DULUTH.com March/April 2019

RELAX & DREAM

ZENITH BOOKSTORE IN WEST DULUTH ENCOURAGES

CUSTOMERS TO TAKE THEIR TIME

PG. 18

TAKE A TOUR

THROUGH DOWNTOWN’S DECORATIVE ENTRYWAYS

DULUTH’S BEST NAME-DROPS FROM TV, MUSIC AND MORE GRAB A BITE, DRINK SOME JOE AT LETICA’S IRON MUG

SNAZZY CAKES

PREPARES SWEETS FOR ANY OCCASION

GROUP PUBLISHER

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to our readers

In this issue, Duluth is spelled c-r-e-a-t-i-v-e. From Lake Avenue in Canal Park to Iron Mug in Morgan Park, restaurateurs have found routes to advocacy through serving food. Relics columnist Kathleen Murphy finds an inspiring way to look “down” on the city. Northern Bedrock Historic Preservation Corps is teaching the new generation how to maintain the history of our infrastructure. What’s old is new again in West Duluth, where Zenith Bookstore offers real books to hold in your hand. Read about a pastry chef who keeps more than busy working from home, and a candlemaker whose business is ready to break out of the basement. And in one of the best examples of how Duluth inspires creativity, read Christa Lawler’s report about pop-culture references. From movies to TV to song, there’s a lot to be proud of.

CONTRIBUTORS

Clint Austin

Tony Bennett

Andrea Busche

David Ballard Photography

Jana Hollingsworth

Steve Kuchera

Christa Lawler

Kathleen Murphy

Mark Nicklawske

Michelle Truax

4 NEIGHBORHOODS: Grab a bite at Letica’s Iron Mug in Morgan Park

8 Lake Avenue Restaurant & Bar offers specialty dinners 11

Volume 5, Issue 2

MARCH-APRIL 2019

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NEIGHBORHOODS FUN

GRAB A BITE, DRINK SOME JOE AND CHANGE THE WORLD AT LETICA’S IRON MUG IN MORGAN PARK

BY ANDREA BUSCHE PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVID BALLARD

At Letica’s Iron Mug, the décor is an easygoing mixture of old and new. Chrome furniture, twinkly lights and exposed ductwork are juxtaposed with vintage black-and-white photos featuring shots of Morgan Park’s graduating classes and some of the community’s staple businesses, such as Park State Bank. Add to that the fact that the business is housed within the Lake View Store building, considered by some to be the nation’s very first indoor mall, and you have an intriguing venue.

Iron Mug general manager Johnny Johnson chats with Jeff Persch at the counter of the Iron Mug in Morgan Park.

Besides being a coffee house, restaurant and a great place to grab a cold beer or watch the game, Letica’s Iron Mug is a Morgan Park gathering place. Its energetic owner, Duluthian Mike Letica, is often on-site, and the venue is frequently used as a planning hub and drop-off site for many of his community outreach activities.

With weekly activities such as karaoke, comedy nights and live music, along with weekly pizza buffets and weekend breakfasts, the Iron Mug has something for everyone. While the pizza is baking and the coffee is percolating, plans are often being hatched to organize a toy drive or collect supplies for the homeless.

Mike Letica had never considered becoming a restaurateur. After all, he was doing pretty well for himself in the business world. He worked at Curtis Oil for 35 years, in addition to operating a groundskeeping business, Letica Lawn Care, with his son, Dusty. He also works as a business consultant, and at the time, owned an online auction company.

Letica also has a busy personal life; he is married, with two adult children and five grandchildren. But, when he heard that Morgan Park’s Iron Mug, most recently owned by Paul Johnson, would be closing and the community asked him to step in and help, he didn’t hesitate. Letica said he received over 30 calls, texts, emails and Facebook messages, imploring him to take over operations, which would launch his career in a new direction.

“I would have never thought to do it. It was 100 percent because the community wanted me to,” he said, referencing the wide detour in his professional path. “I’d never owned a restaurant, but over the years, I’ve learned that business is business.”

Letica re-branded the business Letica’s Iron Mug, and re-opened the establishment on June 9, 2018. Letica currently employs five people, including his wife of 36 years and co-owner of the business, Shirley, and general manager Johnny Northfield.

Letica, who was born and raised in Duluth’s Gary neighborhood, graduated from Morgan Park High School in 1980. Although he now lives in Midway Township, the Morgan Park community is deeply imprinted on his DNA. He’s proud to own a business here, and happily cuts the lawns of his business-owner neighbors for half-price, so that visitors get a good first impression of the community.

“Some people come here to eat, and they’ve never been to Morgan Park before,” he said. “It’s really shown people how beautiful it is out here.”

Letica is well-known in the Duluth community for his acts of service. If you watched the local news around the time that Hurricane Harvey struck Texas, in August 2017, you’ll recognize him as the high-energy individual who organized a cash and supply drive in the parking lot of Denfeld High School. With $12,000 in cash raised and over 45,000 pounds of items donated, that event vastly exceeded expectations. Letica then personally drove nonstop to the Lone Star State, along with several other volunteers, in order to deliver the items to hurricane victims.

“I was watching CNN after Hurricane Harvey,” Letica said, “And I saw a lady carrying a tiny baby. I told my wife, ‘I gotta do something.’ I don’t plan these things in advance; if something comes up, I just do it.”

Additionally, Letica has organized a toy drive, diaper drive, backpack drive and drives for the homeless. The toy drive, known as “Make Every Child Smile,” has been going on for the past three years and has given Christmas gifts to more than 1,300 children. Causes helping children and the homeless are particularly close to Letica’s heart. “I’d do just about anything for them,” he said.

Shirley Letica and Brianna Erhardt talk with Max Fish at the Iron Mug in Morgan Park.

The Iron Mug in Morgan Park serves a variety of food selections including Johnny’s Loaded Nachos and Wild Rice Soup.

The Iron Mug has become a convenient dropoff location for donations, and a natural place for event volunteers to congregate before getting to work. Letica will often reward them with a much-deserved pizza dinner, to thank them for their efforts. Occasionally, Letica also randomly decides to donate a portion of sale proceeds to charitable causes.

Duluth Police Chief Mike Tusken said he and the Duluth Police Department have pitched in multiple times to help Letica with his community service efforts, including a backpack drive, and an event to raise money for youth sports in western Duluth. “Mike is very passionate about giving a hand up to those who are struggling,” Tusken said. “He’s got a heart of gold. It’s great to know we have a community partner like Mike. He really knows how to mobilize people.”

