Women in Business 2011

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2011

A special supplement to the AUSTIN DAILY HERALD

Author of new book has local ties

By Ed Shannon newsroom@austindailyherald.com

Co-owners of the Brick House D.J. Gorman (left) and Brigette Rambadt and Brigette's daughter, Grace, are photographed in the quaint and popular coffee house, located at 412 Third Ave. NE.

Still brewing with ideas 8 years later Mother, daughter still looking to add to BrickHouse Coffee House Story by Jason Schoonover • Photos by Eric Johnson

B

Christmas parties and baby showers.

coffees, desserts and gourmet sandwiches in Austin

than coffee and foods; the location is just as

for eight years at the BrickHouse Coffee House, and

important.

rigette Rambadt and DJ Gorman have blended

their own unique styles with inspiration from trips to Europe in Austin for almost a decade.

A slice of history

The mother-daughter duo has been serving up

To Rambadt and Gorman, the BrickHouse is more

the two are still looking to expand their business.

“The shop had to be the way it looks,” Gorman

Gorman and her daughter,

said. “We just didn’t want a

Rambadt, opened the coffee house soon after Rambadt moved back to Austin from Michigan.

building.”

412 Third Ave. NE

Gorman took much of the inspiration for the design and décor from European architecture and design. Before opening the BrickHouse, Gorman worked as a decorator and real estate agent.

Rambadt said her mother’s style has been influenced by European art and architecture.

Still, Rambadt said they had to make adjustments soon after

Rambadt noted they wouldn’t have

Address:

opened the coffee house in just any location.

Hours:

10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. Starting after Thanksgiving, the BrickHouse will be open Saturdays.

“We wouldn’t have done it if we couldn’t have gotten this place,” Rambadt said.

Before the two took over the building, its future didn’t look bright.

They wanted to turn it into a

Did You Know?

The former home that is now the BrickHouse was built in 1858, making it one of Austin’s oldest buildings.

parking lot,” Gorman said of when the two took over the BrickHouse location.

The BrickHouse is one of Austin’s

opening.

oldest buildings, as it was built in

“Really we thought it was going to be more of a coffee/dessert place,” Rambadt said. “But as soon as we opened, everybody wanted more food — they wanted sandwiches.”

The two added an array of sandwiches, soups and salads.

“Everything’s made from scratch,” Gorman said.

1858, the same year Minnesota became a state.

“I don’t know why they’d want to tear down a building like this,” Gorman said.

“I just wish that there was more saved in Austin,” Rambadt added.

The home stayed in one family until the 1980s,

“We try for our sandwiches to be healthy — nothing

when it became a small doctor’s office. Rambadt and

fried, a lot of salads and a lot of soup.”

Gorman bought the property about eight years ago.

They offer boxed lunches for businesses in town, and they make birthday cakes for order.

Though they’ve shied away from requests to cater

The building’s long history added to the appeal of the business.

“This was here when Civil War was on,” Gorman

outside the BrickHouse, they often host private

said. “That’s hard to imagine this building was

parties, like groom’s dinners, the Red Hats club,

standing then.”

See BRICKHOUSE, Page 4

‘An amazing journey’ Style Lounge enjoys success in first year

By Amanda Lillie amanda.lillie@austindailyherald.com

When Lindsey Haney and Jill DeMeyer opened the Style Lounge Salon on Main Street last November, they had no idea how well the community would take to the business.

Nearly one year later, both women are thrilled with their first year in business and hope to continue thriving.

“It really has been an amazing journey,” DeMeyer said. “Our guests have been so amazing and supportive throughout this whole ordeal that we wouldn’t be where we are today without them.”

See SALON, Page 2

Christine K. Jahnke is the author of the newly published book, “The Well-Spoken Woman,” and an Albert Lea High School graduate who has become a top national speech coach.

A comment on the book’s back cover says she is “… is the president and founder of Positive Communications … and has provided speech coaching and media training to leaders in business, the nonprofit community, government, and politics since 1991. Jahnke has advised First Lady Michelle Obama and (former First Lady) Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign and has worked with woman CEOs at companies as diverse as the National Geographic Channel and the International Speedway Corporation, parent of NASCAR.” The author is the daughter of Wayne and Sharon Jahnke and a 1981 graduate of Albert Lea High School. She graduated from Winona State University in 1985 and spent the next two years as a weather reporter for KTTC-TV in Rochester. At the present time Jahnke is completing her studies for a Master’s degree from Georgetown University of Washington, D.C. After leaving the Rochester television station, Jahnke worked for the Michael Dukakis presidential campaign before moving to the nation’s capital city where she now resides with her husband, Paul Hagen.

