Women in Business: Free Air Life Co. reopens
A couple adventure-loving friends have re-embarked on a retail adventure: Free Air Life Co.
The store has been closed for a few years while renovating the new location on the first floor of Zenith Basecamp on the corner of 27th Avenue West and Superior Street. It reopened in January.
Sarah Steinbach and Sarah Pohl are co-owners and find inspiration on their own travels.
“When we travel, we stop at as many local businesses and boutiques as we can. They give us inspiration. Or it’s people that we find on the trail. There’s so many trips that we’ve done backpacking or camping, and we’ve met other people that will recommend products that they love,” Pohl said. “And it’s just a full circle thing between loving adventure and finding them while we’re adventuring.”
In 2019, Steinbach told her husband she wanted to open the store and bring brands they loved to Duluth. She happened upon the name.
“I just happened to be googling different ideas, and I came up with Friluftsliv. It’s a Norwegian term that translates to ‘free air life,’ literally,” Steinbach said. “Just like you have hygge and obviously that cozy feeling and stuff, this is getting outdoors and connecting with the outdoor lifestyle.”
They want to minimize any barriers people feel to getting outside. The duo focuses on both men’s and women’s apparel in the shop, along with accessories and gift items like journals, books, and candles.
“We try to find brands that are either made from recycled material or they give back to the environment whether that’s planting trees or picking up trash,” Pohl said. “It’s brands that are walking the walk, they’re talking the talk, they’re doing the mission.”
Steinbach and her husband also own the Zenith Basecamp hostel upstairs and are looking forward to having Altitude Cocktails open in the back in a few more weeks.