Issu 1, 2020 - GRAND Lifestyle magazine

SHOP & When The Wedding HOME & STYLE // Goes Live DESIGN

ART & Best View The Good Side Of // // The CULTURE In Town Badman Studio

GRAND LIFESTYLE ISSUE 1 2020

DIARYof INKand IVORY ISSUE 1 2020

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The Motivations Of A House Transformation

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New Year, Healthy You

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Annual Physicals

There are many ways we try to better ourselves in the new year. And while all of these resolutions are good, what if we went back to the basics with our healthcare? Let’s start by choosing a primary care provider and scheduling a routine physical.

Why Primary Care is Important Your family medicine provider takes the time to get to know you and learns about you and your family’s medical history, including any lifestyle factors, as well as preferences about how you receive care. This prevents needing to spend time giving background information during each visit and gives your care team time to best focus on your current situation or concern.

Regular check-ups and screenings also increase chances of detecting potentially life-altering conditions when they are still in the early stages and most treatable.

An annual physical gives your family medicine provider the opportunity to see the bigger picture of your overall health and well-being. During an annual physical, a primary care provider may check your vitals, listen to your heart and lungs, assess your risk for illness, discuss any concerns you may have about your health, and make recommendations to help keep you as healthy as possible.

Staying Healthy for Life By choosing a primary care provider, you will have a healthcare partner and team of experts through all stages of life. Many offer pre- and post-natal care, throughout your pregnancy and delivery.

Having a primary care provider who knows you well will help reduce the amount of providers you need to see.

They are trained in a broad scope of care and can treat and monitor many conditions beyond regular screenings and annual exams.

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GRAND LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE // ISSUE 1 2020

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ART & CULTURE //

SHOP & STYLE //

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THE GOOD SIDE OF BADMAN STUDIO

WHEN THE WEDDING GOES LIVE

Dave Badman is a multifaceted, highly-skilled, globally-recognized metalsmith and designer that leads a team of talented creatives from his showroom and studio in downtown Grand Forks.

To showcase the region’s best vendors and unique—often unexplored—offerings of the Alerus Center as a dream wedding venue, Kaitlyn Spinney and Shelby Looker pulled off a live wedding show that was memorable for everyone involved.

EAT & DRINK //

26 BONZER’S: THE AURA OF OLD SCHOOL

The family behind the famous name of the long-running sandwich pub provides insight on the secrets of making the best chicken salad, becoming a community pillar and how the power of family helps maintain the magic of the place.

HOME & DESIGN //

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THE BEST VIEW IN TOWN

Built in the heart of downtown Grand Forks, the Selkirk on 4th condos bring a new vibe, offering and view to the city.

52 THE DIARY OF INK AND IVORY

GRAND magazine's editor takes you inside his home and reveals the ideas and motivation for a whole-house transformation.

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EDITOR'S NOTE //

Guided By Family The same day a young Grand Forks couple closed on their ϐirst home, they drove directly from the bank to their new house, opened the front door and immediately started tearing up old carpet. They were new homeowners and budding do-it-yourselfers with plans for a family, a lot of youthful energy and endless ideas for altering their new dwelling. They’d spent hours driving the quiet streets lined with old trees, dreaming of which place could be theirs. They wanted the canopy of green in front of their house, to drive home on a hot summer day while light ϐiltered through the trees.

In “The Diary of Ivory and Ink,” you’ll get a glimpse into the improbable, but immense, evolution of the couple’s entire home—inside and out—over the course of multiple years. You’ll also read about the unique motivation that drove the husband and wife team to keep their list of projects, build-outs and space reimaginations going constantly.

Admittedly, the story was the most difϐicult I’ve written in a long time, in large part, because it is the story of Rachel, my wife, and me. I tried to avoid the how-to, step-by-step and material spec approach to the story. I chose to include small entries about elements of our DIY life, especially the motivations for why we fell in love with trim work, learned how to garden and now try our hand at occasionally building furniture. The motivations I tried to share with you may not be linked to the happiest or most pleasant topics, but they were one of the main reasons for our efforts (which some might call an obsession) with the place we’ve made home. The story was meant to entertain, enlighten, possibly inspire and provide an interesting read. If I fell short with any of that, I’ll hold out hope that you’ll at least enjoy the photos taken by the All-Star husband and wife photographers from Manstrom Photography. For more before-and-after shots and other details about the house and story, check out the digital version at www.grandlifestylemagazine.com The entire issue actually leans toward families. In our behind-thescenes, retrospective, future-speculating piece on Bonzer’s, the Grand Forks pillar establishment, we captured a family realizing their place in the past, present and future. For a lighter side to the story, we also included the secrets to making the perfect sandwich or pouring a schooner.

Thinking about that story makes me hungry.

Dave Badman, the globally recognized metalsmith and design studio owner, has also become a pillar of the region. His family includes his creative team along with his signiϐicant other and her dog, who has now become a staple of the studio (Dave wasn’t always a dog guy). Badman shows us the life of a true creative craftsman and certainly makes us want to hang out with him at his studio or anywhere else. Who else do you Luke Geiver EDITOR, GRAND Lifestyle magazine know that designs cool art pieces out of metal and gold, practices lgeiver@bbiinternational.com Jiu-Jitsu, has his own cooking Instagram account, rides a Harley, loves comedic sitcoms, has been on QVC and drinks ϐine wines?

In the post even story on a live wedding event, you’ll learn about the efforts by a pair of exceptional Alerus Center event planners to pull-off a unique feat. And if you’ve wondered about those new Selkirk on 4th condos, we’ve got the story and photos looking inside out.

Thank you for your readership and please, reach out with your ideas for the next GRAND stories. We’ve got a long list we’re always looking to bolster.