And, Valley Youth Center Program Director Angelo Simone, who has collaborated with Letica on several community service efforts, agreed. “Mike Letica has a big heart, and he’s got such great connections,” Simone said. “The toy drive gets bigger and bigger every year, and it’s been such a blessing to help these kids get what they deserve.”

The menu at Letica’s Iron Mug is diverse. You can order an ice cream cone, a beer, or a sandwich. The restaurant serves salads, pizzas, soups and appetizers, as well as pastries and specialty coffees. Menu items feature fun, Morgan Park street-themed names, such as the Edward, Arbor and Concord. There are also weekly specials and other fun events.

For instance, Mondays and Fridays, there is a pizza buffet, and Thursdays feature a taco bar. On Saturdays and Sundays, breakfast is served, Friday nights offer karaoke, and Saturday nights feature live music and comedy. There is even a kids’ karaoke option on Saturday afternoons from 2-4.

And any time the Minnesota Vikings or the UMD Bulldogs hockey teams are playing, you can catch the game. “I have 11 speakers hooked up to a 70-inch TV,” Letica said. “It feels like you’re in the

stadium.” The back room at the Iron Mug can also be reserved for birthday parties, business meetings and other special events.

Letica is very pleased at how this career change has worked out for him, and how Letica’s Iron Mug is benefiting the Morgan Park neighborhood — in more ways than one. “It’s turned into the hub of the community,” he said. “It makes me so proud.” v

Andrea Busche is a Duluth freelance writer.

One wall of The Iron Mug is decorated with class pictures of Morgan Park High School.

The Iron Mug in Morgan Park is decorated with pictures of historic fixtures of Morgan Park. This one is of the old Morgan Park High School.

Letica’s Iron Mug is open seven days a week. Find them on Facebook or visit ironmug.org to learn more about their daily specials and weekly events.

A MEAL TO GATHER AROUND

LAKE AVENUE SPECIALTY DINNERS OFFER WINTER RESPITE

BY JANA HOLLINGSWORTH PHOTOGRAPHY BY CLINT AUSTIN

Laura Haack has stood for hours in the kitchen of her mother-in-law in Puebla, Mexico, walking step-by-step with her through the beloved traditional dishes of the region.

A co-owner of Lake Avenue Restaurant & Bar, Haack is married to a native of Puebla, an eastern city south of Mexico City where she lived for four years.

The food of Puebla has made a home in her heart, and on a frigid Tuesday night, in January its bright and layered flavors were offered to a packed dining room. The six-course meal kicked off the ninth year of the restaurant’s off-season specialty dinners.

“This is one of my favorite nights of my life,” Haack said. “That it was so well-received means a lot to me.”

Lake Avenue is planning one specialty dinner a month from January to June as a way to lure and treat ambitious local diners during those slow, cold winter and spring months. The restaurant has hosted eight-course Champagne dinners, and those that focus on local craft beer and wine from Oregon’s Willamette Valley. They’ve spent nights serving just a handful of people to feeding more than 60.

“We’re not a giveaway restaurant,” said coowner Derek Snyder, explaining the concept.

People eat at large communal tables during the Sazon de Puebla dinner at Lake Avenue Restaurant & Bar.

“No one-dollar-off cocktails. We just don’t have that ability at our restaurant.”

Recalling past special dinners at New Scenic Cafe, Snyder said, the idea of a place shut down to the public for the night, serving one focused menu to one group of diners for three to four hours was the answer. And it has worked, with customers who return again and again.

“There is a small audience for this,” Snyder said. “We’re never going to be the million dollar owners or open eight restaurants. Our thing is one chef, one restaurant.”

Chiles En Nogada, a dish with roasted poblano, apricot, red rice, walnut cream, golden raisin butter pomegranate and goat cheese, is served during the Sazon de Puebla dinner at Lake Avenue Restaurant & Bar in Duluth.

A SHARED EXPERIENCE

The $90 January “Sazon de Puebla” dinner included a Baja-sourced wine pairing with each course on the tasting menu.

Diners were seated by companions and strangers, some at long communal tables. On this night, a shared trio of salsas — including a hot terra cotta-hued habanero mango — led to quick friendships. Diners took notes, asked questions, discussed flavor profiles.

“It’s an education,” said Mae Gackstetter, who has been to at least a dozen dinners since they began.

The night was long, with considerable paced time between courses. But the anticipation of what would come next tempered the wait.

“We like the camaraderie, meeting new people and getting out of your comfort zone,” said Duluth resident Meaghan MorrellHuot. “Something like this is hard to find,” outside the Twin Cities metro area.

The January menu was a little tamer in comparison to past dinners, she said, mentioning a tripe taco.

Courses included a braised chicken thigh with a rich, classic mole sauce, a carne asada chalupa worthy of a Pacific Coast Highway roadside taco stand, barbacoa ribs and chiles en nogada. The nogada was the dish most unfamiliar to the crowd. Made traditionally in late summer and September to celebrate Mexico’s Independence Day, its star is a creamy white sauce made from peeled walnuts, dotted with pomegranate seeds.

This version tasted true, honoring the dish Haack made with her husband’s family. A poblano pepper was roasted and stuffed with apricot and red rice and covered in the luscious sauce. Prickly pear ice cream with an addictive fried cornflake tuile was the finale. Executive chef Jeff Zervas said he heavily researched Pueblan food, presenting Haack with more than a dozen ideas for the night. She whittled them down to what was ultimately made after consulting with her family.

“It’s fun to push boundaries,” Zervas said, noting the restaurant’s entire staff contributes to the night.

‘A BIG DEAL’

Taking farm to table a step beyond most, Lake Avenue will again hold dinners out in the fields of three area farms this summer and fall, including Yker Acres in Carlton and Hammarlund Nursery in Esko.

Creating dishes using local produce and meat and cocktails from local spirits has become more important to the restaurant over time.

According to Snyder, who, with Mark Swenson bought Lake Avenue Cafe from Patrick Cross and Mary Ann Immerfall a decade ago, the restaurant is finally coming into its own following some unsuccessful years figuring out what it wanted to be and struggling with change. Today, “we are focused on the quality of the food and the quality of the customer,” he said, challenging and treating diners well.

Eating out with his family as a youth at local institutions like the Chinese Lantern and the Jolly Fisher, Snyder would watch his father pass tables, shaking the hands of people he knew.

