COUNTRY
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 4, 2017
Serving Marine on St. Croix, Scandia, May Township
VOL. 33 NO. 36 www.countrymessenger.com $.75
SEEK A THRILL: What are you doing to make your heart pound? PAGE 4
Happy feet Marine nurse sets out to make toes twinkle BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@COUNTRYMESSENGER.COM
SUZANNE LINDGREN | COUNTRY MESSENGER
Nick Mundt and Mallory Kunz opened The Bluebell Mercantile & Co. last September in the old Copas schoolhouse.
Copas schoolhouse reinvented as Bluebell Mercantile BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@COUNTRYMESSENGER.COM
When Mallory Kunz first imagined opening her very own shop in an old Copas schoolhouse, there was one small detail in the way: The building wasn't for sale. Its owner, Mary Duncan, was living and teaching piano lessons in the building. Kunz was working next door at Garden Gate at Crabtrees. “Jan (Lynn, owner of Garden Gate) knew that I wanted my own store,” Kunz explained. “She said I should talk to Mary about buying. … I thought it was just a big dream.” But she mentioned it to her partner, Nick Mundt, and he encouraged her to make an offer. She did. And Duncan was willing to consider. “We went back and forth a little,” said Kunz, “but it just kind of worked out.” The next step for Kunz — who grew up around Withrow, graduated from Stillwater High, and spent a lot of time in Marine — was turning her dream into a brick-andmortar storefront. “Over the last few years I’ve mentally collected ideas,” she said. “I know what I look for when I’m shopping. It’s not always easy to find. With the store, I have a very clear vision of what I want. It’s
finding it that’s the challenge.” The Bluebell Mercantile & Co. opened in late September, its showroom filled with décor, kitchenware and home goods that coalesce around what Kunz describes as a “country living” theme. And the 1876 building, complete with a bell and a blue tin roof, sets the perfect tone. “This building just kind of screams, ‘country store,’” she said. Although the school closed in 1945, Kunz reports that many locals still feel connected to the building and have shared their stories with her. “We have things people have brought us, like a list of all the teachers,” she said. “We’ve had people come tell us about the Indian burial mound right out the window. I had a woman come in and tell me that when she was a little girl this was a gift shop called the Brass Bell. She remembers the toys she bought here.” So far, running the Bluebell Mercantile has been an ideal way for Kunz to combine her interests, talents and previous training. “I went to school for graphic design. I did photography. I’m into decorating,” she said. “But I get bored with them if that’s all I’m doing. With this I get to do all of it.” Kunz, who is 30, joked about co-owning the store with Mundt, 43.
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“I’ve said I call him the boss, but I call all the shots,” she smiled. “He does TV shows on the Outdoor Channel for a living, and he says, ‘This is your baby.’ He’s very supportive. “This would be a really scary kind of business if you were all alone. It’s nice to have that second person there to push you forward and say, this is how it goes in the beginning. “He’s great with people, too. That’s what he’s known for.” The couple plans to use a building in back of the schoolhouse for workshops in knitting, beading, sewing, wreath making and anything else that strikes Kunz’s fancy. “I love anything to do with creating,” she said. “And I have so many friends with amazing talents, and they’d do well teaching a class.” As the store ages, Kunz expects that its contents will continue to evolve. In the meantime, she says, “This is the perfect situation for me. It doesn’t feel like work. I can tell I’m in the right place.” And the building’s former owner, Mary Duncan, is still teaching piano lessons, now in West St. Paul. “She came back to see the building,” said Kunz. “She seemed really happy to see it like this.”
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After eleven years spent nursing at United Hospital through Allina Health, Carissa Roach of Marine is adding to her repertoire. Through her recently opened business, Twinkle Toes by Carissa, Roach visits people at home to tend to their feet — less for cosmetic reasons than mediRoach cal ones. “It’s for necessity,” said Roach, who grew up in the Forest Lake Hugo area and lived in Stillwater before moving to Marine a year and a half ago. “Especially for people with diabetes or those who can’t get out of their homes well.” People with diabetes can have circulation issues, Roach explained. And left untended, sores or ulcers could lead to amputation of a foot. And some senior citizens find that aging has made it difficult to trim nails or care for feet, Roach reported. “I heard about this kind of service from one of my patients at United,” she said. “I thought it seemed like a much needed thing for so many people.” Roach trained with Kathryn O’Shea of Twinkle Toes 2U, and registered her business with the state in November. Now she’s ready to help make feet happy in the lower St. Croix Valley. SEE HAPPY FEET, PAGE 2
Man sentenced in May Township child pornography case BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@COUNTRYMESSENGER.COM
Former May Township resident William McGinnis has been sentenced for possession of child pornography, bringing a fouryear-long criminal case to a close. Judge John Hoffman offered McGinnis the chance to minimize fines and jail time through improved behavior, sentencing the 44 year old to 60 days in jail and $900
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in fines, with the possibility of increased fines and jail time if he fails to meet conditions set by the Washington County court. If he violates those terms during his decade-long probation, he’ll return to court and could serve up to 75 months in prison and pay another $4,700. In addition, he’ll be registered as a sex offender for five SEE MCGINNIS, PAGE 2
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