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ART & CULTURE // Photos by Manstrom Photography

THE GOOD SIDE OF

BADMAN STUDIO

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GRAND LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE // ISSUE 1 2020

Many things about Dave Badman seem improbable if not impossible. He’s a globally-recognized metalsmith and designer celebrated for his work with small pieces, like catalog jewelry and Christmas ornaments, but also massive outdoor installations, like fourteen-foot-tall mixed-metal tree sculptures. During the day, you can ϐind him peering through a magnifying glass soldering a pinhead size bit of copper onto a new custom art piece no bigger than a quarter. During the night, you might see him tumbling or sparring at a Jiu-Jitsu gym (for a while he was a practicing Mixed Martial Artist). He was never a dog guy, but now his girlfriend’s dog is a staple at his 5,000-foot showroom and design studio in downtown Grand Forks. He works for major commercial developers to help them bring art into new buildings. He also works with retired farmers that need a new piece for their long-time sweetheart. In the brickwalled basement of his studio he stores unused T-shirts meant for an artbased organization. Five-feet away from the shirts is a custom Harley Davidson motorcycle and close to the bike are a pair of jasmine trees he moves inside every winter. The contents of his ofϐice reveal his love for the Minnesota Twins, "The Ofϐice," sitcom and famous artists or architects like Frank Lloyd Wright. He loves eating, but always prefers cooking his own gourmet meals (he has his own Instagram account showing his chef-escapades).

After thirty years of owning his own metalsmithing and design business—which has included stints on QVC, surviving the

historic ϐlood of ’97 and managing a team of other creatives— Badman lives like a real-life embodiment of the most interesting man in the world. He’s the type of guy you would associate with anything you think is cool. Aside from his accomplishments and justiϐied conϐidence in what he’s done and the life experiences he’s attained, he acknowledges that today he’s still striving for more. The inspiration to create has never waned, he keeps saying. In fact, it's just the opposite.

When he talks about that creative desire in combination with the future, it comes out a bit begrudgingly, but mostly with the type of excitement a young CEO has when they are about to launch a product they think will change everything in their lives and others. In the coming months, big changes are actually coming for Badman. That is what Badman has created and where he exists now: a situation that requires the Badman as we know it, him or the team, to transform into something they all believe could be so good.

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ART & CULTURE //

Inside the Showroom/Design Studio Hung above the main showroom near the entrance of the Badman building, a series of custom-made and painted mesh-material ceiling tiles are hung to create an artistic atmosphere. Among the company of wine-racks, benches, jewelry pieces or wall art installations, the tiles are the least impressive, even if they might be the most telling of what the Badman team is. A prolonged glance at the tiles reveals the presence of used wine bottle corks numbering in the hundreds. According to Badman, the team has had many memorable moments, positive client experiences and recognized pieces over the years to celebrate. With each noteworthy moment, the team has tried to participate together in a quick, rewarding sip of something that regardless of taste, year or type, has helped or forced them to step back from their daily task to recognize the success they created, a success that was linked to a physical piece they always knew would someday be gone from their hands and eyes forever.

When their sippable moments are over, Badman says with a smile and a glance towards the tiles, one of them has always made sure to toss the cork onto the tiles.

Badman was ϐirst recognized for his own work when he was young. After growing up in the United Kingdom, he moved to the U.S. with his Air Force family at 15. For most of his early years, he was always creating. He credits Legos for his early realization that he loved to use his hands as a tool connected to the visions of his mind’s creative eye. “I remember a time when my dad, a weatherman, brought home a weather map,” he says. “I drew a jail cell on the map and put it on my door. The drawing was so good my parents didn’t get mad.”

After ϐinishing high school in Grand Forks, Badman enrolled at the University of North Dakota. Soon after he started working with jewelry an instructor at the time liked his work so much Badman was encouraged to take it—the jewelry and everything else—more serious. Near the end of his undergrad career, Badman decided on a whim to buy a small jewelry store owned by three other makers. The store’s footprint was six-foot by thirty-foot. Badman thought he could make jewelry there, run the business better and leave it all behind at any time. Soon after opening the store it was 1988, and Studio 18 was open for business, according to the plywood sign above the door.

A major part of Badman’s success stems from his willingness to show and talk about his work. To describe a single 14 GRAND LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE // ISSUE 1 2020

earring, Badman my require an hour to explain the intricacies of it all. Early on, Badman knew he would have to venture away from the region to ensure Studio 18 wasn’t a short-lived venture. With a portfolio of jewelry, he traveled to Chicago, New York and other major cities to showcase his talent. A meeting with a major jewelry representative in Chicago got his pieces into Nordstroms. A personal meeting with a Dayton’s rep got him into Dayton’s. “My friends asked me back then what I would have done if Dayton’s would have said no.

I guess I never gave that any thought. I never thought about that outcome,” he says.

After creating, designing and supplying for every major retailer across the country, Badman has moved away from the catalog and big-box establishment approach he says, due to choice. His commitment to the region has been recognized by a North Dakota Governor. One wall of his studio acts as a library for the stories that have been written about Badman by every entity from local news to national design experts.

The QVC Story The ϐirst experience Badman had with QVC was on a live television stage. He was there to talk about his earrings. He sold 1,600 pairs in four minutes. The major television selling conglomerate had embarked on a “50 products in 50 states” tour. As part of the tour, QVC selected three makers from each state and gave them the chance to go on a regional stage, explain their product and sell the goods. Of the three makers, QVC planned to bring one to its national headquarters to ϐilm live. After selling those 1,600 pairs in four minutes from a show ϐilmed in North Dakota, QVC chose Badman over a ϐire extinguisher product maker and a bird feeder system.

TOOL S OF T HE TR ADE Clay Rollers Forgers Torches Venting Systems Kilns Grinders Hammers Presses Mills Industrial Soldering Systems Pencils Fresh Ideas

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ART & CULTURE //

I T M I G H T N OT A LWAYS B E T H E E XAC T V I S I O N T H AT E X I ST E D W I T H I N T H E C L I E N T, B U T I N T H E B E ST C AS E S , T H E V I S I O N O R I D E A W I L L B E CO M E A P H YS I C A L T H I N G T H AT T H E Y W I L L N E V E R WA N T TO B E W I T H O U T.