Dining out “was such a privilege … it was a big deal. That gets lost in society,” he said.

The celebration of dining out wasn’t lost at the January dinner, as staff came out from the kitchen to applause, answering questions and visiting tables, and friends new and old talked well after the last bites. v

IF YOU GO

Lake Avenue Restaurant & Bar specialty dinners 394 S. Lake Ave.

March 19: “Cocktail dinner,” featuring a distillery yet to be announced

April 16: “Let’s go to Portugal,” with wines from the region

May 14: North Shore Scenic Railroad dinner train

June 11: “Oceans and rose,” with rose wine and ocean-based seafood

To reserve, call (218) 722-2355 • lakeaveduluth.com

Jana Hollingsworth is a Duluth freelance writer.

Above: A tasting of salsa includes habanero mango, maple chipolte and salsa verde.

DULUTH RELICS

THE ART UNDER YOUR FEET TAKE A TOUR THROUGH DOWNTOWN’S DECORATIVE ENTRYWAYS

BY KATHLEEN MURPHY

At the turn of the last century, ornate entryways were all the rage across the United States. Even Duluthians — normally a practical and humble bunch — created a downtown packed with buildings meant to impress. There are several outstanding examples of stone-carved doorways and tiled facades in Duluth, but for this piece, we are going to focus on the modest entryway floor. Since these relic entryways have been exposed to a century of feet scuffing over them, most are in tough shape. But if we squint and use a little imagination, we can see the grandeur with which they once greeted customers.

E.F. BURG COMPANY BUILDING AT 20 W. FIRST ST.

This first tiled entryway may not look terribly impressive, but its history is hard to beat. The Burg Family was one of the Twin Ports’ earliest settlers, arriving in 1865. In 1906, one of the Burg children opened a hotel supply company at 20 W. First St. The storefront has remained remarkably unchanged since, including the tiled entryway. A descendant of the Burg family operated Glenwood Signs and Awards out of the building in recent decades, the business only recently relocating. One block west, find the simple but Romanesque tiled entry at 138 W. First St., the old Bella Flora location.

STORY & PHOTOS BY KATHLEEN MURPHY

THE LAKE SUPERIOR BAKEHOUSE AT 102 W. SUPERIOR ST.

This building has housed a coffee house for decades now, but long before that, it was home to the Three Sisters department store. This particular department store chain has been weirdly overlooked by the internet and was difficult to find information on, but its footprint is still clear in Duluth, gracing the entrance to the Lake Superior Bakehouse. Bonus: The storefront next door has the same entryway hidden under a carpet, but the inlay is wearing through, making the cursive words visible. Both Oreck’s and Hughes entryways are still visible and nearby, at 7 W. and 25 W. Superior St.

CSL PLASMA AT 106 W. SUPERIOR ST.

One of the most recognized of the old entryways left in Duluth, perhaps because the Woolworth Company remained open until the early 1990s. At some point, the entryway was covered over. It appears as though the letters were intentionally left exposed, but more of the quartz has worn through now, exposing the original background.

THE FORMER DULUTH WATER & GAS BUILDING AT 414 W. FIRST ST.

One of the more unusual tile entryways in Duluth, the water and gas company opted to make their business clear with a hexagon tile mosaic depicting a (gas) flame over waves. The building, built in 1921, is also worth a look not only for the entryway but also for the intricate brick and tile work covering the facade.

GARON BROS. BUILDING AT 217 W. FIRST ST., NOW HOSTEL DU NORD

Garon Bros. Jewelers operated out of this building beginning in 1915, closing just recently in 2013. The tiling is a basic square tile reminding us of the success of one of Duluth’s longest-standing businesses. The building’s present occupant, Hostel du Nord, was eager to preserve the history of the building, and the tiled “Garon Bros.” still greets the hostel’s weary travelers.

THE FORMER C.Z. WILSON SPORTING GOODS STORE AT 208 W. SUPERIOR ST.

This beautiful tilework is typical of the 1940s, favoring simple tiles in differing patterns and colors. A name is centered in the tiles, but sometime along the way, a new doorway was built over it, making the name difficult to discern. A few questions placed to longtime Duluth residents revealed this was once the home of C.Z. Wilson Sporting Goods Store. Next door at Mainstream Fashions for Men, a modern example of a detailed tiled entryway can be found.

ANDERSON FURNITURE COMPANY AT 2032 W. SUPERIOR ST.

One of the few decorative entryways outside of the downtown area, the Anderson Furniture Company has been greeting guests at the same location since 1910. The area was once called Duluth’s furniture district rather than the craft district, but now Anderson Furniture is one of only two home furnishing stores in the area. The stone entryway appears newer than the rest on this list, its age uncertain, but it is beautifully done, and the only entryway on this list that still hosts the original business. Also in Lincoln Park, check out the traditional early-1900s basketweave tile entryway at Duluth Pottery at 1924 W. Superior St.

TEMPLE OPERA/NORSHOR BLOCK, COVERING THE ENTIRE 200 E. SUPERIOR ST. BLOCK

The present home of Duluth’s Playhouse, this single block boasts four historic entryways. Three are tiled, two a simple square and hexagon design, the third a giant, colorful arrow directing customers toward the door. The fourth is a smooth stone surface that lets the customer know sportswear used to be sold at that store.

FINALLY

Just for fun, how about a little scavenger hunt? If you know where this simple, square tile entryway can be found in Duluth, let us know on the Duluth News Tribune Facebook page.

One more for you to find, though this one will come with a clue: The building that boasts this traditional squaretiled entryway is facing demolition.

Kathleen Murphy is a freelance journalist who works and lives in Duluth. Visit duluthnewstribune.com to read previous Relics columns.

DULUTH ORGANIZATION PRESERVES HISTORIC CRAFTSMANSHIP THROUGH YOUTH TRADE PROGRAM

BY MARK NICKLAWSKE

Historic buildings, statues and monuments give the Northland its character and charm but these important structures have always been threatened by neglect, ambivalence and harsh Minnesota winters.

Now another enemy is on the move: The skilled labor needed to care for older properties is slowly disappearing.

The masons, carpenters, plasterers and window hangers who built and maintained the first churches, schools, cemeteries and government buildings have all died, retired or slowed down. Meanwhile, few learn the skills required to carry on the craftsmanship. Until now.

