Counterpoint II

This is a great store with unique clothing and gifts. Much of the inventory comes from the Nordic countries, and I was excited to find brands that are difficult to find outside Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark. Some great German brands as well. If you like European modern design, that’s both beautiful and functional, you’ll love wandering through the store. Be sure to visit them on both levels. I purchased some clothing items and the woman working that day was very helpful with fit advice.
It’s very expensive, as these brands tend to be, but they had some generous markdowns on clothing items. Be sure to visit their stores on both levels of the mall.

This store is just too fun. There are a lot of locally handcrafted goods that are very stylish, modern, and unique. Yes, it is on the pricier side in comparison to the typical «Made in China» goods, but these items are made of better material. I am a sucker for modern jewelry and locally made lotions and potions, so I definitely had to purchase some goods.
Counterpoint is a vendor for Nespresso machines. So if you are interested in owning one this is a great opportunity to see a demonstration.
The staff is helpful and enthusiastic about selling nice goods from artisans from Rochester and Minneapolis.

I love this store in the galleria. They always have beautifully designed creations. Really fun stuff but expensive. Great store to wander through. Housewares, clothing and misc.

Horrendous customer service. I visited them from out of state, and I asked whether some specific placemats I liked may likely damage my table. They promised me that the material would not cause damage, so I purchased 4 placemats amounting to $ 140. They were beautiful and just went perfectly with my home décor. However, after using one with a small fruit/​dessert dish, I noticed that it did damage my table leaving noticeable marks. I could not imagine the damage that would result after using them on a daily basis for regular meals, regular dinner plates, using knives to cut food, etc., if just a small fruit plate caused marks. Therefore, I wanted to return them. I initiated the return process within the allotted time frame, but Connie and Carol made the process tumultuous and extremely time-​consuming. With countless phone calls, playing phone tag, and fifteen emails later among Counterpoint, the manufacturer, and myself, Counterpoint demanded photographs of the damage to my table, which they claimed they could not see and therefore were giving me an extremely difficult time. Emailed photographs would not suffice so I had to send actual printed photos to the manufacturer along with copies of my receipt and email communications. In the meantime, I disputed the charges because the phone calls were beyond unfriendly and unprofessional and I was not going to wait forever when the refund outcome was uncertain as they were clearly doing everything they could to refuse my return. After numerous more correspondences, they finally agreed to pay for the shipping and to refund my money. They credited my account upon receiving the placemats and sent me a paper receipt of the refund. However, a day after I received the receipt, I received an angry phone call from Carol asking me if I had disputed the purchase because my credit card company was holding them accountable for the charge. I calmly and politely responded that I did because of the manner in which I was treated and because of the uncertainty of getting my money back. With an elevated voice, she threatened, «How dare you dispute the purchase after we said we’d give you a refund when we got the placemats back?!» She asked if I called my credit card company to inform them that they refunded me, and I told her that I did that morning, which I didn’t even have to do but was just being nice; the credit card company would have made the appropriate adjustments upon seeing the refund anyway, but I still took it upon myself to call and inform them that the issue was resolved. No thanks was given when I said I notified my credit card company. Instead, she ordered me to compose an email to her company stating that I called my credit card company and informed them of the refund and that the issue is resolved. I refused to take any more of my time on this and that this was just completely absurd. Later the same day, my credit card company called me to inquire about the dispute and I told them again that it was resolved; I also informed them that the company called me to talk about it and the credit card company said that once a dispute is filed, it is ILLEGAL for the merchant to contact the customer and that they have to communicate directly with the credit card company. They are also nowhere to be found on the Better Business Bureau to inform the public of their illegal communication and lack of service and respect, so Unilocal will suffice for now. Counterpoint’s lack of customer service, its owner’s and staff’s horrendous communication skills, their lack of facilitating their customers’ needs, their ridiculous demands, their stuck-​up, arrogant, pretentious attitude, and their disrespectful verbal and nonverbal demeanor are just pathetic. After this experience, I strongly encourage you to shop elsewhere, where people are respectful and show common courtesy.