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From the main QVC studio, Badman sold another 1,500 pair of earrings in short time. It was nerve wracking, he explains, and exciting and stressful all at the same time. His main thought after each order wasn’t linked to fulϐillment or justiϐication of design choice, but instead about ϐilling the orders. After working long hours with little help from his tiny shop in Grand Forks, Badman fulϐilled the 1,500 order.

But, QVC’s quality control team found the proverbial needle in the haystack during a random check of an earring sent to fulϐill the order. QVC rejected the lot and Badman had to start over. “I remember going through that second order so close. I put a rubber band across all of the earrings so they wouldn’t touch and none of the ϐinish would be compromised during shipping,” he says. The new products passed.

Soon after, an order of 2,000 came in. Badman had most of the order done. That was in early 1997. Then the ϐloods came and washed out his store, including the order of 2,000.

Despite the large ϐinancial gains made from the orders, Badman decided he didn’t want to shape his future on huge

orders made by only him and a small team. The rush to produce had taken away the joy of creating, he says. “I was never really able to celebrate one of those orders,” he explains.

“I was too busy wearing off my ϐingertips polishing each piece. I learned then that if I just chased the dollar, I would get tired.” For Badman, the QVC story is more of a feather in the designer cap, a reminder that his work is cherished by the masses and that his pursuit is, and always will be, about more than the revenue. He hasn’t sold on QVC since. Everyone knows he could have.

The Designer’s Life Ask Badman or anyone on his team and they will all say the same thing about their true skills: they help people bring a vision from their head into real life. It might not always be the exact vision that existed within the client, but in the best cases, the vision or idea will become a physical thing that they will never want to be without. As an accomplished designer, Badman can’t describe a normal week, let alone a day.

C U STOM R UNS Badman has been creating themed Christmas ornaments for several years. Each ornament is the same for a given year. Most customers have family members that have come to expect a new ornament from the Badman collection every year.

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ART & CULTURE //

ADVICE TO COMMERCIAL ARTISTS HAPPY PISSED ANGRY Doesn’t Sell Doesn’t Sell Sells Some days he draws. Others he works on metal or builds with clay. An intense-plus-passionate-plus-caring-plus a bit anxious person, Badman’s day-to-day is always under construction. He’s accepted that. What he cares about today, and what he has always cared about, is achieving a certain lifestyle that suits his inner workings.

He’s never been able to copy previous work or reduplicate. Sometimes he’s truly in the moment and inspired.

Many times, he’s not. No matter what, he’s happy with what he’s created in his business. “I’m happy with the freedom of what I’m doing,” he says, even if the business side, pricing art and offering his non-studio time up for potential clients, can be daunting. From the number of pieces he’s created in more than three decades of work, one might think he does it all to get lost in the enjoyment of his work. That is certainly part of it, Badman admits, but his most enjoyment and fulϐillment comes from the people he works with and the clients he creates for. “I love being part of traditions. I love helping people understand what is possible and then delivering that to them. I want to overachieve every time,” he says.

The showroom in front of the store is an ode to the diversity of the Badman team. The number of products, furnishings or items for sale is almost unbelievable. It seems unlikely that a small team of designers working in downtown Grand Forks could have such an extensive showcase of work. Even if you’ve known Badman and his team forever, it doesn’t seem possible that they could even ϐit so much good into such space. But then, as we did over the course of a few days, you will get lucky enough to catch Dave or Holly in between a job or task.

You ask them about their work, what inspired them, why they choose to put copper over metal and add clay. You point to a tool and shake your head to indicate you have no idea what they are doing with it. If they do what they did for us during our time there, they’ll pick up the tool or the piece of copper and start talking about it.

Then, sometime later, you’ll be walking through the showroom with them while they explain everything they’ve 18

GRAND LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE // ISSUE 1 2020

PRICING AR T Some buyers want a bargain. Other buyers want to be able to talk about the price they paid for a piece. Artists need to be firm about their design, work and time spent. While most understand how much a commercial painter or carpenter is worth, most don’t understand the cost to produce art. That shouldn’t impact the selling price, Badman believes, it should just be a talking point to go over.

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ART & CULTURE //

T H E P R E SENCE OF LIGHT Custom Badman light covers are popular.

Given as gifts or bought for small installments of character, most covers travel from home to home. According to Badman, most that own a custom light cover don’t feel like a new home is their home until they add their custom light cover.

20 GRAND LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE // ISSUE 1 2020

done, where it has gone, who it was for and why each piece was memorable.

Then, sometime later, you’ll be a step away from the front door. Outside the door there are probably cars driving past or people walking by. Behind you, a designer will be buzzing away with a grinder. There might be a hammer pinging on metal over the big butcher block. From the back, you might even hear the welding machine sparking away. None of it will matter though.

You won’t notice any of it. You’ll be a foot from the door, reaching for the handle, lost in your own head. Something you saw in the showroom caught your mind’s eye. You are thinking about something that Dave or Holly could design that could become something you would never want to live without. You don’t know where it came

from, but you are sure. It could be for you, your loved one, a home accent piece, maybe even a dog collar. Then your body just naturally takes you through the front door and immediately you want to turnaround (most likely you do), walk back in and start talking again with someone from the Badman team about the thing in your head you want to create. You feel inspired, excited and a bit nervous. It almost sounds like you can hear used wine corks pattering against a colored tile over your head. Then Dave, wearing his designer’s apron to keep his drawing pencil and small ruler on hand at all times, starts talking and gesturing with his hands about your idea and what he might be able to create from it and you feel like anything is possible. G

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EAT & DRINK // Photos by Manstrom Photography

The Aura Of

Bonzer’s needs no permanent address. The long-running sandwich pub has earned the ability to simply exist in the world by name alone. Infused from day one with a charm and atmosphere business owners from any industry would be enviable of, the establishment known for its old-school wood inspired booths and bar, frosty scooner mugs paired with precision made sandwiches, and Jon, the owner, donning those white aprons as he ϐloats throughout his home-awayfrom-home like a living legend, 26 GRAND LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE // ISSUE 1 2020

has become a pillar in the region that draws a daily crowd ranging in age from 21 to 81.

