Sota Clothing keeps Uptown cool

Anyone who thinks brick-and-mortar retail is dead hasn’t talked to Spencer Johnson.
In June, Johnson, owner and founder of Sota Clothing Co, opened his third store in the old Patina space between Hennepin and Dupont Avenues on Franklin.
Although Sota Clothing falls outside Uptown’s traditional boundaries and commercial hub at Lake and Hennepin Avenues, Johnson said he considers the entire area one larger, Uptown commercial corridor.
For Johnson, who lives in the Lowry Hill neighborhood, opening the store was more than business decision. “I wanted to try do something to be a part of the community and help the community hopefully grow,” and to “keep Uptown cool,” he said.
Sota Clothing stocks distinctively Minnesota-themed items, including T-shirts and other clothing, much of it designed by Johnson, a University of Minnesota Duluth graphics design graduate, and others like “Goodnight Loon,” a homage to the classic children’s story.
“We love creating the experience for our customers at these store fronts, so it’s a fun challenge for us, you know,” Johnson said.
This appeals to customers like Maren Findlay, who manages the nearby Sencha Tea Shop on 26th and Hennepin Avenue. “I’m a Minnesota girl through and through, and I am always a fan of letting people know that Minnesota is the best state in the Midwest via fashion and accessories,” she said.
Johnson said he is grateful that the store’s closest neighbor is Sebastian Joe’s Ice Cream Cafe, which celebrates 50 years in Lowry Hill. “We are very blessed to be next door to Sebastian Joe’s with all their customers coming in every day.”
Tim Pellizzer, who with his brothers started Sebastian Joe’s and leases the building to Johnson, called Sota’s opening “a positive change.”
While many local businesses closed following 2020’s pandemic, social unrest and current road construction, leaving stretches of empty store fronts, Uptown’s retail troubles may have started before that.
In an interview with the Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal last spring, Twin Cities hotelier Jim Graves noted that Uptown lost much of its shopping vibe when major retailers moved in. “It lost that small boutique feel,” he said.
For Findlay, a co-founder of the new Uptown advocacy group Uptown Community Coalition, Sota Clothing is a start to bringing back unique stores that made Uptown a go-to place to shop. “We are really hoping to see more small, local, community focused business filling in the vacancies in Uptown,“ she said.
“I am very hopeful that Uptown can start turning, you know,” Johnson said, echoing Findlay’s sentiment. “I think the moment the momentum starts coming and people see the opportunity, I hope, people will follow.”
Johnson points to the commercial success of neighbors like Sebastian Joe’s and LITT Pinball Bar, which took over the old Liquor Lyle’s space at Hennepin and Franklin.
“We believe that retail is still strong,” said Johnson, whose other two stores are in St. Louis Park and Stillwater. “I think there will always be a need for retail.”
So far, Johnson said he’s been comfortable with daily, in-store traffic. “The store’s good! It’s slowly picking up every day,” he said. “It will just be us now pushing the marketing [of the new store].”
For more information about Sota Clothing Co and store locations, go to www.sotaclothing.com.