We had a wonderful turnout for last Saturday's grand opening!
We set up a tent outside the store for our official "sidewalk sale" which included lots of bargains — $1 note cards, $2 summer merchandise and $4 scrapbook kits. We also had a very special giveaway for teachers! At 9:01, the first car pulled in the lot -- and it didn't stop for hours! We were blessed with absolutely perfect weather, too...
Our local paper, the St. Anthony Bulletin, wrote a very nice article about the store and my journey to my current vocation. I've pasted it below ...
At home in St. Anthony
Kate Garlock
Bulletin staff
Pregnant
with her third child, having survived brain surgery for more than 10
years and on the brink of quitting her day job, Marianne Richmond never
imagined that buying a new home would earn her a place in St. Anthony
legacy.
Despite having faced a tumult of surprises, Richmond is still amazed by the uncanny connections that have shaped her life.
A history of surprises
Beginning
in fourth grade, Richmond was faced with recurring seizures. She was
diagnosed with epilepsy and began taking medication. She continued with
her treatment, never experiencing severe fits, she said, until she'd
graduated from college and was working in New York City. Her arm went
numb, historically a sign of an impending seizure, and she went to the
doctor to have it checked out. The doctor recommended a new procedure -
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The scan of Richmond's brain found an
abnormality which turned out to be a benign tumor.
It was during her weeks of recovery when she was searching for something to occupy her time that her artistic flair emerged.
Creating hand-painted cards to thank her well-wishers, she was surprised when her friend suggested she sell them.
"They're simple little things," Richmond said.
In
the end, she gave in. Her friend would take orders, and she'd make a
half-dozen or so at a time, she said. Until she started getting larger
orders for the cards and could no longer hand produce them.
She then started to have the cards printed to fill the orders.
Making big moves
In
1991, following her husband from their home in Connecticut to the Twin
Cities, Richmond took a public relations position and continued to grow
her business creating stationery on the side.
In 1995,
Richmond received an order that would offer her the chance to leave the
corporate world she had never really felt a part of and continue down
the path she started in 1990 after her brain surgery. The Dayton-Hudson
company found her cards and decided to carry some of them in their
stores. From here, her husband quit his job; the couple found a space
in Minneapolis and Richmond continued to create cards on the side.
In
1997, she self-published her first book, a book for new parents,
looking for something that would appeal to the base she'd developed
with gift shops.
From those small gift shops, her book
traveled to Target, Wal-Mart and other major stores. In 1998, her
success allowed her to quit her job in the corporate world and focus on
her creative business full-time.
In the meantime, the family was getting frustrated living in White Bear Lake, but commuting to Minneapolis.
"We knew we wanted to move, but had no idea where," Richmond said.
A serendipitous meeting
It
was kismet that brought the Richmond family to their new home. Richmond
went to look at a house in St. Anthony because she said she had always
wanted to live on a lake. The home she looked at was not right at all,
she said. But she gave the realtor her contact information and followed
up with her.
When both she and her husband had seen the house
and told the realtor it wasn't for them, the couple pleasantly parted
from her. Immediately, however, she called them back informing them
that she knew of a house that was going on the market in the future,
though not up for sale yet.
The couple agreed to look at the second home on the same street and unknowingly bound their lives to those of the Carr family.
Ann Carr said she felt the families were blessed to find each other.
"To find someone quite by accident that would enjoy [the house] so much," she said.
The
Carr family had lived in St. Anthony for 44 years. The late Dr. William
Carr ran a medical clinic near their home and was very involved in
community, civic and educational affairs, Ann Carr said of her husband. "It was really peaceful, it was a nice time of life," she said.
When
the Carr family had to move, they were leery of selling their home to
strangers, but found a strong connection with the Richmonds. "I love them," Carr said. "They're an answer to prayers."
Keeping it local
The
connection between the two families strengthened when the Richmonds
found that Dr. Carr's old office was for sale. Realizing their
opportunity, they called Ann Carr and asked her to help them purchase
the building by putting in a good word with the owner.
The couple won the building and celebrated the grand opening of their own gift shop on Saturday.
"I think the community is glad not to have another big building," Carr said.
Carr applauded Richmond's growing business. She said Richmond is kind and greets her customers warmly.
"She reaches out to people," she said. "She's a people person, she's very gifted."
Richmond
will continue to work in the doctor's office they converted into a
workshop. The people of St. Anthony and the surrounding area will be
able to buy her products from the artist, and her connection with the
Carr family will only continue to grow.
Kate Garlock can be reached at kgarlock@lillienews.com or 651-633-2777.
