WICKER PARK — Next month, a shuttered Homemade Pizza shop will be replaced by the digitally savvy Frank & Oak, a "menswear brand for the creative generation" that plans to open its second United States outpost just east of Damen Avenue.
Frank & Oak's Chicago store will be the Montreal-based brand’s second physical location in the United States, following one in Boston, according to a news release issued last week by the company, which started as a website and earlier this year began a biannual print magazine.
The brand, which raised $15 million in funding led by Silicon Valley-based investors and counts the former CEO of Tommy Hilfiger International among its supporters, has six locations across Canada.
Chicago's spot at 1953 W. Wabansia Ave. is set to open on Aug. 8. A spokeswoman for Frank & Oak said the store, being billed as a year long pop up, could be extended for three years.
Ethan Song, CEO of Frank & Oak, told Crain's that there are many existing customers of the brand in Chicago, namely "highly technologically inclined" shoppers who have "a desire for being local."
Founded with "a mission to create a lifestyle brand for the creative class," Frank & Oak uses Web, mobile and in-store experiences to "transcend its role as a retailer," executives boasted in the news release.
Currently there are more than 1.5 million members who are part of Frank & Oak's community. The store's app has more than 225,000 downloads across iOS and Android platforms.
For more info, visit Frank & Oak's website.
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