Downtown Bemidji gets a new look as businesses open, move

093023.N.BP.NEWBIZ Heidi Myhre 6.jpg — Heidi Myhre, who worked as a registered nurse for 20 years, opened Merry Piglets gift shop at 118 Third St. NW last week.

By Dennis Doeden

September 30, 2023 at 7:00 AM

BEMIDJI 鈥� If you鈥檝e strolled through downtown Bemidji recently, you鈥檝e probably noticed a few changes in the retail landscape. Things are moving, quite literally.

It started this summer when Kevin Johnson moved his myBemidji store across the street to 317 Beltrami Ave. NW, between Chocolates Plus and Brigid鈥檚 Pub.

Then Wick N Scents, which moved from the Paul Bunyan Mall into myBemidji鈥檚 old spot at 318 Beltrami and opened on Aug. 1.

The same day, Ritter Lane Soap Company opened in a former shoe repair spot at 320 Beltrami.

Last week, Merry Piglets gift shop opened at 118 Third St. NW, next to the former Wells Fargo drive-up bank.

And this week, 础濒濒测鈥檚 Corner became just 础濒濒测鈥檚 when it moved from Fourth Street and Minnesota Avenue into the former Sadie Rae鈥檚 Quilt Shop at 405 Beltrami.

You almost need a program to keep it all straight.

鈥淚鈥檓 really excited to see all the stores open,鈥� said Johnson, who started his myBemidji design and retail business in 2015. 鈥淭his is the most full I鈥檝e seen the downtown shops in many years.鈥�

Mitch Rautio, owner of several downtown buildings and landlord to three of the new stores, agrees.

鈥淲hen people comment that there are a lot of empty storefronts, it鈥檚 usually not the case,鈥� Rautio said. 鈥淒owntown is an incubator spot that continually seems to move and flow. People change and get bigger or start out and don鈥檛 make it. Usually, they鈥檙e in transition.鈥�

Here鈥檚 a look at the changing downtown retail scene.

Merry Piglets

Heidi (Hardwig) Myhre grew up in Bemidji and had her first taste of retail through her mother鈥檚 store, Emily鈥檚 Country Cottage. Heidi worked as a registered nurse for 20 years, including 11 years as a nursing director. She had that role at Sanford Bemidji for the last three years since her family moved back to town. Prior to that she lived in Jackson Hole, Wyo., and Aberdeen, S.D.

093023.N.BP.NEWBIZ Heidi Myhre 2.jpg — Heidi Myhre, owner of Merry Piglets, said most of her inventory comes from small, women-owned business in the U.S.

But the idea of opening a gift shop has been percolating for some time.

鈥淚 decided to completely make a change,鈥� Myhre said. 鈥淚 decided to open a store because I thought this would bring me a lot of joy. I love gift stores. I love fun, eclectic things.鈥�

But how did she come up with the name Merry Piglets?

鈥淭he name Merry Piglets is not one that I dreamed up,鈥� she wrote on social media. 鈥淭here is a Mexican restaurant with the same name in Jackson, where my husband and I got married and started our family. Merry means to be cheerful and lively. My maiden name is Hardwig and we affectionately refer to ourselves as 鈥榯he Hardpigs.鈥� We love pigs in my family. Merry Piglets is a personal name for me. It is a little different and a little whimsical 鈥� but those are things this store will be.鈥�

Myhre said most of her inventory comes from small, women-owned businesses in the United States.

鈥淭he businesses all have a story,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey give back to children, to women, to organizations that I believe in. That was a huge piece. I didn鈥檛 want to bring anything in that didn鈥檛 fit with my values.鈥�

Merry Piglets is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

础濒濒测鈥檚

It鈥檚 all about location for Kelly Speck and Angie Behr, who hope their move of only a few hundred feet will result in more traffic through the door.

Speck and Behr merged to form 础濒濒测鈥檚 Corner in the former Bemidji Hardware building nine months ago. Speck had operated her Junkin鈥� Treasures business there for nearly four years, and Behr ran her Twine and Gable shop at 209 Beltrami one year before the merger.

鈥湸”舯舨忖€檚鈥� is a play on the partners鈥� first names, Angie and Kelly. They dropped 鈥淐orner鈥� after the move to Beltrami, two doors north of Tara Bemidji.

Ally's Corner 1.jpg — Angie Behr, left, and Kelly Speck have moved their store to 405 Beltrami Ave. NW, changing its name from Ally's Corner to Ally's.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been a long four-and-a-half years of getting people to walk that extra half a block here,鈥� Speck said last week before the move took place. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why we鈥檙e moving, is foot traffic. If you can鈥檛 beat them, you鈥檝e got to join them. We鈥檙e very sad to leave the building. But we鈥檙e very excited to be in a busier spot.鈥�

Behr added, 鈥淲e loved the space we were in. The building had a lot of history. But we saw several times this summer people just crazy on Third Street and on Beltrami. I鈥檓 excited about more exposure.鈥�

Ally's Corner 2.jpg — Ally's offers a variety of household goods, yarn, clothing and gifts items.

