In November of 2014, the adventure began for Wilson & Willy's, a Minneapolis-based retailer with a North Loop flagship on Washington Ave. You know, the one with the big, friendly giant—otherwise known as Lamont—the leonberger who greets each guest as they enter the front door?
But last week, the neighborhood goods retailer announced it will end its five-year run and close the doors to both its brick-and-mortar and online shop at the end of March.
Owner John Mooty has an uncanny ability to populate the neighborhood store with products with deep meaning—with the interesting people, processes, and history to match. For five years, Mooty and his team curated a collection of thoughtfully-made products for men and women, in addition to home decor and other accessories, with an emphasis on made in the USA goods (and a smattering of locally-made goods from designers such as Hackwith Design House, Duluth Pack Co., and Faribault Woolen Mills). According to Mooty, he felt like having a brick-and-mortar presence was critical for communicating the value and stories of products to customers.
So, why close the doors?
"Unfortunately, the economics of this structure at our scale was not enough to justify continuing and we have decided to focus our time and resources on building our own brand products in an online, direct format," says Mooty.
According to Mooty, he does not have plans at this time to develop any additional seasons of Wilson & Willy's-branded products, but will continue to develop the Northwestern Knitting Co. (NWKC) project moving forward. NWKC (which was sold through WIlson & Willy's, as well as through its own e-commerce channel) is a made in the USA merino wool knitwear company— brought back to life by Mooty in 2016—based on the brand's namesake (an undergarment manufacturer founded in 1888).
The modern-day NWKC offers basic hoodies, T-shirts, and other glorified basics like bomber jackets, quarter zips and sweat pants and shorts. According to Mooty, NWKC was the fastest growing brand offered through Wilson & Willy's, and he plans to continue building out the brand's offering. "We are excited to build on the fastest growing part of the business and see where it takes us," he says.
Both the brick-and-mortar and online shops will remain open through the month of March. Until then, all merchandise is marked at 25 percent off, as part of its farewell sale. 211 N. Washington Ave., Mpls., wilsonandwillys.com