SAVING OUR BUILDING HISTORY

Northern Bedrock Historic Preservation AmeriCorps members learn to re-set monuments at Forest Hill Cemetery in Duluth in 2017. This project has been financed in part with funds provided by the State of Minnesota from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the Minnesota Historical Society.

Photos provided by Northern Bedrock

The Northern Bedrock Historic Preservation Corps. in Duluth has made it a mission to teach young people important building trade techniques, provide hands-on training and seek out important regional field work. The organization, which grew out of a local youth conservation corps program, was founded in 2011 and is planning its first full six-month season of restoration projects this summer.

In Duluth, the organization has restored the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors Monument outside city hall, provided interior restoration at the former St. Peter’s Church on Observation Hill (now the Great Lakes Academy of Fine Arts) and preserved aging headstones at the Adas Israel Cemetery. Youth workers have also spent time working in state parks, on county landmarks and for municipal history organizations throughout Minnesota.

Northern Bedrock Board of Directors President Cynthia Lapp said the organization not only teaches young people living skills and active skills — time-tested conservation corps hallmarks — but also points participants toward a career. “The historic preservation model is actually building trade skills for young people, so it’s actually a triple win, win, win,” she said.

The Northern Bedrock Preservation Corps was established by Rolf Hagberg, a longtime Duluth-area youth conservation corps organizer who retired in 2018. The pilot project is the only youth corps organization in the country dedicated to statewide historic building preservation.

Under the program, youths ages 18-25 sign up through Americorps for summer-long preservation projects. Northern Bedrock used 20 workers last summer; most come from Minnesota and Wisconsin but some have come from as far away as Ohio, Tennessee and Texas. Participants are dispatched in teams of six to project sites, stay and camp on the premises and earn a monthly living stipend.

Northern Bedrock is funded primarily through the Minnesota Historical Society, using Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund grant money. Hagberg said the nonprofit organization would not exists without historical society support.

“They know — No. 1 — that there is a lot of work to do on the maintenance and repair of historic properties. It just keeps growing and growing and growing,” he said. “And there’s also this diminishing pool of trades and crafts people who know how to do it.”

Lapp said youth work experience and community historical preservation are obvious program benefits. But Northern Bedrock also provides something else for a generation that has mostly grown up without learning physical, hands-on labor and craftsmanship.

“Kids don’t have very much opportunity today to have a physical influence on their communities,” she said. “There’s a lot of digital stuff, and people are in education tracks for a long time.”

Farm work, simple home improvement projects or fun construction activities are rare for youths, said Lapp. Creating a physical presence in today’s world is difficult, she said. “But I think this gives kids a unique, first opportunity to experience that.”

Board member Tim Beaster, a conservation specialist for the South St. Louis County Soil and Water District, said he found his career path working for the Minnesota Youth Conservation Corps in his early 20s.

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“The experience changed my life,” he said. “I learned a lot skills I didn’t already have, a lot of leadership skills, getting people to show up for a job and how to work hard. I also made a lot of contacts which started me down the path I’m currently on.”

Beaster said Northern Bedrock applies the same work principles to historic preservation projects.

“We realized it was a really important thing and much needed in the state,” he said. “There’s a lot of historic buildings and cemeteries and a whole lot of history out there that’s declining and in need of work.”

Northern Bedrock Operations Manager Rhea Harvey said three Americorps crews tackled projects in 21 different communities statewide during the 2018 season. The six-member crews totaled more than 17,000 work hours on 26 historic structures, in eight cemeteries and at five archaeological digs. Recently, the organization has worked on a large archaeology project in Superior National Forest, restored a

stone bridge and stockage wall at Grand Portage National Monument and repaired log buildings at the Joyce Estate in the Chippewa National Forest. The Halfway Ranger Station Historic District in Ely is used as a training facility.

Harvey said the projects introduced young people — including women and other underrepresented groups — to new careers, which could help expand and diversify the building and trade workers pool.

“It’s hard,” she said. “You want to be able to say: ‘That person looks just like me,’ but you don’t see women and people of color at the side of the curb working on construction projects much. It’s getting a little better, but we’re not there yet.”

Historic Preservation Program Manager Jessica Fortney said Northern Bedrock uses the motto: “Building a pathway to the preservation trades.” She said young people are introduced to a variety of skilled labor like carpentry, window glazing and timber framing and historical practices in archeology and cemetery restoration.

... you don’t see women and people of color at the side of the curb working on construction projects much. It’s getting a little better, but we’re not there yet.

Rhea Harvey

“We’re trying to get people to understand that working with your hands and in the construction trade can be very valuable and rewarding,” she said. “If you don’t think college is necessarily the right way to go, this may give you a different kind of training to work into a career.”

Fortney grew up in a family with a strong appreciation for history. She studied archeology and anthropology at the University of Minnesota Duluth but discovered she liked old buildings more than digging holes. She earned a master’s degree in historic preservation from the Clemson University in Charleston, S.C.

“I fell in love with the nonprofit realm of it and the hands-on working with different materials, such as wood, bricks and stone,” she said. “I like the connections to buildings. We all use it. We all see it in different lights. I think historic buildings show a lot of craft and skill.”

Masons didn’t have laser cutters in the 19th century, Fortney said.

“It was all done by hand,” she said. “So I have an appreciation for those past builders and what’s still standing today. I think we can learn from it. I think they all tell a story.” v

Mark Nicklawske is a Duluth freelance writer and arts critic for the Duluth News Tribune.

young people are introduced to a variety of skilled labor like carpentry, window glazing and timber framing and historical practices in archeology and cemetery restoration

One step past the giant Cat In The Hat mural on the outside of the building and into the warm, cozy confines of Zenith Bookstore in West Duluth, one is instantly immersed in a calm, quiet atmosphere that holds infinite possibilities to learn or escape or dream through the words and pictures of thousands of authors from around the world.

The bright, quaint brick structure is decorated with colorful murals of giant books painted on the outside, exposed brick walls and century-old wood floors. Tall, wooden shelves are tightly packed with used and new books, beckoning those who walk down the sidewalk to come inside, where they’ll experience a place where everyone is welcomed by owner Bob Dobrow. He encourages customers to relax and browse through more than 25,000 book titles or spend some time connecting with or making new friends. The bookstore is the fulfillment of a lifelong dream of Dobrow and his wife, Angel, recent transplants to Duluth.

