Here are the results of MnRA's Thanksgiving Weekend poll of Minnesota's retailers. Note the poll is not scientific but its results match the conversations we have had with retailers.

Watch the 2021 Minnesota's Retail Champions video:
https://youtu.be/AHGH6qhDfK0

 

Join the Minnesota Retailers Association (MnRA) as we recognize nine leading retailers and industry partners at the announcement of the 2021 Minnesota’s Retail Champions.

Winners will accept their awards during the Retail Rally event (www.retailrally.com) on Tuesday, October 5, 2021, beginning at 2:00 p.m. in Golden Valley. Retail Rally is changing the way retailers and their key business partners engage with today's consumer. The event features six 20-minute practical, game-changing, cutting-edge retail innovations strategies and ideas.

“We are proud to recognize nine innovative retailers, communities and partners that are leading the way in connecting with consumers and today’s trends following a vigorous process to identify Minnesota’s Retail Champions,” says Bruce Nustad, Minnesota Retailers Association president. “The retail industry has a deep impact on Minnesota communities, and these award recipients are truly representative of what is great about retail across the state, how the industry is changing, and what it takes to attract customers today.”

The following is a complete list of the 2021 Minnesota’s Retail Champion Award recipients:

Best Place to Work
Twin Town Guitars, Minneapolis, MN
Read about the award here.

Customer Commitment
Como Pharmacy, St. Paul, MN
Read about the award here.

Lifetime Achievement
Jeff Lindoo, Alexandria, MN
Read about the award here.

Retailer of the Year
AP Design, Marshall, MN
Read about the award here.

Retail Employee of the Year
Shelby Studanski, Frame Minnesota, Eagan, MN
Read about the award here.

Retail Innovation
The Paint Factory, Hutchinson, MN
Read about the award here.

Social Responsibility
Mackenthun’s Fine Foods, Waconia, MN
Read about the award here.

Advocate of the Year
Dave Baker, Willmar, MN
Read about the award here.

Retail Community of the Year
Winona & the Winona Area Chamber of Commerce, Winona, MN 
Read about the award here.             

MnRA started the award process by putting out a statewide call for nominations early in the year.  A panel of peer judges reviewed nearly nine dozen nominations and selected the top nominee in each category. Tickets to the event are $25 online at www.retailrally.com.

The Minnesota Retailers Association is pleased to award AP Design its Retailer of the Year award as part of the 2021 Minnesota’s Retail Champions program.

“Usually when you hit a bump in the road you simply try to avoid that bump in the future,” says Bruce Nustad, Minnesota Retailers Association president. “But at AP Design, when they hit the pandemic bump they decided to try to fix it for others.  As a retailer with a lot of passion, they put their expertise to work and launched Here For Good MN, a program that generated an amazing $40,000+ for local businesses through t-shirt sales—all at AP Design’s expense. The team at AP Design has some of the biggest hearts you will find among retailers in Minnesota, and in recognition of that we are honored to name AP Design as Retailer of the Year.”

“At AP Design our goal is to help people stand out in the crowd,” say Brian & Nancy Kor, AP Design owners. “We are honored to be recognized as Retailer of the Year. We love doing business in the Marshall area, and our Here For Good MN campaign was our way of thanking the community, supporting local businesses by ‘keeping them here for good’, and frankly staying busy ourselves during the pandemic. We were fortunate to be positioned to put our expertise in people recognition and e-commerce to work to support our neighbors. This was our way of thanking everyone for supporting us over the years.”

“Marshall businesses came together during the rough times during Covid and the Here For Good MN campaign was a shining example of that,” says Brad Gruhot, president of the Marshall Area Chamber of Commerce. “Marshall is lucky to have Brian and Nancy who had the foresight to roll with a campaign like this to make ends meet for many companies who were not open at 100 percent.”

AP Design was nominated by the Marshall Area Chamber of Commerce and is the sole recipient of the Minnesota’s Retail Champions Retailer of the Year award. Eight other organizations will be recognized in other categories such as Lifetime Achievement, Social Responsibility, Retail Employee of the Year, Customer Commitment, Best Place to Work, Retail Community of the Year, Advocate of the Year, and Retail Innovation.

Nancy and Brian Kor will accept the award during the Retail Rally event on Tuesday, October 5, 2021, beginning at 2:00 p.m. in Golden Valley. The event features six 20-minute practical, game-changing, cutting-edge retail innovations strategies and ideas.

Retail Rally event information can be found at www.retailrally.com.