Art in the Alley opens second shop in Duluth; Superior store to close

Fun.

That’s the word Tami LaPole Edmunds hears most from people who walk into her new Art in the Alley store in downtown Duluth.

“It’s so much fun, they say, and that’s fun for me,” LaPole Edmunds said.

So far, the store — which features unique home décor, clothing, jewelry and odds and ends created by area artists — is doing wonderfully, she said.

“People are very, very glad that we’re in Duluth, I hear that every single day,” she said. “They say thank you for being downtown, thank you for bringing color downtown. They love the exterior of the store. They say it brightens downtown. People drive by and just pull over.”

The store — which opened in September at 230 E. Superior St. — has been so successful with locals, tourists and people from the hospital district that big changes are happening.

Today (Saturday, 12/8) , LaPole Edmunds and her husband, Dan Edmunds, open a second store across the street at 209 E. Superior St., in the former Green Mercantile space.

Art in the Alley Home will focus on the home décor segment of the business, including furniture, lamps, rugs, wall art and other home accessories.

With the opening of the second Duluth store, however, the couple will be closing the Art in the Alley store they opened about five years ago in Superior’s Old City Hall. The store at Broadway and Hammond will close Dec. 31. Remaining inventory will be moved to the Duluth stores.

“It’s happening because we can only do so much,” LaPole Edmunds said. “We need to be focused.”

And Duluth’s larger population and the growing vibrancy of Old Downtown won out.

With the arrival of the home store, Art in the Alley in Duluth becomes a women’s boutique, offering clothing, jewelry, purses, scarves, gloves and other items women wear.

For Dan, the new Art in the Alley Home store will be a working shop where he’ll make furniture and ceramics that he sells. His wife said every time they put one of his furniture pieces in the store window, it sells quickly.

“We weren’t planning to do it,” LaPole Edmunds said of the new store. “But we’ve outgrown this new store. It’s gorgeous. It’s packed full.”

It all happened within weeks. Dan walked by the vacant space, called the number posted, spoke to Realtors and soon signed a lease.

They gave the new space a thorough cleaning, spending nine hours on the floor alone.

“It’s beautiful, it’s clean,” LaPole Edmunds said, adding that a lot of places downtown just need a good cleaning. “The store is spectacular. It’s totally the twin for home furnishings.”

The new Art in the Alley Home store will be open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, while Art in the Alley is open daily.

Tags: business, superior, arts, duluth