Bob is a retired professor who taught math and statistics for 20 years at Carleton College. It was a dream from his youth to open a space that would celebrate a passion for books and reading while fostering community. And so he and Angel purchased the former Wild West liquor store, which shares a parking lot with Beaner’s Central coffeehouse on Grand Avenue. They began the year-long process of remodeling the building and furnishing the store, starting with 7,000 books the couple had personally collected from years of wandering the streets of New York, browsing through book stores there. The store opened its doors on July 1, 2017.

Bob Dobrow

“Opening a bookstore was always in my blood; it was a fantasy of mine, always in the back of my mind,” Dobrow said. “I never thought it would become a reality, but when it became time for retirement, it hit me like a bolt of lightning, actually, when we put it together.”

With books and information available on smartphones, tablets and other digital forms, and a period when many traditional brickand-mortar bookstores seemed to be closing, what would possess the Dobrows, originally from Boston via a 20-year teaching stop in Northfield, Minn., to move to Duluth and take a risk to pursue a full-time dream of opening a bookstore?

“What we are finding is more and more people are reacting, and there is a backlash to the Amazonation of what is going on these days, and people want more of a sense of community, and there is more of an attachment to the physical object of a book,” Dobrow said. “I think the whole e-book, Kindle phase has run its course.”

Dobrow pointed out that statistics show that there has been a significant increase in bookstores, with more stores opening in the past three or four years than have been in the last 20 years, and that there have been more book sales in that period as well. That surge is part of what has fueled the heart and vision of Zenith Bookstore.

“One of the missions for this particular bookstore in West Duluth is to be a community bookstore, to be a center for events, for community outreach,” Dobrow said.

Those type of events include adult story time, and a recent donation of more than $1,000 worth of books to the Kids Kitchen Library at the Damiano Center.

“We want to be an integral part of this community. We want to be as supportive as possible,” Dobrow said. “There is a lot happening these days in West Duluth, and we feel very proud to be a part of that.”

One of the more interesting activities at the store is the once-amonth adult book reading night. For about 60-90 minutes, the lights are turned down low, candles are scattered around, and wine and chocolates are served. The floor is strewn with pillows and blanket, and somebody reads out loud. They may read their favorite short story or passages from their favorite book. The store has also hosted local celebrities and authors such as Leif Enger.

“It’s a great experience, I think everybody loves to be read to. It’s relaxed, its social, it’s very laid back,” Dobrow said.

One of the strengths of Zenith Bookstore is its large selection of local and regional authors. Previous page: Margaret Martin shares a laugh with Alyssa McDonald as they browse books at Zenith Bookstore. They are both UMD students and enjoy visiting the store.

Photos by David Ballard Photography

One of the other missions of the store is to keep books affordable. The store is comprised of 80 percent used books, many of which come from customers themselves. “We take in books, we trade, and buy used books. We are 80 percent used books. Customers bring in books. They get store credit, which gets applied to their used books purchases. We want books to be affordable because they are getting so expensive these days,” Dobrow said.

Community is a word Dobrow uses frequently to describe his heart for the business. “People want connection; they don’t want to spend their lives just

clicking away on some internet site,” he said. “People come in all the time and look you in the eye and say thank you for this space, for what you are doing with the store. People really have an attachment to the store.”

Dobrow has been pleasantly surprised at both the success and support of the business. In January, they were coming off a strong holiday season in sales and were seeing a good number of customers in the store. Dobrow said they see a strong customer base from West Duluth. “Some people you see every day, every other day, once a month,” Dobrow said. Plus there has been a strong

out-of-town base of people who visit Duluth once or twice a year and stop in to say they make a stop at Zenith Bookstore a part of their trip. Also, there have been a good number of connections from the eastern part of Duluth.

The store also has been recognized for its achievements in the community, winning two awards within the first year, the Northland Reader’s “Best in the Northland” award for best book store, and the Duluth News Tribune’s “Best of the Best” award for best bookstore. “I feel so humbled by this community and by our customers, they are amazing,” Dobrow said.

Corey Sather examines a selection at Zenith Bookstore.

On a quiet winter afternoon, the store saw a trickle of customers wander up and down the shelves. UMD students Margaret Martin and Alyssa McDonald looked around and browsed through titles. They have visited the store a couple of times.

“They have a great local and regional section,” Martin said. “It’s fun to read from local artists and hear what is going on in this area.” Martin also said she really likes a unique feature of the store, notes displayed below the books from people who have read the book and leave a comment or two about the book.

There is a lilt in Dobrow’s voice and twinkle in his eye when he talks about the store. “It’s a fun place. I think it’s a very Duluthian kind of place. It has a strong, strong connection to the area; we have a very strong local and regional section”. As he watched people mill around the store, he added: “A lot of people have a stereotype of what a used bookstore is like, stacks of dusty dirty books, can’t find anything. That’s not our bookstore. It’s very clean, most of the books look they could be new books.”

As Dobrow thought for a minute, he interjected “It’s more just than a business that makes money selling books. Books are very important in people’s lives. So being a part of that and being able to do something good and worthwhile and meaningful for people and the community is a great, great experience.” v

David Ballard is a Duluth photojournalist and frequent contributor to Duluth.com.

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Sweet CREATIVITY

BY

ANDREA BUSCHE

PHOTOS BY DAVID BALLARD PHOTOGRAPHY

Lyndsay Smitke of Snazzy Cakes stands behind a variety of wedding white cupcakes topped with her signature buttercream icing. The cake in front of her is a Harry Potter themed birthday strawberry champagne cake with cream cheese filling.

Upon entering the kitchen of Snazzy Cakes, a custom cake shop owned by Duluthian Lyndsay Smitke, you feel you have entered an artist’s studio. In this interesting space located off her home, amongst edible watercolor paints, baking implements and a meticulously maintained day planner, Smitke creates beautiful and delicious baked goods worthy of magazine covers. While she specializes in wedding cakes, she also creates cake pops, handpainted cookies, cupcakes and cakes for all occasions.

Smitke’s variety of skills and talents merge seamlessly, combining the heart of an artist with the talent and technical skills of a graphic designer. The end results are equal parts stunning, scrumptious … and definitely very snazzy.

MANY TALENTS

Smitke, who was born and raised in Duluth, graduated from Duluth Central in 1999. She attended the Art Institute of Minnesota, where she studied graphic design, and later graduated from Cosmetology Careers Unlimited. She worked in Duluth’s hair industry, including On the Canal, Bam Style, and Justin Paul Salon for several years.

In 2008, Smitke married her husband, Bryan, who was in the Army. The couple traveled where Bryan’s military service took them, including Texas and Kentucky. It was during their early years in the military that Snazzy Cakes was born.