We sat down with Jon, along with the other Bonzers Cindy, Matt and Melissa, to learn about it all: the keys to running an old-school sandwich pub in North Dakota that was inspired (and still is) by a small business in California, how the Bonzer vision will evolve in the future, and of course, about the elements required to maintaining a memorable pub and the notso secret secrets of making the perfect sandwich.

Old School In the beginning, there was Joe Jost’s. It was a small joint in Long Beach, California, that counted sausages, pickled eggs and beer as its staple offerings. The food was simple, like the people and the atmosphere and the vibe. They offered what they offered, you got what you got and every moment there, Jon recalls, felt like time well spent that in many ways, reminded him of the place he has always considered home base: North Dakota. Jost’s was always just comfortable, like a homeaway-from home, he explains.

Jon remembers the image of his own father sitting at the bar there after moving West to ϐind work, enjoying a sausage link and an egg, grinning at Jon as he ate. When Jon moved back to North Dakota to attend the University of North Dakota after living with his parents in California, he opened Bonzer’s and mimicked everything he could after the memory he had of Jost’s (which is still running and is the oldest bar in Long Beach).

After establishing the sandwich pub in downtown Grand Forks, encountering,

dealing with, surviving and overcoming the historic ϐlood of ’97, Jon and his family have supplanted their current rendition of Bonzer’s on Fourth Street and Demers in Grand Forks. The newest version is complete with dark wood, breweriana décor ranging from signs to bottles, real trees, light posts and a small ϐireplace. They serve simple foods as best as you can serve them, hot and fresh and right. It has a Cheers bar aura to it, or maybe it is the other way around. Behind the bar, a sandwich making station includes bins for

ingredients, loaves of bread, bags of cheese popcorn and a cutting board. It is the type of set-up, design and feel that existing pub owners would like to copy, and new startups will try too. The Bonzer’s apparel line has an extensive following. People are serious about their Bonzer’s hats and shirts and sweatshirts.

As we sit in a large room that overlooks the downtown sidewalk and Demers Avenue, the family talks about Jost’s and the early days and the memories that go with them today. It is nearly impossible GrandLifestyleMagazine.com

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ART & EAT & DRINK CULTURE // //

to take notes. Each of the four has something to say, all of it mesmerizing, all of it coming at once. Matt and Melissa recall their days spent hanging out there, playing darts, eating pretzels and cheese popcorn. After the ’97 ϐlood, they were paid a dime per brick to scrub off mud from each stone so that once rebuilt, the new Bonzer’s could keep part of the old. That same brick is present in the current locale, along with an old sign that is hung in the back by the pool table. All of it feels authentic. At the table, Jon talks about his parents, the image of his father eating and the loving conversations his father and mother had. He recalls earlier days and the people that made his dream come true. Cindy is all smiles, remembering details of her kids and her husband and the people that have left Bonzer’s but still come back to visit to this day. She is proud of a low employee turnover number. She really smiles when her kids say Bonzer’s is still a cool place to be at.

Although the devastation of the ’97 ϐlood (the burning buildings you see in videos are of Bonzer’s original location) is certainly part of the Bonzer’s story, everyone in the room is quick to explain why it is only a small part now. “This place has always been about connection and about family,” Jon says. “It is a place for everyone.” Jon remembers many moments when people told him they chose Bonzer’s as their spot to go celebrate an important time in life, he says, and that in many ways, the success of Bonzer’s is linked to the support from its customers. Engagments happen all the time there. Dogs are named after the sign on the front. There is something about the booths and the height of them that put people at ease. The coat hang28 GRAND LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE // ISSUE 1 2020

This is a place for everyone.

Sample The Menu, All Of It The food at Bonzer’s is simple and old school. Chicken salad is the number one sandwich order. There is a hot dog night. They serve chili with cheese and onions, pretzels with ranch, hot pastrami, and bring chips and a pickle with almost every order. Jon and Cindy have always been happy not using a fryer and most likely they never will. They are different because they have stuck to what they know, despite fads, Matt says, and they will continue to stay true to who they are as a team and sandwich pub. “I want people to always remember us as this place and the place they loved.”

How To Make The Perfect Sandwich

Raঞo of ingredients ma er.

Great sandwiches are great because all of the variables are consistent and right.

Assembly needs to be clean and ঞdy. People eat with their eyes—and their hands—and a well-constructed sandwich will create a posiঞve memory.

Perfect cuts are important.

As Cindy says, “Don’t smash the bread!” Always use the serrated knives to work through the bread.

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Bonzer’s is about knowing who you are, what you are going to get and partaking in the comfort and atmosphere of the moment. ers on the booths are well used and worn. Both the front and back doors could be replaced after so much use.

“People always recognize our last name,” Melissa says.

“It has always been that way and I’m proud of that now.”

Matt remembers college professors using Bonzer’s as a hypothetical backdrop for course work discussions.

After talking about the art of making the perfect sandwich, how to pour a drink and the ϐine art of turning a sandwhich pub into a community staple, the conversation turns and creates a different vibe. Outside the room, the clock is nearing happy hour. Laughter, music and commotion is picking up. Just another Thursday at Bonzer’s. Inside the room, the four have gotten quiet, as if things need to be said or spoken about and none of them want to say a word. We are talking about the future.

Bonzer’s, Matt says, is an experience in and of itself. He knows that now. After earning an undergrad and law degree from UND, Matt traveled the world and practiced law in Lima, Peru, and could have been a big-time lawyer in L.A. But he, like his sister (also a world traveler), couldn’t shed the experience and pull that Jon and Cindy created with their family-owned pub. Recently, Matt and Melissa have both decided to take on the family business and continue on with the vision and work of their parents. It’s at that point, when the future of Bonzer’s is revealed to be linked to Matt and Melissa and not some outside investor or new owner, that the room goes quiet. Cindy looks at the ceiling and repositions the neck line of her shirt. Melissa is eyeing 30 GRAND LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE // ISSUE 1 2020

EAT & DRINK //

Melissa’s Mixology Advice:

GIVE THEM WHAT THEY WANT USE THE RIGHT INGREDIENTS, from liquor brands to mix liquids, because it matters.