The design of this high end store is lovely, but customer service POLICIES in the clothing area is not. Beware, NONE of the clothing can be returned OR EXCHANGED! This was not made clear to me at the time I picked out a black dress on July 29^th. I was looking at both sale and new merchandise and ended up choosing a sale item that needed to have a shirt underneath it. I took it back to my Mom’s home to try on with a t-​shirt underneath and didn’t like the way it looked. I admit, I am not the world’s best shopper, and when I tried it on with my top it was not becoming. I went back the following morning, with my 89 year old mother, who has a good eye, to exchange it for something else. The store would not accept it as a credit toward a more expensive item. My mother was incredulous that they would not credit it toward something else. The store is full of gifts items, so she asked what people did with wedding gifts they wanted to return. The response was that only clothing is not returnable. Although I saw no signs that said I could not make a return, and nothing was said to me when I was shopping, the store clerk, who was pleasant but said the policy had been in place for 17 years, said it was printed on the bottom of the receipt. And so it was, in fine print, but of course I got the receipt AFTER I had completed the purchase. So there was no warning that I ought to be 100% sure it would go with other items before buying. This means I should have left to get what I might wear it with and come back to try it on. I couldn’t believe they would not credit this toward another purchase. So I’m stuck with a dress I won’t wear and resent. I’m a frequent visitor to Rochester though I live in Boston, and tend to shop when I’m in Minnesota because I have free time. I have bought things from Counterpoint before, mostly Eileen Fisher, which they have moved upstairs, and some cute housewares. Their clothing is expensive, and this sleeveless dress was $ 179 on sale, so I expected they would offer high end service. I am going to stick with Nordstrom after this experience!

Counterpoint II is really two beautiful stores in the Galeria Mall across from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. The downstairs has fantastic cutting edge clothes, shoes, handbags, beautiful access ories, particularly the scarves, and great small gifts and cosmetics. Upstairs are wonderful housewares with all the great labels such as Alessi, Nambe, you name it. They also have an Eileen Fisher section and those great Chiliwich table placemats and runners. And… a great children’s clothing and gift collection. This store really has something for everyone and the prices go from very inexpensive to high end so there is no excuse for not finding anything. On top of everything, they have great gift wrap which just makes it all special for gift giving. Counterpoint II is a really unique and creative store. Its hard to have access to the multitude of wonderful brands and beautiful things to choose from under one roof and they have succeeded in doing this. A must see if you are in the area and a must shop experience when you want to experience beauty in every facet of clothing or gift giving. I love browsing and shopping in this store. You don’t need to go to the big city when there is a store like this. Don’t miss it.

This is a very cool store and you must check it out if you are in town. They have a ton of crazy weird housewares sort of items. I am speaking of the store on the 2^nd level. After reading reviews now I see there is a first level and I cannot wait to go back and check it out! The items are very unique but also very pricey so that is a bummer. Still, a very cool place to window shop while you are the Shops at University Square!

An eclectic mix of housewares almost like a Williams Sonoma but with more variety and with a lighter and brighter feel. Counterpoint is a great store to browse through. They have the type of items you didn’t know you needed and then wonder how you can live without them. On the downside: it’s not inexpensive, though, so don’t expect a big box discount pricing model. A kitchen timer for nearly forty dollars? Really?
With that Counterpoint does have some very nice, unusual, items. If you’re looking for a shower gift or something for the person who has everything, this place can likely come through for you. The area I didn’t have time to finish perusing is the one I wish I had. They carry Marimekko fabrics for matching your décor. In addition, there were also some built NY laptop covers and some positively adorable zatarno kids clothes.
A fun place to kill some time, get some ideas, and stock up on some unusual items if money is no object.

All though they have a lot of housewares and kitchen stuff, they didn’t have vegetable brushes. It’s that kind of place. Hit or miss.
They did have beautiful birdfeeders that made me long for yard. Not a bad place to spend time browsing, or major $$ if you do happen to find that thing you’re looking for.

This is by far my favorite store in Rochester. We do not dare visit Rochester and not stop into Counterpoint. This two-​level store offers everything from unique housewares to fashionable shoes including brands such as Camper and Cydwoq, to great clothes, to luxury soaps and lotions. If you are looking for anything by Marimekko, they have it. The European imports are quite extensive. The customer service is excellent. They always remember us and welcome us back to the store. Haling from Chicago where the sales tax is the highest in the country, we welcome shopping at Counterpoint since clothes are exempt from sales tax in Minnesota! Be sure to visit Counterpoint during your stay in Rochester. It’s in the mall connected to the Clinic and therefore quite accessible. Happy shopping!