Interviewing Sarah Nassif of Rectangle apparel led to an interesting scoop this week: Patina plans to open a new concept store called Shoppe Local a couple doors down from its store at 50th and Bryant in South Minneapolis. The new store will feature clothing, jewelry, home decor, gifts and more from local designers (attention, MN designers: they're still looking for product, so get your samples over there, pronto!). Yes, Patina knows other retailers in the Twin Cities (Design Collective; Gallery 360; i like you;) already specialize in local design (bet they're not so thrilled about this development, either), but Patina hopes to bring the quality work happening here – and there is a lot of it -  to a broader audience. Why separate local? For one, it's trendy – more than ever, consumers want to support the home base and buy items that have a story. Adds store manager and buyer Ann Seehof, "Patina has grown so much and has so much merchandise, we can't feature everything we want." The new store will have its own aesthetic: more modern and sparse than Patina stores. It is expected to open by mid-October. AliShops.com will keep you posted!

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