The main focus of this new book is on its 10 main chapters, each based on a woman who has made major contributions to American life. Each woman has outstanding talents that can be used to both help and inspire other women. Those women are: the late Ann Richards, colorful former governor of Texas; Indra Nooyi, CEO of PepsiCo; the late Barbara Jordan, former congresswoman; Pat Summitt, women’s basketball coach at the University of Tennessee; Melinda Gates of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; Elizabeth Dole, former head of the American Red Cross and U.S. Senator; author Maya Angelou; television financial advisor Suze Orman; Madeline Albright, former secretary of state; and Hillary Clinton, present secretary of state.

These role models help to emphasize Jahnke’s concept that women should look and sound their best when speaking.

This book has already received several positive reviews by prominent women in various aspects of American life. And one of those women is Stephanie Schriock, president of EMILY’s List.

The book is certainly intended for women. However, the former Albert Lea resident clearly states it has suggestions and information that can help men as well.

“The Well-Spoken Woman” is the type of book that could also easily be used as a textbook for college and even high school speech classes.

Jill DeMeyer (right) and Lindsey Haney (left) opened the doors of The Style Lounge on Main Street, a full service hair salon, last November.

Herald photo

file

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Women in Business

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2011

A special supplement to the AUSTIN DAILY HERALD

Three cheers for spirits K

Owner takes pride in expanding selection at Austin liquor store

nowing her customers is the key to maintaining a good business.

Angie Stickfort, owner of Cheers Liquor in Austin and Albert Lea with her husband of 24 years, Craig, said it’s important that she knows her customers so she can stock the products they enjoy.

“I take great pride in running a good store,” Stickfort said.

Stickfort also credits her staff in both locations for their hard work and dedication.

She and her husband have owned the Albert Lea location for seven years and recently bought the former Beer Depot in Austin in May. Stickfort said she’s dividing her time between the two stores.

“We’re continuing to expand liquor and wine selections,” Stickfort said.

Stickfort has been a bookkeeper for many years. She worked at First Lutheran Church for 15 years before leaving to help her

Story and photo by Kelli Lageson

Angie Stickfort poses for a photo in Cheers Liquor recently. Stickfort owns the liquor store with her husband, Craig. husband with bookkeeping for the Indy Lube stores they owned.

“It wasn’t my thing to be home all the time,” Stickfort said.

She enjoys being around others and meeting customers.

She’s liking her position now because she keeps track of the books, which she’s

always enjoyed, but she also performs many other tasks and works alongside her employees.

As an owner, she doesn’t have many days

off unless she purposely plans a trip.

Most vendors come on Mondays, and on Sundays she and Craig do the ordering.

“When you own

something you don’t have a lot of days off,” Stickfort said with a laugh.

Stickfort got her accounting degree at Riverland Community College and grew up near Conger. She lives on the same farm she grew up on and jokes that she’s only moved 100 feet in her life, because she moved from her childhood home to the home she and her husband built on the same land. She always knew she and Craig would be owners of something someday because of their personalities.

“I thought we would be business owners because my husband is intelligent and ambitious,” Stickfort said.

For now they don’t plan to expand or own more stores because it’s so important to Stickfort to know her customers and be in the stores as much as she can.

“To get farther away is too far to do a good job,” Stickfort said.

Salon: ‘I’m ecstatic about how things have gone so far’ From Page 1 Much of the salon’s success can be attributed to the salon’s styling team, which includes Haney and DeMeyer along with four other stylists and one associate. Haney said everyone who works there is passionate about their work and has a good work ethic.

Not to mention, guests have been loving the modern décor and atmosphere of the salon. When

Haney and DeMeyer started carrying Bare Escentuals makeup, the President of the company said their salon looks like it belongs in California.

“When they came back and were overwhelmed with a rural Minnesota town having such a modern and different look, it was a great compliment,” DeMeyer said. “We work in an atmosphere where we feel like everybody in here is a superstar, so it’s really fun.”

“We get the comment that ‘this doesn’t feel like Austin’ a lot.”

-Lindsey Haney Style Lounge

“We get the comment that ‘this doesn’t feel like Austin’ a lot,” Haney added.