SNAZZY CAKES

Smitke has always been creative. Over the years, she has made and sold jewelry and clay figurines, studied graphic design and worked in the cosmetology business. She also liked to bake. But she didn’t know how big the cake industry truly was until she stumbled across a little reality TV.

“One day, I was walking through Michaels craft store, and I saw that there was a cake aisle,” Smitke said. “I had no idea why there would be a cake aisle until I caught an episode of TLC’s Cake Boss.”

While the family was stationed in Kentucky and Bryan was deployed to Afghanistan, Smitke was a stay-at-home mom to the first two of the couple’s four children, Ryan and Malakai. She started baking cakes out of their home for fellow military families, and it was an instant hit.

“I thought to myself, ‘this is really taking off,’” Smitke said. “I need to come up with a name.” She decided on the moniker Snazzy Cakes, a fun and clever name which came to her out of the blue.

The success of Snazzy Cakes grew, and since she was licensed to operate out of her home, Smitke brought her business with her wherever the family moved. In March 2016, Bryan retired from the military, and the family returned to Duluth.

After Smitke’s beloved grandfather passed away, the couple purchased her grandparents’ home on Rice Lake Road. In addition to being home to the Smitke family, which now includes four sons, Ryan, Malakai, Jeriko and Luken, along with Diesel, the family dog, it is also home to Snazzy Cakes.

Smitke’s baking area is located in her grandparents’ old bedroom, and she proudly uses berries from bushes her grandfather planted 70 years ago in her cake fillings. “This home is just perfect for a business,” she said.

STAY-AT-HOME MOM AND BUSINESS OWNER

Smitke thinks of herself first and foremost as a stayat-home mom. “My first full-time job is my kids,” she said.

“I’m so lucky and grateful I get to do what I do.” But her business is booming, and life is very full for the Smitkes.

Bryan, who now works as a union pipefitter in his civilian life, helps by entertaining the boys while Smitke bakes and sees customers. The Smitke kids have even been known to join in the fun.

“I pay my 8-year-old to join me on deliveries and open doors for me,” Smitke said. “I felt unprofessional about it at first, but I’ve now realized that this is me, and this is how I do business.”

WEDDINGS AND MORE

The largest portion of Smitke’s business is baking wedding cakes. The cakes are truly edible art, and she can create anything the couple dreams up. Smitke makes her own fondant and can even create edible flowers.

She capitalizes on her graphic design background by offering digital cake sketches, a tool that allows couples to see their cake before their big day. “This really takes the pressure off of me, because then I know they’ll love their cake,” she said. The sketches are also convenient in that they can be e-mailed to florists so the cake and flowers can be coordinated to match.

Cookies, cake pops and birthday cakes are also part of the Snazzy Cakes repertoire. Smitke has baked cakes that look like a very realistic turkey and stuffing, a pizza and breadsticks, and even a “heart cake” after someone had open-heart surgery.

ASTRONOMICAL SUCCESS

Since Smitke’s move to Duluth, the success of Snazzy Cakes has exploded. She receives approximately five e-mails per day with order requests, and has baked between 25 and 30 wedding cakes in a season. Although she hates to turn anyone away, as Snazzy Cakes’ sole employee, Smitke often has to refer clients to other area bakeries.

Smitke’s work has been featured in a variety of print media, including American Cake Decorating Magazine, International Wedding Cakes Magazine, Wisconsin Bride, and Lake Bride. She was even invited to be featured on the Food Network.

“I had to decline, unfortunately, for several reasons,” she said. “I had cakes to bake, and I also had a brand-new baby. Also, the bakers on those shows always have a partner, and I ride solo. But, it was an honor to be asked.”

Smitke’s five-year plan includes moving to an off-site studio, and hiring a baker and an administrative assistant. But she always wants to maintain control of the planning and design of her cakes. “I am an artist, and I’m really a perfectionist,” she said.

A FEW THINGS TO KNOW

It is important to note that as a custom cake shop, Snazzy Cakes does not have a walk-in storefront. If you wish to place an order, this can be done through the Snazzy Cakes website. Most orders can be coordinated via e-mail and telephone, although in-person meetings are required for wedding cake design.

Every item from Snazzy Cakes is freshly baked, and gluten-free options are available upon request. Smitke handles delivery and set-up, and cake plates and other display materials are available for rent. Snazzy Cakes is also proud to be LGBT-friendly.

HELPING HANDS

Smitke is grateful for Snazzy Cakes’ success, and attributes much of it to others; both fellow business owners, and the word of mouth provided by happy customers. In return, she loves to give back by donating cakes for worthy causes, doing so about twice a month.

“Without the help of other people in the community, I wouldn’t have this business,” she said. “People here value community over competition. Duluth has a phenomenal creative network, and people here love to support local businesses.”

Andrea

DID YOU SAY DULUTH?

BY CHRISTA LAWLER

Scene: A family winds along a remote two-lane road en route to a rustic northern vacation spot — the kind of place where trees are so rampant, it’s almost impossible to open the car doors.

They meet the wild-eyed lodge keepers, a crusty husband-wife duo, in the front office. She’s taming her perm with a visor, and he is wearing a T-shirt that has become an iconic prop in local pop culture history.

“I’ve Been to Duluth,” it says, black lettering on a white shirt.

The reference comes less than 5 minutes into the 1988 movie “The Great Outdoors,” starring John Candy and Dan Aykroyd, and catching this

on a big screen is a lasting memory for some.

“I remember seeing that in the movie theater and everyone losing their mind,” recalled Jonathan Lee, a Duluthian who now lives in Panama City, Fla., where he is a teacher. More than 20 years after it played at Cinema 8, Lee received an “I’ve Been to Duluth” T-shirt as a gift.

“I wear it to school, and kids ask me ‘Where is Duluth?’” he said.

For decades, Duluth has been name-dropped on screen, in literature, music — or any place where a certain sort of city fits the narrative. Beyond a kitschy T-shirt, it’s the hometown of an applicant for a wait staff position in the movie “Garden State,” and in the Meat Puppet’s song “Lake of Fire,” it’s where a lady got bit by a dog with a rabid tooth and went to her grave “just a little too soon.” In Richard Cecil’s poem “Internal Exile,” a hypothetical person is sentenced to “Forty years accounting in Duluth!”

And, it’s where Ruth Hussey’s character grew up in the 1940 film “Philadelphia Story.”

