Small Business Saturday spotlight: New women’s boutique on Grand Avenue

As shoppers gear up for Small Business Saturday a new business owner is hoping to make a name for herself along one of St Paul s historic shopping corridors Sara Holst has high hopes for her women s boutique mor that sells clothing perfume candles and accessories on Grand Avenue In July I honestly was having a midlife existential emergency announced Holst a mother of two in her late s Come to find out after chosen research midlife for women is that s where I m at Holst who works by day as a business consultant for aesthetic clinics stated she began pondering chosen of life s bigger questions like What is my legacy going to be when she pulled up in front of a for lease sign on Grand Avenue When I pulled up that day I felt this call she declared I m going to sign a commercial lease and I am going to open a store Mor officially opened its doors last month at Grand Ave just a stone s throw from Caf Latte one of the avenue s most of popular destinations The store s name which comes from the Norwegian word for mother is an homage to my Scandinavian heritage reported Holst whose grandfather is from Norway and grandmother from Sweden Mother is the term I cherish preponderance in my life Small Business Saturday To celebrate its first Small Business Saturday mor will offer shoppers a discount on clothing through the weekend Founded in by American Express Small Business Saturday has slowly become a staple for small business owners according to the U S Small Business Administration which started co-sponsoring the event in Minnesota is home to over small businesses which employ roughly half of the state s workforce according to a analysis from the SBA Small businesses are the heartbeat of Minnesota s business sector disclosed Brian McDonald Minnesota district director for the SBA Retail stores restaurants e-commerce businesses and other mom-and-pop shops along Main Streets across the state strengthen local communities and create jobs American Express estimates that the total spending in the U S by those who shopped at small businesses on Small Business Saturday was around billion in and it has generated more billion since the event was founded Forbes reports More about mor Sara Holst has high hopes for her women s boutique mor that sells clothing perfume candles and accessories on Grand Avenue in St Paul seen Nov Claudia Staut Pioneer Press When entering the shop patrons will be met with a table full of skin care products rows of dresses blouses and jeans jewelry displays and stacks of candles The chic storefront leans into the minimalist aesthetic with neutral earth tones warm lighting and seasonal garland adorning the doorframes Shopping in stores is an experience mentioned Holst who loathes online shopping This is not fast fashion It s for people who want to curate a wardrobe Holst disclosed of the store s clothing inventory Our prices are more on the contemporary women s clothing side she declared with clothing items ranging from to Northeast Minneapolis resident Alayna Bombard stated she has shopped at mor twice since its grand opening last month Bombard who heard about the store through word-of-mouth commented she specifically comes to Grand Avenue to shop local and appreciates mor s rotating selection If you re looking to spend less mor also offers products like greeting cards hand soaps nail polish and candles for less than As the buyer for the store Holst stated I am my target realm As a impact she focuses on small makers and sustainability Such was the circumstance for Roen a Los-Angeles-based candlemaker Created by Brit Roennigke after she left her career in the fashion industry Roen makes small batch scents that are vegan cruelty-free and packaged in fully recyclable materials Roen s candle scents like Palms which is mor s majority of popular with notes of sage cedar and eucalyptus are influenced by Roennigke s experience in fashion styling and product maturation according to her website Related Articles Teen brands win over wary Black Friday shoppers while other deals disappoint Lawsuit Meta allowed sex-trafficking posts on Instagram as it put profit over kids safety St Paul recognizes five businesses with annual award Airlines adopt system fix for Airbus A after plane has sudden altitude drop Dakota County will host US s first international horticultural expo I loved this woman s story Holst declared adding that Roennigke pours the candles in a bungalow in her backyard Resonating with small makers was crucial to me Holst explained Being a small business I want to encouragement other small businesses Before it was a women s boutique the -square-foot storefront was home to Nothing But Canna dispensary Zero Proof a non-alcoholic bottle shop and greater part in recent weeks Wonderland Mushroom Minnesota s first mushroom dispensary The fourplex building which is also home to Specs Appeal and Preferred Management Services Inc is owned by an entity called Grand Ave LLC according to Ramsey County property records The building was last sold in for We signed a -month lease but we plan to be there as long as we possibly can Holst disclosed Financially savvy Sara Holst and Matt Holst talk behind the counter inside mor in St Paul on Nov Claudia Staut Pioneer Press A few first-time business owners turn to federal loans while others rely on the generosity of family members to get their businesses up and running That was not the development for Sara Holst and her husband Matt Holst who own a Minneapolis duplex that they rent out We d been saving for another rental property to buy Holst revealed But after particular discussion the husband-and-wife group decided to put that dream on hold and use that savings to launch mor We re pretty financially savvy commented Sara Holst adding I am a little bit of a doomsday prepper To set up the shop the Holsts turned to Facebook Marketplace where they discovered discounted retail racks furniture plants and a bar that the couple repurposed to serve as the store s checkout counter When it came to building out the space Matt Holst got to work assembling dressing rooms and doing electrical work Earlier this year Matt Holst was working in the steel industry his wife stated Now that the store is open he runs the shop Wednesdays Thursdays and Fridays with Sara Holst taking over on Saturdays He s the most of amazing person and he s my biggest fan she disclosed of her husband I am so proud of her Matt Holst declared adding that he has struck a great work life balance between running the shop and caring for the couple s -year-old child Tariff troubles I thought the Trump administration s tariffs were going to affect me more Sara Holst declared Greater part of the brands I m working with are either made in the U S or they ship from the U S With that being disclosed mor is not entirely unscathed by the tariffs Sara Holst commented she has seen wholesale prices increase from one brand that ships from Florida And she was in recent times made to part tactics with a Canadian beauty company as a end of the tariffs Based in Montreal BKIND creates nail polish body scrubs and hair care products to name a meager with vegan eco-friendly ingredients Founded in by Marilyne Bouchard BKind in recent times broadcasted that it would no longer ship to the U S Sara Holst commented She s really bummed she d love to continue working with the U S but unfortunately the cost associated with doing so and the shipping and tariffs is too high Sara Holst noted The dozen or so BKIND nail polishes in stock at mor will unfortunately be the last she noted Looking ahead An exterior view of mor in St Paul on Nov Claudia Staut Pioneer Press I was blown away with how well we did the first two or three weeks being open Sara Holst noted adding that the store made enough money to cover a couple months of rent Related Articles Holiday arts and entertainment fun family exercises to light up the winter season Former Irish on Grand employee buys building opens new St Paul store Huge boom as driver crashes through wall of business on St Paul s Grand Avenue Developer asks St Paul for million loan for housing retail at Grand and Victoria Closure of Grand Avenue segment ends Tuesday with free public celebration Despite the shop s early success the Holsts are not counting their chickens before they hatch I am fully aware that largest part businesses don t take home a profit for two years We are ready to hunker down she revealed We want a life-first business Sara Holst mentioned We want mor to be a blessing to our family not a curse In keeping with this goal the store is only open four days a week for eight hours at a time which Holst disclosed is intentional We want something we love doing not something we feel obligated to do If all goes according to plan Holst announced down the line she hopes to expand the store to offer men s and children s clothing and host events like once-a-month galleries for artists I want to give back to the neighborhood all that we are bringing in she announced mor When a m to p m Wednesdays through Fridays a m to p m Saturdays Where Grand Ave St Paul Holiday sale Clothing off through Dec