Haney said she and DeMeyer are constantly training their staff, which can be a rarity among salons. They are currently training

their associate in a program that is similar to a Master’s program.

“We’re constantly doing education,” Haney said. “You’re not required as a stylist to have continued education, which is kind of sad.”

As the Style Lounge

Salon celebrates its first birthday, Haney and DeMeyer are happy with their success thus far and excited about what the future might hold.

The salon has room for 10 more stylists than it currently has, and Haney said they’ll likely fill those slots eventually.

The salon is also offering a special first birthday promotion starting Nov. 1. For $15, customers can buy a “birthday card” from the salon and get $110

worth of products and services.

“We can’t believe that it’s already been a year,” DeMeyer said.

“I feel like Austin has this really strong support for small businesses, and there’s camaraderie between small business owners in town,” Haney said.

“I’m ecstatic about how things have gone so far. It was really overwhelming at first, but I definitely feel more confident than I did a year ago.”

Women in Business

A special supplement to the AUSTIN DAILY HERALD

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2011

3

Oh, sweet

Etcetera Tanning & Clothing offers a unique business combination in Albert Lea’s Skyline Plaza.

An unlikely combo Business mixes tanning beds with used clothing

J

years. Etcetera’s latest additions are a 12minute bed that features better bulbs, and reflectors that tan customers’ faces, shoulders and sides.

Davis also added a skin conditioning/hydration spa and airbrush tanning.

As the store kept expanding, Davis said the number of customers did, too.

“Being here six years, I’m still surprised how many new clients we have here each week,” Davis said. “We get a lot of people from small, surrounding communities, too.”

Davis has reached further-away clients through a broad range of advertising. Since she opened Etcetera, Davis has advertised in several newspapers, including the Tribune and the Alden Advance, and local radio stations KATE and Power 96.

She also advertises in the Northwood Anchor, New Richland Star Eagle, Lake Mills Graphic and the Freeborn County Shopper, to name a few.

Davis said she chose Skyline Plaza to start her business because

she lived nearby. Her children attend Sibley Elementary and Southwest Middle School, which are located right behind the plaza, so it’s easy for Davis to pick them up or for them to walk over after school.

“There’s great parking, it’s clean and well maintained,” Davis said.

Davis said she was aware that the plaza, which was once Skyline Mall, was changing from a retail hotspot to more of a business park, but that didn’t deter her.

“I knew up front that we weren’t going to have walk-by traffic from other stores,” Davis said. “But tanning is a destination. I wasn’t too worried.”

Davis said walk-by traffic, which would help the clothing aspect of Etcetera, has declined since the closing of Skyline Plaza’s food court and Jo-Ann Fabrics, which were both open in 2005.

Davis’ biggest fear when opening the store was going out of business, especially since it required a personal financial

Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com.

Racine business serves up tasty treats

Story and photo by Andrew Dyrdal

ody Davis never considered herself a small business owner, but after struggling to book tanning appointments before a friend’s wedding, she decided to become one.

Angie Stickfort, now Davis, 35, opened Etcetera Tanning & Clothing in Skyline Plaza in 2005 after seeing a need in the community. The former sales associate at Slumberland Furniture spent more than a year researching the industry before jumping in.

Etcetera opened as a six-bed tanning salon that also sold children’s clothes. Davis had small children herself and knew Albert Lea didn’t have a lot of options in retail.

“I knew how they outgrow stuff, how good of condition it’s in and how expensive it can be,” Davis said.

At Etcetera, people can drop off slightly used clothes and Davis and her staff thoroughly inspect it. If it’s free of stains and tears, and in good shape, Etcetera may buy the items and sell them used at a discounted price. The store sells name brands such as Old Navy, Gap, OshKosh and The Children’s Place, and after the children’s clothes were a hit, Davis began selling maternity and junior’s clothes, baby gear and purses, most recently.

Davis also expanded her salon, moving from six to nine beds over six

Harla Nelson, owner of Harla’s Deli & Desserts, with her daughter Camille Morehart gives plenty of attention to her pies and desserts, a focal point of her business in Racine.

investment.

Luckily, Davis had some help getting the business customerready. Davis’ husband, Kevin, who works at Alamco Wood Products, remodeled the store’s interior, which had brand new beds and light fixtures.

Davis’ step-dad, an electrician, did the wiring, and other family members and friends pitched in.

“Everybody came together to help,” Davis said.

Davis said owning a business was completely new to her and she quickly had to learn about payroll, taxes and inventory. She goes to skin care conventions each year to stay current with the latest products and techniques, and likes to use the latest equipment, too.

