Brunt Workwear is taking the plunge into retail.
The North Reading, Mass.-based boot and apparel brand will open its first flagship at 70 Main St. in North Reading, Mass., early next month.
The 3,000-square-foot store will be located one mile from the company’s headquarters and is intended to provide customers with the opportunity to shop the entire range of Brunt work boots, apparel and accessories, including its bestselling Marin work boot, Torra Pant and Shevlin Hoodie.
Up until now the brand has only been available online and through wholesale partners including Boot Barn, Scheels, Super Shoes and Trav’s Outfitter.
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“In the trades, having the right gear is like having the right tool in your tool box,” said Eric Girouard, chief executive officer and founder of Brunt. “Comfort, fit, and performance have to be right, otherwise you are creating risk on the job. This is why we’ve always made it easy for our online customers to handle exchanges or returns at no cost, and why we’ve consistently grown our wholesale footprint across the country over the last two years. Now with our first flagship retail store, we have the opportunity to let our customers experience our full product line in a space that was built for them.”
In addition to product, the store will feature a Brunt-wrapped Nascar truck, a visual timeline of the company’s history and a hidden room where shoppers can engage with Brunt’s product and insights team to give feedback on new product and get a peek at what’s coming down the pike.
Since its founding five years ago Brunt has benefited from an increased demand for skilled trades in the $25 billion workwear market. In 2022, it closed a $20 million series B round led by Stripes, a growth equity firm that invests in consumer businesses including On Running, Reformation, Siete and Califia Farms. Returning investors included TF Cornerstone, Bolt and Suffolk Technologies. The fall before, a series A funding round brought in $8.4 million.
To celebrate the opening, Brunt will host a ribbon-cutting on Saturday that will include a special appearance from two-time Super Bowl champion Rob Ninkovich, brand partner Diesel Dave from the Discovery show “The Diesel Brothers,” and many real trade workers.
Girouard said Brunt plans on opening two additional stores in Massachusetts next year and will selectively expand its owned retail presence over time in a way that is complementary to its omnichannel business.
