Oros Apparel opened on Southport this past week at 3530 N. Southport Avenue. It’s the 2nd pop-up shop for the retail company as the first was located in Lincoln Park in 2021. According to the retailer, it will be open through March, 2023.
The new clothing store sits next to Claires, both of which replaced DAVIDsTEA and Very Best Cleaners. Owners Michael Markesbery and Rithvik Venna first opened Oros in 2013 from Cincinnati. The duo of founders relocated the company in 2019 to its current location in Portland.
Oros maintains a significant online presence but has recently made moves to increase retail options throughout the country. On top of that, Oros has raised $10 million in venture start-up funding to expand the brand and move the company to Portland, according to Southport Corridor Chicago.”The company is also receiving grant funding from the U.S. Department of Defense. As a result, guests can expect to see more Oros storefronts across the U.S. in the coming years.
The company takes pride in using Aerogel, a NASA-developed technology, and SOLARCORE to provide the ultimate warmth in its clothes. This technology creates a brand of clothing for both men and women that is ideal for outdoor activity. When the new storefront finally opens, guests will find clothing perfect for any outdoor activity, with options such as beanies, gloves, outerwear, bottoms, and tees. Markesbery tells Portland Business Journal the Midwestern city made sense for the company’s first brick-and-mortar location.
“If you look at a geographic map of our sales over the last two years, the second-largest volume city would be Chicago,” Markesbery said. “Oros is really, really good at e-commerce. We had little experience with retail.”
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