Her sales background helps her communicate with customers. Davis said she would like to get another 12-minute tanning bed but beyond that has no plans for further expansion.

“There’s no other direction to go,” Davis said, pointing to her store.

By Matt Peterson matt.peterson@austindailyherald.com

Harla Nelson opened up Harla’s Deli and Desserts in Racine hoping to continue a family tradition.

“What you learn from your mother, your grandmother, those secrets you never give up. …

You can’t buy that in a store-bought pie,” Nelson said.

Nelson’s business, just south of Rochester on Highway 63, offers burgers, breads, salads and sandwiches, but she specializes in pie. She makes all pies by hand and uses ingredients from local gardens, including her own.

Nelson opened her shop in 2007, but she’s no pie-making rookie. She learned the secrets, which were passed down from previous generations, from her mother while growing up on a farm. Each one of Nelson’s pies has a little bit of history, as she still uses her grandmother’s rolling pin to form every crust.

“It’s family tradition,” Nelson said. “I would say we have 50 different pies.”

Among Nelson’s traditional apple, banana cream, pumpkin and blueberry varieties, she likes to make sour cream and raisin pie.

“It’s not unusual, but it’s a pie nobody makes anymore,” she said.

Some of Nelson’s rarities have included minced-meat pie and banana bread pie.

No matter whose recipe she uses, though, Nelson has learned something valuable. Through her upbringing, spending time with her family and now making pies for a living, she has discovered the essence of family gatherings: “It’s the food that brings people together.”

The Golden Tress Salon & Day Spa is the fulfillment of a dream. We would like to thank you for helping to make our dream a reality. Together, our team has taken our salon experience to the next level, doing the things we love. To make our clients and friends look and feel better about themselves.

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Women in Business

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2011

A special supplement to the AUSTIN DAILY HERALD

BrickHouse: ‘I just think we each have a niche’ From Page 1

“It’s a learning process all the time. We just try to keep up and keep learning.”

Repeat business Rambadt described many of the people who frequent the Brick House as seekers, or people who like finding new spots in the community or in neighboring communities.

Plus, they get plenty of repeat business.

“The people that eat here come back,” Rambadt said. “That’s always nice.”

Their business isn’t limited to Austin.

They’ve attracted the Red Hats clubs from nearby communities.

On the second Friday of each month, the BrickHouse hosts an open mic night.

Gorman said the nights attract a core group of about 10 people, but each month then there’s always 10 to 15 people who

-DJ Gorman come.

Rambadt said there’s been a wide variety of people and skill sets at the open mic nights, and they hope to attract an even wider variety of performers, especially more musicians.

Gorman noted they even had a tour guide from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness area who performed his singing tour.

Future The future won’t just be more of the

same at the BrickHouse.

Rambadt and Gorman are always looking for new dessert recipes and new sandwiches.

Though the espressos and lattes are typically made standard, Gorman said there are always new drinks to make.

“It’s a learning process all the time,” Gorman said. “We just try to keep up and keep learning.”

Soon, the two plan to start afternoon teas with a variety of teas, desserts and sandwiches. After Thanksgiving, the

coffee house will open on Saturdays. On Saturdays, it will likely be a stripped down menu of desserts and drinks.

Rambadt has debated adding more outdoor seating, but that’s at a standstill because they don’t know if there’s enough demand for it.

Gorman has been slowly adding to a garden outside, and she’s talking about adding garden plants and miniature trees in the front and on the east side of the building.

Neither Rambadt or Gorman are rattled by the number of other coffee houses in town, which has increased by two in the last few years.

Rambadt said the coffee houses are all different.

“I just think we each have a niche,” she said.

Italian tastes Brigette Rambadt and DJ Gorman have served up a variety of tastes at the BrickHouse Coffee House.

Their Astoria Espresso machine is direct from Italy.

When they opened the BrickHouse, Gorman said they both took training to know how to make the drinks, rather than using automatic machines theirs is a manual pull.

“We knew if we were going to do it , we wanted to have a fantastic espresso machine,” she said.

The machine was daunting at first.

“It was in the box for months — we were scared to death of it,” Gorman said.

But since, they’ve been thrilled to have the machine. Gorman said it does what many machines can’t do and it steams at a high heat and enhances flavor.

“I still don’t know everything about it, but I respect it a lot,” she said.

Gorman said it’s been worth it for the taste.

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