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Arc'teryx, Outdoor Apparel Shop, Plans to Replace Shuttered Asics on Damen

By Alisa Hauser | October 21, 2015 2:07pm
 Arc'teryx, a Canadian outdoor apparel company is planning to open its first dedicated shop at 1630 N. Damen Ave. next year, the company announced Wednesday.
Arc'teryx, a Canadian outdoor apparel company is planning to open its first dedicated shop at 1630 N. Damen Ave. next year, the company announced Wednesday.
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DNAinfo/Alisa Hauser (Building); Arteryx (Website)

WICKER PARK —  A Canadian outdoor apparel company, Arc'teryx, is planning to take over the shuttered Asics storefront on Damen Avenue as part of an aggressive North American expansion "focused on cities that are aligned with our values," an executive from the retailer said on Wednesday.

Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Arc'teryx makes rugged outerwear, equipment and gear such as ski jackets, parkas and gloves. Currently in Chicago, Arc'teryx apparel can be bought at Moosejaw Mountaineering, Uncle Dan's, The Runner's Edge, Nordstrom's and MildBlend.

Adam David Ketcheson, Vice President of Marketing for Arc'teryx, said Chicago was selected to be home to a dedicated shop because the city "has a highly active community who understand the challenges of inclement weather and Arc’teryx fits perfectly into the environment and the outdoor community at large."

Located just north of the Milwaukee, Damen and North Avenues intersection at 1630 N. Damen Ave. — along a stretch of Damen Avenue that is either Wicker Park or Bucktown in a hotly-contested border dispute — the 3,292-square-foot spot at was most recently an Asics store, which closed in August.

Ketcheson said that stores in Chicago and New York will open around the same time, just after the new year and before spring if everything goes as planned.  A lease for the Damen Avenue store is being finalized with keys and a turnover expected to happen early next week, he said,

The brand plans to open a Boston store at the end of November and recently entered the Denver, Colo. shopping scene, too.

"[Shoppers] camped out overnight in Denver. We were surprised and it was great to see such an enthusiastic response," Ketcheson said, adding, "We don't know what to expect in Chicago."

Once open, the brand, which derives its name from Archaeopteryx lithographica — the first reptile to develop feathers for flight —  will join neighboring outdoor apparel companies, such as Fjallraven, a Swedish outdoor gear company that opened last winter at 1708 N. Damen Ave. and Stio, another performance-focused brand at 1719 N. Damen Ave. that debuted in June.

MildBlend, an independently-owned boutique at 1324 N. Milwaukee Ave. which carries between 60 and 80 brands in its store, including Arc'teryx, has a few spring Arc'teryx jackets on clearance as well as new coats for winter in stock, co-owner Candise Cho said earlier this month.

Cho, who stopped stocking Fjallraven last winter when the brand set up its own store, said MildBlend will likely no longer offer Arc'teryx apparel once that brand opens its flagship store just a few blocks away.

Arc'teryx distributes its products through more than 3,000 retail locations in 40 countries worldwide.

Inside Arc'teryk's new store in Denver, which opened last week. {Victoria Caffrey Photography].

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