PAY ATTENTION TO THE SMALLEST DETAILS, like straws, ice amounts or coaster preferences Elements of The Perfect Pour (in a Schooner) Grab a cold, frosty Schooner Tip the glass and always pull the tap handle from the bottom.

At the end of the pour, a finger’s width of foam head should be on top of glass.

Will Old School Go New School?

While Jon and Cindy aren’t planning to leave anytime soon (Jon says he owns multiple aprons), there could be some tweaks to the place with Matt and Melissa becoming more active. The family team is considering an exploration of its foot-print, there are always walls to be updated, décor to be added and more apparel to be ordered just to meet current demand. However, as Matt says, the core of it all will and should never

Making random groups of people happy throughout the day is our biggest challenge.

But that is what we do.

change.

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EAT & DRINK //

We still get customers coming in that came in the first day we opened.

32 GRAND LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE // ISSUE 1 2020

the table in front of her. Matt stares towards Demers and then to his father before leaning back in his chair as if his body is bracing for something it isn’t sure is good or bad. Jon literally says out loud that he can only look at me because he’ll breakdown if he looks in the direction of his family. “I’m proud of the longevity of this place. I’m proud of this town. I’m proud of our staff,” Jon says with that throat quivering noise in his voice we all know is hardest to control when the extreme joy we experience in life is guiding our words. The lights are off in the room. On the far side of the large table there are still chairs hoisted on the table top. Then, everyone just naturally looks to Jon, who is looking at me. I’m just trying not to get in the way of anything important because it seems like something memorable is happening. Matt seems caught off guard, but in a good way. It’s hard to tell, but there could have been a few moist eyes besides Jon’s at the table. “But the proudest day of my life,” Jon says, before ϐinally turning his eyes off of me and onto the person they are meant for, “was when Matt told me he wanted to take over the business. We went out and celebrated that night.” G

Bonzer’s Keys To Success

Cindy believes Jon’s resolve and consistency has always been a major factor.

Smartly, he says the same thing about her. Jon always fights for the percepঞon of his place, keeping the family, comfortable atmosphere there. If he needs to drive across town to get a small bo le of liquor for a regular’s order, he’ll do it all hours. He always makes sure they don’t run out of anything. Melissa agrees in that philosophy. Stability is important, she says, noঞng how important it is for people to always know what they are geমng and that the quality will be there. Ma and Jon also believe it is important to be acঞve at the place and always be there so that people know they are going to a place that people always want to be at.

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35

Contact Doug Iverson for membership information and how your family can be part of something special.

701.772.4831 or doug@gfcountryclub.com

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SHOP & STYLE //

Photos by Fernweh & Liebe Photography + Schrage Photography

When

Wedding THE

GO E S

L I V E

36 GRAND LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE // ISSUE 1 2020

W h en you a re se l l in g a b r id e , you a re se l li ng a feeling, and that night felt great.

Kaitlyn Spinney

A lot of people put a lot of trust in Shelby Looker and Kaitlyn Spinney to pull off a live wedding show complete with wedding crashers, multiple vendors, designers and a couple willing to tie the knot in front of a crowd mixed with strangers.

Looker, conference sales and marketing manager, and Spinney, director of conference sales and marketing, both at the Alerus Center, brought more than 300 people together for a live event that allowed each to showcase what they—and the Alerus Center—had to offer for weddingfocused people. From the beginning, Looker and Spinney aimed to showcase the untapped potential of the Alerus Center, while

giving regional vendors the opportunity to try new things, show new products and help possible clients understand and explore the glorious options available to make every wedding at the Alerus unique.

A self-admitted wedding and event planner enthusiast, Looker had seen other venues attempt similar live shows and she knew Grand Forks’ Alerus facility could provide a great canvas. Looker and Spinney pitched as many vendors from the region as possible about the idea of participating in an event that would put on a live wedding where everyone in attendance could see ϐirsthand what a ϐlorist, photographer, designer, dress provider, entertainment act or chef could offer. “In our early conversations,” Spinney says, “we had to explain why we wanted to legally marry a couple in front of a crowd of strangers. But GrandLifestyleMagazine.com

37

SHOP SHOP & & STYLE STYLE / // /

it didn’t take long for everyone to see the point, that they could showcase their work in real-time.”

The pair decided to leave no option off the table. Each vendor was given their own space or time or place to showcase their work. A certain number of tables were given to one ϐloral vendor, a certain set of tables was given to another.

Different designs were used throughout the ballroom. The Alerus chef and his team tried new dishes not on the normal menu. Dress providers donated the all-important garment along with the matching wedding day jewelry.

“We essentially gave them all a blank canvas,” Looker says.

Finding The Perfect Couple Although garnering live wedding event buy-in from vendors required a bit of explanation and time, eventually everyone bought in and in the end, Looker says, they ex38 GRAND LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE // ISSUE 1 2020

ceeded expectations. Finding the perfect couple (that would get a free wedding out of it all), was the most rewarding, Looker and Spinney agree, but also the most challenging.

Spinney had three criteria for the winning couple. One, they had to agree to let Alerus use the photos from the wedding so that Spinney and Looker could showcase the event to others with the hopes of doing it all again. Two, as crazy as it sounds, the bride and groom had to give control of the planning to Looker and Spinney. And three, the couple had to be available on November 8, 2019. Open dates are hard to come by at the Alerus.

The team created a Google survey form that asked a series of simple questions that essentially hit on one subject: Why do you deserve to be a part of this live event?

73 nominees submitted answers. “We were worried about the right couple being in there,� Spinney says, noting

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SHOP SHOP & & STYLE STYLE / // /

LOOKER + SPINNEY “We stacked chairs after the event in our heels.