“Well it was years ago,” she says of her divorce. “I was only a kid in Duluth.”

“Duluth. That must be a lovely spot. It’s west of here, isn’t it?” says Tracy Lord, played by Katherine Hepburn.

For Lee, this Hepburn moment is among the best references — and he’s got an internal library cataloguing a bunch of them. You haven’t heard the word “Duluth” pronounced until Hepburn says it, he said. “That’s the finest pronunciation.”

FOR DECADES, DULUTH HAS BEEN A GO-TO NAME-DROP ON TV, IN MOVIES AND IN MUSIC AND LITERATURE. AND WE LOVE IT.

Duluth gets a nod on a T-shirt in the 1988 movie “The Great Outdoors.” Hughes Entertainment

Katherine Hepburn’s character in the 1940 film “Philadelphia Story” is from Duluth. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

THE DULUTHIEST DULUTH-DROPPER OF ALL

It’s possible that no one has referenced Duluth more than homegrown comedian Maria Bamford, who was namedropping the Pioneer Bar on the internet in the mid-2000s.

“The Maria Bamford Show” is a web series that had shades of the more recent “Lady Dynamite”: a character named Maria Bamford moves back to her hometown, Duluth, from Los Angeles to tend to her mental health. She moves into her parents’ home and navigates a cast that includes her sister and high school friends — all played by Bamford. Her Netflix Original Series, which premiered in 2017, also includes color-muted flashbacks to her hometown.

“I think ‘Lady Dynamite’ has referenced Duluth more than all the other references combined,” said Paul Lundgren of Perfect Duluth Day.

The Bamford oeuvre has earned the seal of approval from Mayor Emily Larson.

“My fave Duluth reference: all things Maria Bamford,” she wrote in an email. “Funny, funny stuff.”

Even beyond the show, Bamford has audiences curious about her hometown.

In her first appearance on “The Tonight Show

with Jay Leno,” she opened with a shout-out to her old neighborhood.

“Hi. I’m Maria Bamford. I’m from Duluth, Minnesota,” she reportedly said. Then added: “Duuuu-loooth in the hoooow-sse.”

Before “Lady Dynamite” aired, newsy website Bustle gave readers the 411 on Duluth — information ranging from population to the fact that the Duluth Public Library is shaped like an ore boat.

Bamford isn’t the first to set a show here, but with two seasons of “Lady Dynamite,” her run has been far more successful than “The Louie Show” starring fellow Minnesotan Louie Anderson as a therapist. Five episodes of his show aired on CBS in the mid-1990s.

THE CASE OF THE MYSTERIOUS LIFT BRIDGE

In an informal poll of people with ties to Duluth, a favorite large-audience local reference is a 2006 skit on Saturday Night Live about a corny morning show with a theme song called “Fly High Duluth.” The 6-minute bit includes footage from Duluth and Lake Superior, and actor Scarlett Johansson provides the earnest vocals — “Fly High Duluuuuuth.”

After it aired, the News Tribune reported some responses from a “Saturday Night Live” message board, which ranged from:

“‘Fly High Duluth’ was hilarious — especially being a former resident” from username Googuse; and Duluthbeerguy’s “So what the heck is with the Duluth slamming.”

“Lady Dynamite” on Netflix includes local references by Duluth native Maria Bamford.

The cast of “Saturday Night Live” and host Scarlett Johansson sing “Fly High, Duluth” in a sketch about a morning TV theme song gone bad. NBC

Paul Lundgren

As part of the media blitz behind “Leatherheads,” a 2008 movie based on the Duluth Eskimos football team, George Clooney and Renee Zellweger made a stop at the Duluth Depot.

That’s one of the reasons why it’s among Duluth fan Crystal Pelkey’s favorite Duluth references in pop culture.

“I met George Clooney,” Pelkey said. “It was a milestone in my life.”

It’s a more subtle, insiders-only nod that also gets a lot of props. In a reboot of “The Gilmore Girls” that aired on Netflix, Sookie makes a wedding cake for Luke and Lorelei that includes, among its fondant decorations, an Aerial Lift Bridge and a sign for Duluth. Even Reddit users haven’t solved the mystery of why.

‘WE TEND TO BE MORE INTERESTING THAN OTHERS’

Duluth-centric website Perfect Duluth Day has been collecting Duluth references for more than a decade. Lundgren, the site’s president, said he thinks it started when a user created a video montage of Duluth mentions in movies.

The video, which is still on the site, starts with Patty Duke on her way to Glensheen mansion, where she will be terrorized by her mother-in-law (“You’ll Like My Mother”). It includes roadtrippers cruising past a Duluth sign (“Tommy Boy”) and Charles Durning eyeing the Aerial Lift Bridge from a hospital bed. He darn-near growls “No men left up here. No man in his right mind is going to stay up here in this Christless country … except us” in the 1988 Duluthmade movie “Far North.”

The posts are tagged “References to Duluth in Film/TV or other Media,” and there are about 40 instances, Lundgren said.

Among the posts: In November, Scott Simon dropped Duluth as a host for the 2026 Winter Olympics on NPR’s “Saturday Sports.” In October, an episode of “Supernatural” was set in Duluth. A St. Scholastica alum was on “Jeopardy!” last year, and a sex worker from Minnesota, on HBO’s “The Deuce,” is heckled about Duluth.

Not to mention, satirical news site The Onion regularly drops a Duluth dateline on its stories.

Lee said it seems Duluth is the answer when a writer needs a location reference that everyone has heard of, but no one knows where it is.

“It sort of hits that Venn Diagram center,” he said. “We’re big enough to be real, but small enough to be ‘Whoa. Somebody said our name.”

If you’re from Hibbing, Lundgren said, these references would be few and far between. If you’re from Minneapolis, they happen all the time, so you aren’t going to care.

“We’re a cold northern city; we get picked on for that a little bit,” he said. “Among cities in the 80-90,000 population range, we tend to be more interesting than others.”

Actors Renee Zellweger and George Clooney appear at the Duluth Depot in 2008 to promote the movie “Leatherheads.” File / News Tribune

Crystal Pelkey

It’s only 44 miles to Duluth in this image from the movie “Tommy Boy.” Broadway Pictures

ED SEEMS TO LIKE US

As far as we know, Ed Sheeran doesn’t have a physical tie to Duluth, but he spends a lot of time walking around with our name on his chest — or, rather, Duluth-based Duluth Pack.