The new location also will allow 础濒濒测鈥檚 to expand its yarn and clothing selections. A separate room will allow Behr to dye yarn and Speck to paint furniture. They also have room downstairs for group classes and parties.

础濒濒测鈥檚 is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

Ritter Lane Soap Company

Evelyn Lane-Ritter said her business got its start because of perceived boredom.

鈥淚 had raised chickens and goats, garden herbs and all that stuff,鈥� Lane-Ritter said. 鈥淎nd then my son thought I was bored, so he bought me a soap-making set and a book for dummies. And the rest is history.鈥�

Ritter Lane Soap Company.jpg — Evelyn Lane-Ritter has opened Ritter Lane Soap Company at 320 Beltrami Ave. NW.

From her farm near Lake George, she started using herbs and other plants to make soap, and eventually started her business, selling soap from a trailer at craft shows and farmers markets.

As the enterprise grew, it was time to look for a place to open a store.鈥淚t鈥檚 been in the works in my head for a long time,鈥� Lane-Ritter said. 鈥淲e looked in Lake George, and thought we had a spot, but they wanted to close down for the winters.鈥�

She has come a long way since receiving that first kit and book for dummies. Her store features a variety of soaps, and she prides herself on her social media posts and sidewalk chalkboard quips.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 make the pretty soaps with swirls,鈥� Lane-Ritter said. 鈥淭o me, it鈥檚 a waste of time and a waste of ingredients. Soap is soap. I try to make a quality bar soap and try to modify it to what somebody might need. I try to keep it affordable.鈥�

That can be a challenge. She said the price of olive oil, a key ingredient, has doubled in the last year.

Ritter Lake is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

Wick N Scents

One is a candlemaker and one is a baker. Angie Laurain and Michelle Parsley have partnered to run their business for eight years, the first two in a kiosk and the next six at the Paul Bunyan Mall. They also have been selling their wares, from handmade candles, bath and body products to baked and canned goods using local ingredients.

The move to downtown has already paid dividends, they said.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a whole different environment than the mall,鈥� Laurain said. 鈥淚 like the vibe down here. I like the small businesses. I guess this is the cool street to be on, so we got lucky.鈥�

Wick N Scents鈥� top-selling item is lip balm, which goes for $1.

鈥淚鈥檒l never go any higher than that,鈥� Laurain said. 鈥淲e have like 70 different flavors. We鈥檙e like the Willie Wonka of lip balms. If you want a flavor, I鈥檒l make it. Our biggest sellers are bacon and dill pickle.鈥�

The business partners complement one another, with Parsley handling the baking and canning while Laurain produces the bath and beauty items.

鈥淏ut when I鈥檓 making candles she鈥檚 helping me,鈥� Laurain said. 鈥淲hen she鈥檚 canning I help chop.鈥�

鈥淎nd when she鈥檚 making stuff then I鈥檓 doing her labels,鈥� Parsley added.

Wick N Scents is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and is at the Bemidji Natural Choice Farmers Market on Saturdays.

myBemidji

Kevin Johnson, a 1995 Bemidji High 歪歪漫画 graduate, ran his Great River Design business for 20 years, mostly out of his home. The self-taught web designer created myBemidji in 2015 as a venture into the social media world.

Johnson moved the business out of his home and into a LaunchPad site on the lower level of the Mayflower Building, but after two years he relocated to his first storefront on Beltrami Avenue.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 have an intention of becoming a store,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淏ut then I had a really cool logo that people wanted to see on merchandise, so I made a few hats. Those just flew out the door, and it kind of took off from there.鈥�

He still designs websites under the myBemidji umbrella. His new store has ample room for merchandise like hats, clothing and stickers.

031021.N.BP.MYBEMIDJI - 4.jpg — myBemidji customers can browse and buy their fill of all things Bemidji related, from T-shirts, hoodies and hats, to drink koozies, Paul and Babe earrings, magnets and much more.

鈥淲hat鈥檚 really nice about what I鈥檓 doing now is when small businesses in Bemidji come to me for a website I can kind of pick and choose and I don鈥檛 have to charge them an arm and a leg," Johnson explained.

He added that it can be much more expensive to go through a big design firm.

"It鈥檚 really nice to help smaller businesses in Bemidji when I can, and that鈥檚 what I do with social media, too," he added. "I kind of consider it guerilla marketing. I鈥檓 always posting about other businesses, but that鈥檚 how I get attention. I don鈥檛 think anyone else does that.鈥�

The myBemidji store is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

By Dennis Doeden

Dennis Doeden, former publisher of the Bemidji Pioneer, is a feature reporter. He is a graduate of Metropolitan State University with a degree in Communications Management.