Then, we sat down to reflect and shared in the rewarding moment. Then we got back to work because there was another wedding and more events happening the next day.�

how different and potentially difĎ?icult it would be for a bride and groom (including both of their families) to give up control of a wedding. After closing the nominee process, Looker and Spinney created a spreadsheet and marked three colors: red for no, yellow for maybe and green for yes.

In the end, they marked only one green. According to Looker, the call to the winning couple was nerve-wracking. She knew they would be perfect for the event, and more importantly she says, they deserved everything Looker and Spinney could provide. The couple was young, too busy and working with new jobs to plan something elaborate. You already know what their answer was.

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40 GRAND LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE // ISSUE 1 2020

Memories Created Live Despite the number of entities involved and present on the day of the wedding, both Looker and Spinney say it wasn’t that hectic. The vendors set up tables on the outside of the ballroom. Throughout the night, the M/C gave shout-outs to the vendors there. At one point, the father of the bride gave a speech that included a long passage thanking the Alerus and their team for giving the family such an elaborate wedding.

For Looker, the day was more than a success. “This was my top career accomplishment,� she says. “Getting to plan an entire event like this is a big deal. I was able to show my own family that event planning is real.�

Spinney takes great pride in being able to execute on Looker’s vision. Before the event even took place, her and Looker were recognized by the corporate higher-ups with an award for their work on the event.

Everyone trusted the process Looker and Spinney had envisioned, she says. Because of that, there could and should be more "To Have and To Hold" events in the future. Not only was the return on investment great (they booked two weddings from the event), the long-term possibilities of weddings at the Alerus were expanded. “We showed that ballroom weddings are back,� Spinney says. “When you are selling a bride, you are selling a feeling, and that night felt great.� G

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HOME & DESIGN // Photos by Manstrom Photography

THE BEST VIEW in town The views from the Selkirk on 4th condos looking outward are hard to describe. When

you stand next to the specialized, glazed glass wall panels and peer out in any direction, what you see almost doesn’t seem real. For all of the highend amenities, modern construction techniques and take-your-breatheaway aesthetics of the new condos in the heart of downtown Grand Forks, the best element of all is truly the unbelievable views. Towards the junc-

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The Name: In 1872, Alexander Griggs, Selkirk steamboat captain staked a claim to

WHAT +Etched concrete floors YOU +Walnut cabinets with in-line grain patterns SEE +Triple thermal break windows: “The glass INSIDE and the glazing on the exterior is what you would find on a skyscraper in Seattle.”

land on the Red River. That 9-acre

+Automated window blind system

piece of land would become

+Quartz countertops

downtown Grand Forks. Griggs has

+Commercial grade appliances

long been acknowledged as being

+9 foot ceilings

responsible for the growth of Grand Forks from a trading post to a town.

His efforts earned him the title, “Father of Grand Forks.”

Pricing: Prices range from $260,370 for a single bedroom, single bathroom to $450,000 for a two bed, two bath unit. All units include parking based on number of bedrooms. A recently added interconnected walkway to the parking ramp across the street was also added for additional guests. The units are pet friendly.

46 GRAND LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE // ISSUE 1 2020

HOME & DESIGN //

tion of the Red and Red Lake Rivers, the condo views reveal a landscape truth that is inspiring and a reminder of the natural elements that deϐine the region. Towards the state mill, the scene is of progress, both old and new. And towards the downtown, the tops of buildings show the arteries of the city that somehow all now seem to connect back to the Selkirk condos.

When Dakota Commercial, Community Contractors and JLG Architects ϐirst started planning out the design and layout of the ϐive-story building, a team of

Craig Tweten Cares About Quality To aid in the design and build concepts that would be used at the Selkirks, Craig Tweten, president of Community Contractors, drove to Minneapolis.

While there, he visited as many high-end condos as he could to see what others were doing.

To ensure the choices for cabinets, flooring, windows and appliances were right, he built mock-up cabinets and tested the products used in the condos today. “I’m proud of the quality here,” he says. “Matching these views with unmatched quality is something I’ll always be happy about.”

He and his team are also happy with their newfound ability to perform logistical juggling acts.

The confines of the construction zone made bringing in materials—or storing them before installation—a pain point. “We made it all work and now the community has a special place.”

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HOME & DESIGN //

drone pilots actually ϐlew drones equipped with cameras to the height of each ϐloor.

Everyone involved in the project wanted to know exactly what each tenant would be able to see from their space. Those drone ϐlights took place many months ago. Today, the building is wrapping up completion and several units have already sold or are spoken for.

The history of the building would not be complete without a mention of a public discourse about the utilization of downtown space. Now, it would be hard to argue that the future of downtown Grand Forks doesn’t start with the presence of the Selkirks. G

+Air conditioning units are placed outside of the units

INSIDE THE +Poured concrete foundation with precast for parking garages and first floor WALLS +Floors are concrete with wood joists and wood frames to reduce sound

+Central hot water heat with individual unit control +FOB system for access to building

Kevin Ritterman Goes For Wow Kevin Ritterman, longtime CEO of Dakota Commercial, has developed an impressive number of commercial buildings. None have turned out like the Selkirk. None of his previous projects presented the challenges of this building. And, few were more rewarding to complete, he says. Ritterman considers this project his toughest to date, from the early public debate about the space, to designing a high-end mixed-used building in tight quarters, to the creation of a new concept for a traditional North Dakota town.

“We wanted to build something with a wow factor,” he says. The goal was to mimic a downtown Minneapolis loft or warehouse condo. They are not inexpensive, he says, but they are well done and couldn’t be any nicer.

“We wanted to make sure that tenants got the true feeling and benefit of living downtown.”

Part of Dakota Commercial’s early challenge with the condos was promoting the idea of living and working downtown. But, an early open house and feedback proved that the concept would be popular.

“This wasn’t a cookie-cutter building. Grand Forks just hasn’t seen something like this before,” he says.

Ritterman is proud that the developers did what they said they were going to do, got the building done in the time frame they planned and that the vision, complete with all of the amazing views both inside and out, was realized.

48 GRAND LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE // ISSUE 1 2020

Live Music.

