launched an online shop through Stephanie’s boutique in St. Paul, stephaniesshop.com/flirt, to make it easier to shop its luxe lingerie and loungewear. (Plus: Free shipping!)
The Foundry Home Goods is offering 20% off Skagerak Denmark outdoor and indoor furniture through May (no code needed).
From Grasse with Love—a French-crafted, locally-based fragrance label—is offering 20% off all personal-size fragrances at grassewithlove.com.
Golden Age Design is offering free shipping on all orders (excludes furniture) at goldenagedesign.com.
The Golden Pearl Vintage recently launched an online shop for its vintage goods at thegoldenpearlvintage.com.
Golden Rule is offering 25% off cards, pantry and sale items with code SPRINGCLEANING at shopgoldenrule.com. Plus, get $5 off your next purchase when you buy a print from the store’s “Wonders Never Cease” group show at shopgoldenrule.com/pages/wonders-never-cease.
Grethen House has just taken new markdowns on spring arrivals, ranging from 20 to 80% off. Plus, get an additional $25 gift card to use when stores reopen when you buy $100 in gift cards now at grethenhouse.com, virtual style sessions, curbside pickup during select hours, free same-day local delivery and online price matching (with some exclusions).
Hackwith Design House is offering a 30% off promo code for its collection of sustainable shoes for Dr. Scholl's with code HACKWITH30FS at drschollsshoes.com. Plus, get free shipping on all orders at hackwithdesignhouse.com.
HOUSER, the North Loop fair-trade jewelry brand and gift shop, is donating 15% of all purchases to Second Harvest Heartland until further notice. Shop online at shophouser.com.
Hazel & Rose is offering free shipping on orders of $100+ at shophazelandrose.com. The ethical fashion store is also launching something special each day this week in partnership with Winsome Goods’s zero-waste project. Watch their Instagram story @shophazelandrose around noon every Wednesday for the next release.
Looking for something to keep your hands busy? Hemlocks Leather has launched a stitch-your-own wallet kit for a leather clutch. It comes with everything you need including a digital instructional booklet, at a discounted price of $38 via www.hemlocksleather.com.
Holistic Purity CBD is offering 20% off all CBD products from the local brand at holisticpurity.com with promo code CORONA
Idun boutique in St. Paul is offering 20% off sitewide with code HJEM plus free shipping online at shopidun.com. (Exclusions apply.)
Jac & Violet jewelry is offering free shipping plus a free personalized card of your choice with all orders through 5/31 at jacandviolet.com.
Joeleen Torvick is offering 40% off her fall/winter 2019 collection at joeleentorvick.com. Discount automatically applied at checkout.
Julia Elise skincare is donating 10% of sales from her spring self-care bundles to Open Arms Minnesota. Shop at juliaelise.com.
June Resale is loading up its online store and offering free shipping online at juneresale.com with code SOCIALDISTANCE
Kisa Boutique is offering free shipping on orders over $100 via its online store kisaboutique.com with code SHOPATHOME, plus Kisa Turkish towels on sale for $25 each.
Larissa Loden Jewelry has restocked her quarantine jewelry craft kits and is offering free shipping all month at larissaloden.com. Plus, shop new limited-edition designs every Thursday, and help give back on Do Good Tuesdays.
Local Motion Boutique is offering 50 to 80% off transitional pieces at localmotionboutique.shop. Plus, get $5 flat-rate shipping and personal delivery of orders over $500.
Lula Vintage Wear is offering virtual shopping via its Etsy store.
MartinPatrick3 is offering 25% off on everything (including gift cards) until the store reopens. Shop via virtual personal shopping services, phone calls or DMs at @martinpatrick3 on Instagram.
Mille is donating 10% of sales from a rotating selection of trunk shows in the coming weeks. Current events include the Rachel Pally SS20 Trunk Show, with 10% of sales donated to World Central Kitchen; an Alex Mill Trunk Show, with 10% of sales donated to RAICES; and SPLITS59 spring arrivals, with 10% of sales donated to Baby2Baby to fight childhood poverty. PLUS, you can save an extra 25% off all sale items with code EXTRA20OFF at checkout at shopmille.com.
My Sister’s Closet recently launched an online store. Shop it at my-sister-s-closet-mpls.myshopify.com.
Neal Jewelry is offering free shipping plus 25% off ready-to-ship jewelry (excluding fine jewelry) with code BEWELL at nealjewelry.com.
Oktober Kissed is offering 40% off all orders at oktoberkissed.com with code STAYHOME plus free shipping.
Parc is offering free shipping and curbside pickup on all orders at parcboutique.com.
Pharmacie gift shop and menswear store is offering free shipping with code SOCIALDISTANCE via pharmaciempls.com.
Local online boutique Poppy Stella Rose is donating 20% of all purchases to the Greater Minneapolis Crisis Nursery, whose mission is to end child abuse and neglect. Shop online at poppystellarose.com.
Proper is offering free shipping on all orders until they can reopen at proper-shops.com.
Now you can shop all of your favorite Queen Anna fashions directly from your phone. Download the Queen Anna Fashion app for iOS or Android and enjoy special savings for first-time customers, and take advantage of virtual styling services. Plus, get free shipping and free returns. Download the app here or shop online at queenanna.co.
Repair Lair, a locally owned shop that fixes and consigns outdoor gear and apparel, has closed its shop and moved to accepting mail-in repairs. Send in your rain jackets, down winter parkas, wool socks and hiking boots–right in time for all those secluded outdoor excursions we’re going to be taking to get some fresh air in the coming month(s). The store will also be ramping up its online presence at www.repairlair.com. Questions? Email therepairlair@gmail.com.
Roe Wolfe is available for virtual shopping on social or FaceTime, and offering a special gift card promo until stores reopen: Get a $10 bonus on $50 gift cards, and $25 bonus on $100 gift cards. Plus, take advantage of free personal styling services. Shop online at roewolfe.com.
Stephanie Lake Design is offering complimentary door-to-door delivery, free domestic shipping, and gift certificates in any amount, now offered at a buy one, get one 50% off discount. The jewelry designer is also offering VIP services including jewelry repair and customization for customer-owned jewelry. Shop online at www.stephanielakedesign.com.
Up Six Vintage is selling curated swag bags of vintage goodies at a discounted price on its IG feed @upsixvintage, plus it’s adding new items to its new Etsy store daily at etsy.com/shop/UpSixVintage.
WAY the Label is offering an additional 25% off sitewide and free shipping with code SHOPLOCAL at waythelabel.com.
Via’s Vintage is shoppable via its Instagram feed, @viasvintage.
Here are some other ways you can support our local small fashion businesses:
Shop online + virtually. Even if they don’t have an online store, many stores offer delivery (many offering free and same-day local delivery). Many shops and makers are also hosting virtual shopping events on their Instagram story. (More on those below.)
Buy a gift card to use later. This will help stores stay on their feet now, and you can wait to shop until it’s nicer outside.
Make a social post & leave positive reviews. Show your support and spread the love any way you can!
All salons and beauty studios will be closed until May 18. Support them by purchasing a gift card, booking your next appointment, and shopping products from their e-commerce stores.
Got something to add? Email me at jahna.peloquin@gmail.com!