Merry Christmas ! Mary Ann Donahue
(507) 340-2873
maryann.donahue@gmail.com
• Integrity/Honesty • Competitive Fees • Over 20 Years Experience
1720 Adams Street, Mankato 16 • december 2016 • MANKATO MAGAZINE
recycle with a fresh coat of outdoor durable paint (supplied by her next-door neighbor Diamond Vogel Paint), new fabric, knobs and other embellishments. She said she’s drawn to both modern and rustic pieces, clean lines and bold colors. Fisher complements her creations with items from approximately 40 area artists and small businesses. Most are handcrafted and range from décor to clothing. The best sellers are jewelry from North Mankatobased Baubles and Bobbles and infant apparel made by Lisa Finch of Mankato. While most are femaleoriented, there are also some guy-friendly goods for sale, such as home brewing kits and lamps and light fixtures by Industrial Steamworks Design made from automobile parts. Fisher invites artists that appeal to her personal style; she hopes in the process to be creating a unique mix of offerings. She’s banking on that distinctive mix being enough to separate herself from the several other new boutiques opening nearby. “I’m just going to stay true to what I’m doing,” she said. She’s hoping Old Town will become a destination spot for shoppers who value unique and local, she said. This spring she took “a leap of faith” and expanded into the space that opened up next door. It was sooner than she had envisioned but had to seize the opportunity. A television appearance has helped bring new customers to her larger shop. The company that owns HGTV and Do it Yourself Network is considering making a reality show about Fisher. A test pilot has aired and she expects she’ll find out next year if it will be picked up as a series.
Domeier’s German store 1020 S. Minnesota St. New Ulm 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday 507-354-4231 Only members of the Domeier family have staffed the store that its second-generation operator described as an explosion of all things German. The store that started in a garage is filled literally floor to ceiling with crafts, trinkets and food imported from Germany and Austria. “It’s small but it’s full. And I do mean full,” said owner Marlene Domeier. The store started as a small grocery stop in 1934 operated by Marlene’s parents, Rosemary and Emil. After World War II it started specializing in German fare to serve the influx of German war brides. Today it has a vast selection of German goodies ranging from lebkuchen to marzipan. It also has a variety of authentic German gift items, ranging from cuckoo clocks to beer steins and many of them handmade. Holiday items range from nutcrackers to upwards of a thousand different glass-blown ornaments (many of which hang from the ceiling). The German ambiance spills outside of the store. German music plays on loudspeakers