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HOME & DESIGN // Photos by Mandstrom Photography

The Diary of

INK & IVORY

52 GRAND LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE // ISSUE 1 2020

My wife Rachel and I could easily be described as do-it-yourselfers. Through trial, error, money, time, more error and more time, we know what works for us and what we should never try again. The work, we’ve found, can be a creative outlet, a fulϐilling endeavor and a method of escape all at once. After all the work, we can say that our house has shown us— and we hope it shows you—that when you stop worrying about what you don’t have or can’t do, and embrace the possibilities present in your own place at home and elsewhere in the world, performing the task yourself can be as good or better than you ever imagined. The following is a rough breakdown—a diary of sorts, absent of how-to’s, material specs or stepby-steps—on a bit of what we’ve done, why we did it and what we’ve learned.

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HOME HOME & & DESIGN DESIGN / // /

Entry: First Timers

Owning a home shouldn’t be about what you are limited by (time, money, energy, know-how) or can’t do; homes should be the place where you go to bed thinking and smiling about what you have done and what you might do in the future.

WHY NOT WINE: A budding connoisseur of wine, Steve decided to add a small storage space for his growing collection.

54 GRAND LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE // ISSUE 1 2020

The ϐirst day the house was ours, we started cutting through the outdated, worn-out carpet that lined the main entrance hallway until the tips of our utility blades were as dull as pencil tips and chunks of tattered carpet piled against the front door blocked our way back out. I remember sitting on the ϐloor of the hallway looking at Rachel, my wife of two years then, who was sitting across from me. Our shoe soles were touching. It was early fall and the air still held heat.

Across her brow, a few beads of moisture were visible just under her dark brown hairline. Across my own brow there were full-on sweat drops. I’ll always remember that moment, the way she looked and the sweat on my own skin.

After I wiped my head on my shirt sleeve, we shared a quick smile without saying a word, both of us knowing we’d failed to change clothes or plan a place for the spent carpet. Hundreds (maybe millions) of staple heads were poking through the ϐloor, left behind from the carpet. She was as beautiful as I’d ever seen her and all we cared about was the house and the possibilities for anything and everything that it would bring.

How can you ever forget something like that—the moment you see that your life is primed to make the dreams of things like kids and dogs and family and BBQ grills, a soonto-be reality under your new roof? We certainly haven’t stopped working on the house since the day we got the keys. The result is something we think is unique and inspiring, at least to us. We know this for sure: Pulling staples is a nightmare. Duct tape works fairly well to roll up spent carpet. Just because you want dogs, BBQ grills or kids doesn’t mean you’ll get them. Project work, do-it-yourself jobs, and renovation can be more than a task, it can be an escape. For us, through our adventures with infertility and the way it all impacted our daily lives and always the progress of projects, our home has been an experience that we wouldn’t demo for anything.

Entry: On The History We are the second owners of this fourbedroom, two-bath Cape Cod style house.

The previous owners enjoyed a long run in the home with multiple family members living at the residence at any given time. Rachel and I have always had a creative drive.

Even early on, we knew that the house was an unexplored canvas ϐit for our big imaginations. The footprint of the home when we bought it still exists today, but nearly every surface, and the things on them, have been altered. The current version of the home is now clearly distinct from what it was, if not unrecognizable; history in many ways.

I didn’t know I was marrying a professional trim carpenter, reality-TV-worthy interior designer, master gardener, décor-finding expert, furniture builder, household design savant, super-woman type woman that Rachel has clearly proven to be.

Luke Geiver

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HOME & DESIGN //

Entry: Hardwoods and Trimming It’s hard to say how long it took us to install hardwood over 2,400 square feet throughout two ϐloors, but “long” isn’t even close. The stain mix was half Jacobean and half Ebony. I think somewhere we still have the ϐloor board sample with multiple different mixes applied. This was prePinterest days. At that time, we slept in which ever bedroom was the cleanest, we had a grill, a house in the middle of a full-on gut/remodel/re-do and we were just getting serious about starting a family. I’m not sure we would have stayed in a house ϐit for a big family had we known what was to come.

When we started exploring the world of ϐinish carpentry, we knew by then we wouldn’t get pregnant through natural means. Through all the trim work, I think we created a process that forced us to focus on multiple details at once. We just couldn’t think about our larger issues. We’ll 56 GRAND LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE // ISSUE 1 2020

always be thankful for trim, as odd as that sounds, because it gave us the escape from our heads that we needed at the time. I learned how to efϐiciently run separate different nail guns and Rachel uncovered a hidden talent. Nearly every piece of baseboard, shoe, doorframe, window frame, and crown molding was planned, measured and cut by her. The shadow box elements, board and batten, beadboard and wainscoting elements were also from her head and mostly cut by her hands. In the hardcore trim install days, we spent many hours traveling to and from doctor’s appointments in town and out of town. Every single appointment, test or talk revealed the same thing: We weren’t parents. Before going home, we usually stopped at the hardware store for more trim and materials.

DIY COUNTERTOPS Making concrete countertops challenges your crafting skills, patience and finger strength. It’s a messy job with several steps. The result, however, is a rock-solid surface with a look unique by the inch. Would we do them again? Yes and No.

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HOME & DESIGN //

Entry: The Canning Craze After a trip to an apple orchard one summer, we decided to make a batch of apple wine. Time in hospital rooms waiting for ultrasounds gave both of us plenty of internet research time.

Somehow we found a video on apple wine. At various times we’ve canned or pickled almost everything—even watermelon rhine—which I would describe as gross. We used veggies from our backyard and the farmer’s market. Rachel spruced up the space with ϐloor stencils. We never got to ϐinish the apple wine process. The stress of IVF treatments, doctor schedules and the like, ruined our remembrance of the wine and by the time we remembered we needed to rack it (re-bottle it), it was too late.