The local company, known for its handcrafted canvas and leather bags, delivered a sweatshirt to Sheeran before his 2016 concert at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.

This is standard practice with Duluth Pack, which has offered goods to Blake Shelton, Maroon 5, Stevie Nicks and more.

“Within the first two months that he had the sweatshirt, he was publicly seen wearing it over 20 times,” said Andrea Johnson, the company’s marketing manager, who literally handed the swag to Sheeran.

The sweatshirt — which features the Duluth Pack logo — was already a bestseller.

It has done even better since then.

“The best thing was the social media interaction where people were like ‘I just got my logo sweatshirt from Duluth Pack,’” Johnson said.

This practice doesn’t stop with Sheeran. Johnson said they have plans to make more deliveries to Xcel Energy Center.

Be prepared, Instagrammers, for the next Duluth Pack-celebrity connection.

BEAUTY AND THE BEER

Matt Dressel experienced his first Duluth-style fan-frenzy soon after he moved to Duluth from California. He went to the theater to see Pixar’s “Inside Out,” an animated movie about a family that has just moved from Minnesota to San Francisco.

“I’m sitting in the theater, and they make a passing reference that they lived in Minnesota,” recalled

Dressel, who is now in charge of programming at Zinema 2. “The crowd went nuts.”

Since then, he has seen it happen more often — especially during premieres of locallymade movies.

“Everybody likes a reference to their hometown — as long as it’s a positive one,” said Dressel, whose own hometown in Michigan is represented in “Tickled,” a documentary about the world of competitive endurance tickling. “In Duluth, people are really proud of their city. What we have, our landmarks, our businesses, any chance we have to share that is regarded as being good. People really latch on to that and want to share it.”

Pelkey said it has to do with visibility. She grew up in Little Falls, Minn., boyhood home of Charles Lindbergh and award-winning writer

Louise Erdrich. She doesn’t hear as much about her hometown.

“Duluthians, in general, we love the city we live in, and we take pride in the very unique assets,” Pelkey said. “From its physical beauty to its craft beer scene to its art scene. When other people recognize it, it’s validation.” v Christa Lawler is a features reporter for the Duluth News Tribune. Follow her on Twitter at @dntane.

LSYC’s 8-week introductory music program is coming to the following schools March 2019:

• Congdon Elementary

• Hermantown Elementary

• Laura MacArthur Elementary

• North Star Academy

• Northern Lights Elementary

• Piedmont Elementary

Register Today: www.lsyouthchorus.org/prelude

*Singers do not need to be enrolled at the school to participate in Prelude. 001790984r1

Singer Ed Sheeran has been photographed numerous times wearing a Duluth Pack sweatshirt, including this shot posted on the Twitter account of radio host Ace Burpee.

Matt Dressel

BY TONY BENNETT

It’s the era of the artisan. Now more than ever, consumers are interested in products that are made with care and pride by people who have made a hobby into a way to earn a living.

Danette Thacker of Riverside Soy Candles is one of these people. She has turned a love for candlemaking into a thriving small business, and it has been an exciting journey for her over the last few years.

“Riverside Soy Candles is a true grassroots story,” Thacker said. “I’m a self-taught candlemaker without a business

SMELL OF SUCCESS

DULUTH CANDLEMAKER TURNS HOBBY INTO FULL-TIME JOB

degree. I’ve always loved candles, and I decided to try making a few as a hobby. Never in my wildest dreams did I think this hobby would become my full-time job.”

Things for Thacker started slowly. “I’ve worked to where I am today by trial and error, and by learning as I go,” she said. “Five years ago, I bought my first pound of wax at a local hobby store and practiced making a few candles for myself. Months later, I found a distributor and ordered my first 50-pound box of wax, which at the time I thought was a large amount.”

As time went on and Thacker began selling her wares, she gained a sense of what her buyers were looking for. “Customers want simple, quality products at an affordable price, and Riverside Soy Candles embodies all of (that),” she said. “My candle business has had a natural progression over the last five years, with production increasing each year. Fast forward to 2018 — a 65-pound melting pot was purchased to be able to keep up with demand. In the months of November and December, I went through nearly 2,000 pounds of wax; 2018 was

Candlemaker Danette Thacker, owner of Riverside Soy Candles, poses with some of her product at Duluth Antique Marketplace in West Duluth. Steve Kuchera / Duluth News Tribune

my busiest year to date.”

“Today I offer over 50 varieties of scented candles,” Thacker said. “I’ve created specialty candles that include local high-school colors and sportsteam colors. I offer custom-labeled candles for local businesses, baby showers, and weddings. Local customers are my biggest supporters, but I do ship to customers all over the country, including as far as California and Florida. Customers have been so supportive and encouraging over the years. I receive so many kind emails and messages from customers stating how they love my candles and how Riverside Soy Candles are the only candles they will burn.”

Those candles are unique, as the name might indicate. “Riverside Soy Candles are made with high-quality, 100% soybean wax that is grown and manufactured right here in the USA,” Thacker said. “Soy wax is clean-burning, and produces little to no black soot when burned properly. Soy wax is natural and contains nothing artificial, which makes it a better alternative to petroleum-based candles. Soybeans are a renewable resource, which makes Riverside Soy Candles a environmentally-friendly candle choice.”

The business is mostly a solo endeavor, though Thacker gets some help, here and there. “Last fall, I trained my husband in to help out during the busy fall and winter months,” she said. “He has been a huge part of Riverside Soy Candles’ success. Craft shows would be nearly impossible without the help of my mother and daughter. It’s truly a family affair.”

Thacker has seen a lot of growth in the last five years, and there’s no signs that things are letting up. “2019 is looking to be an exciting year,” she said. “This business has slowly been taking over our basement, so it is definitely time to expand. In February, I will be taking a big leap and renting a workspace in the Lincoln Park area, with hopes to possibly open a storefront later in the year. I’ll also be working on getting a website up and running in the near future for easier online ordering.”

For now, Riverside Soy Candles are available all over the Northland in places such as the Glensheen mansion gift shop, Duluth Antique Marketplace, and Northwoods Confections & Gifts, among others.

While it’s a business with a rising profile, at the end of the day, it’s still all about Thacker’s passion and creativity, something she clearly holds dear.

“I find inspiration driving down the road, listening to a favorite song or overlooking a pretty sunset,” she said. “And, when I get home, I just love putting the song or sunset in a jar for others to enjoy.”

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