Kangaroo or crickets? New jerky store opens in Eagan outlet mall

Outlet malls have typically relied on big brands to coax shoppers into their stores. But Twin Cities Premium Outlets in Eagan also has turned to unusual food.

Stacy Baadte of Aberdeen, S.D., found a change of pace as she shopped the Eagan outlet mall on Thursday. The Beef Jerky Outlet, which opened in March, sells jerky made from ostrich, buffalo, alligator and kangaroo, as well as beef and pork.

"I loved the tasting stations," she said. "It's great to have more options than Jack Link's."

The jerky outlet franchise in Eagan, the first in Minnesota, is one of nearly 100 across the country. Brent Schafer, the local franchise owner, bought into it for its uniqueness at the mall but also for its universality. "Our customers are cutting across all genders and ages," he said. "Unless you've got a dietary or moral restriction, most people like jerky."

While jerky isn't a new snack, it's a bright spot in the salty snack realm, according to market researcher Nielsen. Meat snacks posted annual sales growth of 7 percent over the past four years compared to potato chips and pretzels, which saw sales flatten or decline.

Baadte was shopping mostly for her husband, but she chose bacon and jalapeño flavors for herself. She found it difficult to choose among the nearly 100 varieties and flavors, but like most adults in the shop, she bypassed the section that both attracts and repulses preteen customers — edible insects.

"Little kids like to try the bugs," said Maddy Nicklay, the store's assistant manager. The creepy crawly proteins include crickets flavored with sour cream and onion, Mexican spice mealworms, chocolate covered worm and cricket medleys, and scorpions encased in lollipops.

Within the past year or so, brands such as BCBG, Kenneth Cole, Fossil, Yankee Candle and Harry & David have closed outlet stores nationwide, including in Albertville Premium Outlets. In Eagan, Jos. A. Bank, the Limited and Gold Toe have closed in that period.

Part of the problem, according to Pam Danziger of Unity Marketing, is that consumers are finding too much sameness at malls. "Customers today want something different and that means marketers have got to do something different," she said.

Twin Cities Premium Outlets in Eagan, which is nearly 100 percent leased, recently added another new store, Poppy Smooches, which took the Limited space. It's the first brick-and-mortar store for the Minnetonka-based online retailer, which sells young women's apparel. Both Poppy Smooches and the Beef Jerky Outlet follow another trend in outlet malls, sprinkling in a few stores that sell most of their merchandise at regular price.

Tom Crassweller, who co-owns a Finnish sportswear store called the Peak in Albertville, said he thinks specialty stores keep outlet malls fresh. "Stores that are a rarity or an exclusive in a mall offer real strength in this business," he said.

But even local specialty stores aren't a lock. Mode, a women's discount apparel and accessories store based in Fargo, closed after two years in Eagan.

John Ewoldt • 612-673-7633