THE BASEMENT SAGA In 2014, we officially started our basement renovation. It was a total gut job, including walls, wiring and a lot of other stuff. YouTube taught us how to properly frame a basement wall. No matter what state the basement was in, both of our dogs found ways to get me to play with tennis balls. I remember many nights holding a framing gun, listening to country music and waiting for the single squeak of a ball at my feet. Both dogs would take turns dropping a ball for me to kick across a bare basement floor before retrieving it and repeating. At the end of the build-out, we have a television wall, shiplap, a custom corner bar, under stairs desk set-up, work-out area, a pool table we refinished and if you listen really close, there is probably still the faint echo of a single tennis ball squeak.

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WALK THE BOARDWALK Rachel came up with the idea to make a path throughout the yard— the floating boardwalk in the backyard—on a Sunday morning.

By Sunday night, we’d ripped up grass, staked out and marked the dimensions and had a trip for supplies completed. That impulse project paid off more than we thought.

A sitting area, complete with a graveled space (for a dog pool) became one of our favorite spots to relax in the yard.

Entry: The Commercial Fridge Rachel’s parents, who lived in Sioux City, Iowa, were closing their family-owned sub shop after a successful 25 years. The refrigerator had sentimental value to her mother and she was worried about seeing the fridge disappear at an auction. The same week my Dad’s dad passed, he drove with us to Sioux City to pick up the commercial refrigerator we have in our kitchen today. He said there was a hot dog place in Sioux City he wanted to visit, but the conversations we had on the drive down— all about my Grandpa—revealed his true motive. We’ve put multiple turkeys, briskets, platters, cakes and other big food items in the fridge before. Rachel’s only regret is that we didn’t take the commercial bread oven and meat slicer. I’m not sure where we would have put those.

Entry: The Outside Oasis Driving to and from doctor visits takes a toll on energy levels.

Living on a two-week at-a-time schedule makes vacation and leaving home near impossible. During our most serious child conception days, we based everything we did on two-week increments. When you see the built-in planter boxes, trellis systems, perennial gardens and other unique features of our backyard, much of it stemmed from the TWW (two-week wait). We couldn’t leave much, but we wanted a getaway of our own. We found it in ϐlowers and gardening. Before we lived in this home, I didn’t know the difference between a rose and a weed. Now, I’m excited to watch our Morning Glories grow and the Dahlias develop, and the ϐire pit softly send a sift of smoke into the summer air while an iridescent green humming bird feeds from a Canna lily at the edge of the yard. During the rough times, we’d sit in the north lot of the yard and look to the tree that has grown over that section and watch it silently sway. I don’t care what is going on in your life, that view will soothe you.

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HOME & DESIGN //

Entry: Building Our Own Furniture and Built-Ins By the time Rachel had the drawings and dimensions for a set of custom queen beds to ϐit a style she believes combines modern and Victorian elements, we had stopped our doctor visits and research efforts into having children. By then, we didn’t need to do anything else in the house. The basics were done (and then some). Any choice for more trim, a different paint color or in this case custom-built furniture, was based on want. If we wanted to do something, we had decided we would. What we couldn’t get in one area of our lives, we decided to get from another. Furniture building seemed like a reasonably healthy thing to do. Eventually, we just reached a moment in our lives when we came to understand that we couldn’t wait around for things we couldn’t have, but instead needed to embrace what we had in the moment we were in and take action without fear of how it might change our days ahead. Now, we’ve built massive tables, multiple desks, multiple beds, end tables, planter boxes and more. We screwed up many along the way. I asked her once what we are going for, style wise, in the house, and I’ll never forget Rachel’s take on it all. Think of it, she said, like a combination of one thing and the other, light and dark, ink and ivory. When they are paired together in the right way, she still explains to others that ask her the same question, they make a memorable image that inspires your mood.

THE MAYOR OF DINK CITY Two months after we picked up Drake, our black British Labrador retriever, we installed a fence around our entire property. We built custom, ten-foot sliding gates. I remember thinking such gates would allow me to back in trailers, boats, muscle cars and other similar items into the yard. I also remember thinking it would give Drake a perfect place to potty without requiring me to accompany him. Despite the custom-gated, dark brown fence with top caps and no gaps for anything to enter through, Drake still pleads and whines and breaks us down until we take him to the front where he can check on his domain (and dink around smelling everything) like he has done since his puppy days, as our nickname for him implies, the Mayor of Dink City.

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Entry: Near Completion As we near completion of the house, we’ve learned so much but understand we have a long way to go. I still can’t read off the tape measure marks as they ofϐicially read. Instead of telling Rachel to cut a board at ϐive and seven-eighths, I’ll just ask her to cut a board at six minus a nick and tick. She gets me. Rachel strips a screw head every now and then.

But that is about it. I didn’t know I was marrying a professional trim carpenter, reality-TV-worthy interior designer, master gardener, décor ϐinding expert, furniture builder, household design savant, super-woman type woman that Rachel has clearly proven to be. We have been lucky to sustain our happiness together and to grow closer—not further—during all of the projects and the reason we took on so many projects in the ϐirst place. As bias as it sounds, I’m also proud of my wife. Not only did she put up with me (reread the tape measure part), but she unleashed and showcased an ability to take on anything she desired regardless of know-how or fear of an unknown. All of that came at a time when all anyone or any test was telling us was, "No," a house is just a house, but we all know a house is more than a house.

Ours isn’t perfect, it's not done and there is plenty more we’d like to do. During the renovation and reimagination of the house, we learned that despite life’s ability to push against you, there is always an alternative. I'm not a big qoute guy but at my desk I have a sticky note with a phrase from some where by some one that reads, "Don't be a ϐighter if you don't want to bleed." I guess that could be applied to DIY'ing and owning a home, if you swap out the word ϐighter for DIY'er. Our current home includes Drake and Taya, our dogs, that still get to sleep in the bed (why do you think we built a big sturdy king-sized bed). Owning a home shouldn’t be about what you are limited by (time, money, energy, know-how) or can’t do, homes should be the place where you go to bed thinking and smiling about what you have done and what you might do in the future. G GrandLifestyleMagazine.com

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66 GRAND LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE // ISSUE 1 2020

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