Portland-based Oros is opening its first brick-and-mortar near Wrigley Field, located at 3530 N. Southport Ave.
The new clothing store will sit next to Claires, both of which are replacing DAVIDsTEA and Very Best Cleaners. While Claire’s has already opened in this new location, the opening date for Oros is still unknown. The company opened a pop-up store in Lincoln Park in late January before ending at the end of March. 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. The company recently partnered with Leap Services Inc., which helps native e-commerce companies open physical locations. On top of that, Oros has raised $10 million in venture funding to open a new store in 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.”
