Outdoor Outfitter Filson Set to Open Store in Detroit’s Midtown District

Bedrock Manufacturing Co., a strategic development firm in Plano, Texas, will open a Filson store in Detroit’s Midtown district in late spring. Bedrock, named after the fictional town in The Flintstones, acquired Seattle-based Filson, a manufacturer of outdoor wear, watches, leather goods, and other consumer products, in 2012.
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Bedrock Manufacturing Co., a strategic development firm in Plano, Texas, will open a Filson store in Detroit’s Midtown district in late spring. Bedrock, named after the fictional town in The Flintstones, acquired Seattle-based Filson, a manufacturer of outdoor wear, watches, leather goods, and other consumer products, in 2012.

“We will be bringing a Filson store to Detroit,” says Heath Carr, CEO of Bedrock Manufacturing and COO of Detroit-based Shinola, which designs, produces, and sells watches, bicycles, linen notepads, and home furnishings. The company will introduce a turntable later this year.

Bedrock also owns Jams World, a designer and purveyor of swim, surfing, and active sportswear founded in 1964 and based in Honolulu, and Reel FX, an entertainment and animation studio based in Dallas.

In addition, this year Carr says Shinola plans to add a second store in Chicago, as well as three retail outlets in the greater Los Angeles market. The company has a store in Silver Lake, north of Los Angeles and near Dodger Stadium, and plans to add stores in Venice, the Arts District, and The Grove.

Filson, founded in 1897 by Clinton C. Filson, was originally called C.C. Filson’s Pioneer Alaska Clothing and Blanket Manufacturers. The company rode the wave of prospectors passing through Seattle to take part in the Great Klondike Gold Rush.

Today, the company operates a manufacturing center in Seattle, and designs and produces outdoor apparel, watches, luggage, leather bags, blankets, and an assortment of gear for camping, hunting, and fishing.

Filson has locations in Seattle, San Francisco, Portland, New York, Minneapolis, Washington, D.C., Dallas, and London, along with two factory outlet stores. The company also partnered with American Expedition Vehicles in Commerce Township to produce a ruggedized, luxury version of a Jeep Wrangler.