Last spring, Jerry Fredrickson was getting ready to open Port City Antiques, a new antiques mall in downtown Duluth.
He had founded Father Time Antiques in Canal Park in 1999, selling the successful business about seven years ago, and was betting that a similar mall would work downtown. He saw potential customers in the people who work downtown, the tourists driving by and in local residents who avoid Canal Park.
“I was right,” Fredrickson said last week, noting that store sales have approached their projections.
“A lot of people who work downtown see our sign and come in,” he said. “We’ve gotten a big following. People from the Twin Cities who come in for the first time say they heard about this store and say it’s really nice.”
But after filling the former Saw-Mill Unpainted Furniture space at 120 W. Superior St. for nearly a year, Port City Antiques is moving to the former Ace Hardware store a block away at 212 W. Superior St.
Fredrickson said he’s so confident the store will be successful at its new site that he signed a long-term lease, five years with additional five-year options.
The move is planned for mid-February, with an early March opening. But first they’ll do some painting and install additional outlets for dealers
At 12,000 square feet on two floors and a mezzanine, it’s much bigger than the 5,200 square feet of usable space at his current location.
It’ll give Fredrickson the heated space he needs on the lower level to restore and display his antique pool tables. And it will provide more space for dealers.
Currently, he has 20 dealers renting display space and 20 people with consignment items. In the new store, he said he’ll have nearly 30 dealers and a similar number of consignors.
“All of our dealers except for two are moving with us and taking more space than before,” he said.
He’s looking for sub-leasers for the rest of the space, including cottage businesses that want space downtown but can’t afford a 3,000-square-foot store or who want to try out the downtown market. He promises favorable rental rates without binding leases. Among the possibilities is Viking Log Furniture of St. Joseph, Minn., which makes rugged log furniture.
Vacant since 2010
The new location largely has been vacant since Ace Hardware closed in 2010, after 36 years in the building. Among the largest storefronts downtown, its vacancy has stood out.
Peter Furo, one of the owners of Minnesota Surplus next door, said he’s happy the antiques mall is moving in.
“It’s nice to fill that void,” he said. “Traffic creates traffic. The more empty space that’s filled, the more people will come downtown. And it creates a more-welcoming atmosphere.”
Will it be a good fit next to his store selling work gear, outerwear, camping equipment and government surplus?
“Any time you can fill space up, it’s a good fit for downtown,” Furo said. “Who doesn’t like antiques and collectibles? I’m an antiques buff myself. I’ll only have to walk 60 feet to browse.”
Fredrickson said Oneida Realty, which manages the building, approached Fredrickson with an offer he couldn’t refuse.
And the timing couldn’t have been better.
Besides needing more usable space, Fredrickson had had disagreements with his current landlord.
Fredrickson said the new site, across from the Holiday Center, is a better location with greater visibility. It’s on the skywalk and has air conditioning, both of which are lacking at his current site. He is, however, concerned about upcoming Superior Street reconstruction and being next to the main bus stop downtown.
But the owner, Abbot Apter, included concessions in the lease to compensate for all of that, he said.
“He gave me a pretty good deal,” Fredrickson said. “He’s just happy to have a good, reliable client in there.”
Source: www.duluthnewstribune.com
He had founded Father Time Antiques in Canal Park in 1999, selling the successful business about seven years ago, and was betting that a similar mall would work downtown. He saw potential customers in the people who work downtown, the tourists driving by and in local residents who avoid Canal Park.
“I was right,” Fredrickson said last week, noting that store sales have approached their projections.
“A lot of people who work downtown see our sign and come in,” he said. “We’ve gotten a big following. People from the Twin Cities who come in for the first time say they heard about this store and say it’s really nice.”
But after filling the former Saw-Mill Unpainted Furniture space at 120 W. Superior St. for nearly a year, Port City Antiques is moving to the former Ace Hardware store a block away at 212 W. Superior St.
Fredrickson said he’s so confident the store will be successful at its new site that he signed a long-term lease, five years with additional five-year options.
The move is planned for mid-February, with an early March opening. But first they’ll do some painting and install additional outlets for dealers
At 12,000 square feet on two floors and a mezzanine, it’s much bigger than the 5,200 square feet of usable space at his current location.
It’ll give Fredrickson the heated space he needs on the lower level to restore and display his antique pool tables. And it will provide more space for dealers.
Currently, he has 20 dealers renting display space and 20 people with consignment items. In the new store, he said he’ll have nearly 30 dealers and a similar number of consignors.
“All of our dealers except for two are moving with us and taking more space than before,” he said.
He’s looking for sub-leasers for the rest of the space, including cottage businesses that want space downtown but can’t afford a 3,000-square-foot store or who want to try out the downtown market. He promises favorable rental rates without binding leases. Among the possibilities is Viking Log Furniture of St. Joseph, Minn., which makes rugged log furniture.
Vacant since 2010
The new location largely has been vacant since Ace Hardware closed in 2010, after 36 years in the building. Among the largest storefronts downtown, its vacancy has stood out.
Peter Furo, one of the owners of Minnesota Surplus next door, said he’s happy the antiques mall is moving in.
“It’s nice to fill that void,” he said. “Traffic creates traffic. The more empty space that’s filled, the more people will come downtown. And it creates a more-welcoming atmosphere.”
Will it be a good fit next to his store selling work gear, outerwear, camping equipment and government surplus?
“Any time you can fill space up, it’s a good fit for downtown,” Furo said. “Who doesn’t like antiques and collectibles? I’m an antiques buff myself. I’ll only have to walk 60 feet to browse.”
Fredrickson said Oneida Realty, which manages the building, approached Fredrickson with an offer he couldn’t refuse.
And the timing couldn’t have been better.
Besides needing more usable space, Fredrickson had had disagreements with his current landlord.
Fredrickson said the new site, across from the Holiday Center, is a better location with greater visibility. It’s on the skywalk and has air conditioning, both of which are lacking at his current site. He is, however, concerned about upcoming Superior Street reconstruction and being next to the main bus stop downtown.
But the owner, Abbot Apter, included concessions in the lease to compensate for all of that, he said.
“He gave me a pretty good deal,” Fredrickson said. “He’s just happy to have a good, reliable client in there.”
Source: www.duluthnewstribune.com