SOMETHING Extraordinary find

flowers by LOVE ALWAYS FLORAL | hair and makeup by ADAE SALON the white house girls t-shirts by DAK & CO. | clothing by CLOTHES MENTOR

This particular chair in The White House Co. warehouse is just one of the many pretty vintage items neatly arranged by category. It’s among the more understated items in the company’s rental collection, which includes everything from elegant velvet sofas and gleaming gold goblets to rustic wooden barrels and old-fashioned cameras. It’s visually appealing as anything in the Fargo warehouse, a space that is as cheerful and bright as The White House Co. aesthetic. Even though the chair is part of a quartet, you might miss it at first glance. That’s easy to do, since it’s stored alongside showstoppers like sleek, midcentury modern rattan chairs, sweet little pink tufted perches shaped like hearts and a pair of regal armchairs upholstered in deep, luscious goldenrod.

But when you see this particular chair in a meadow, draped with a garland of greenery, the pale pink of its flowers echoed in the cheeks of a lace-bedecked bride, you suddenly understand that it’s something extraordinary. Every item selected by The White House Co. is designed to wow, whether it’s viewed on its own or as part of a tableau.

This unique business grew from a passion for vintage design and the thrill of a good old-fashioned treasure hunt. Sisters Sam Klinkhammer and Katie Schiltz are long-time junkers, who grew up picking through tables and boxes at garage sales, thrift stores and estate sale. “It was in our family — auction sales, antiques,” explains Klinkhammer. “It was already in our blood.”

Their long term love for vintage, Schiltz’ degree in interior design and textiles and Klinkhammer’s hands-on decorating experience led them to start their business together in 2011. The White House Co. arrived on the scene at a time when an interest in upcycled, repurposed and vintage furniture and décor was just beginning to expand to a wider audience. The company’s name grew out of this first location, their parents’ farm outside of Thief River Falls.

“My mom was always asked, ‘Are you that big white house in the middle of nowhere?’” laughs Schiltz. “We did sales four times a year. Through this we met Amanda on social media.”

Amanda Rydell loved to lead craft workshops and was an expert at creating displays, a perfect skill set for the fledgling business. She joined The White House Co. in 2015. The trio set out on junking trips together to build up their stock. Although they share a similar aesthetic, each partner brings her own design sensibility into the mix.

“Amanda’s pink, pastel and kind of a minimalist,” says Klinkhammer, whose own personal style includes both neatly coordinated looks and bohemian styles. “Katie’s all over. She’s very eclectic. She likes a lot of color.” vintage furniture is so classic. IN 20 YEARS WHEN YOU LOOK BACK AT A PHOTO,

THE SIGNATURE WHITE HOUSE CO. LOOK —

colorful, whimsical and bright, with eye-catching flea market accents, clean lines and a dollop of charm — grew out of this collaboration. Word spread and the business grew. But commuting to Thief River Falls four times a year began to feel like work.

Schiltz and Klinkhammer had young children to consider and all three women were ready to reimagine the business closer to home. Instead of simply selling their stock of vintage items to customers, they began renting furniture and decor for weddings, events and photo shoots in 2015. As The White House Co. began styling more weddings, shoots and events, the trio’s collection quickly outgrew several garages and storage units before they secured their current warehouse space at 910 Main Avenue in Fargo.

“As soon as we walked in here, we were like, ‘This is our place,’” Klinkhammer says. But that doesn’t mean that they’ve stopped growing.

“We keep adding on space,” she continues. “It’s always a domino effect. We just knocked down two walls the other day to open up our warehouse for photo shoots, mini sessions and small events.”

As is their custom, they did most of the work themselves. “Us girls can hook up a 15-foot enclosed trailer and set up an event,” says Schiltz. “You wouldn’t want to arm wrestle us. There’s not a lot we can’t do.”

But even the queens of DIY need a hand every now and then. Klinkhammer and Schiltz’s husbands assist as needed and their dad serves as their all-purpose handyman. He’s helped them brainstorm ways to spruce up a sofa, solve carpentry dilemmas and helped them restore a sweet little pull-behind trailer to its retro glory. Schiltz’s kids Betsy, 13, and Andrew, 9, and Klinkhammer’s oldest girl Kora, 6, are in school during the day, but four-year-old Everett can often be found playing in the warehouse while his mother goes about her business with six-month-old Edith in tow. Schiltz and Klinkhammer’s mom pops by to help with babysitting in a pinch, while Rydell’s mother steps in to help staff major events.

The White House girls found that, despite the success of their rental business, they couldn’t stay away from retail for long. They experimented with a pop up shop on Broadway, before settling into their new retail space at 14 Roberts Street in 2017.

The shop is White House Co.’s signature style, personified. The long, narrow storefront (which they share with Love Always Floral), overflows with treasures, textures and colors. A classic bicycle on the sidewalk out front indicates that this isn’t your typical establishment. A table set with colorful dishes shines from the front window. There are cozy flannel shirts and stacks of wool blankets for chilly Midwestern nights, artfully arranged displays of vintage books and maps and globes that display the boundaries of another time. Shelves are accented with charming little bookends and statuettes. Cheerful vintage textiles and glassware are artfully displayed, and stacks of vintage suitcases reach toward the high ceiling.

The store and the warehouse are two sides of the same coin. The shop allows customers to take The White House Co. signature looks home and helps the owners build relationships and get honest feedback about what people respond to. It keeps new and interesting items flowing in constantly. And if a customer doesn’t see something they want to buy, there’s an excellent chance it’s available in the warehouse.

“We love our job because there is no normal work day,” says Schiltz. “We all meet at 8:30 in the morning and do our thing. It could be at the warehouse prepping for an event or a wedding, it could be organizing or cleaning. We have meetings on a weekly basis with brides, event coordinators and businesses. Otherwise, we’re at the store, cleaning, restocking the shelves, resetting the store or working at the store, or we’re on site, setting up for an event.”

Connecting with other vendors at local events has plugged the White House girls into a strong community of female entrepreneurs in the Fargo-Moorhead area. They frequently collaborate with photographers and other wedding professionals on shoots and events and enthusiastically recommend each other’s services. If they need to be in style themselves, they call up ADAE Salon and Clothes Mentor. When it was time to design and print The White House Co. shirts, they enlisted the help of Dak & Co.

“It’s great to work with people that lift you up,” says Rydell. “There’s no competition. Everyone wants everyone to succeed.”

As a result, their rental business is booming. It’s easy to make an appointment to stop by the warehouse or check out their available inventory online to find the perfect item, whether it’s a plaid thermos and picnic blanket for a photo shoot for the family Christmas card, a delicate cake stand for a bridal shower, a cute little beverage cart for a birthday party or the colorful and curvaceous vintage sofas and chairs that have become a White House Co. signature (and frequent photo opp) at weddings and parties.

“Vintage furniture is so classic,” says Klinkhammer. “In 20 years when you look back at a photo, it’ll still be beautiful. You won’t be like, ‘What was I thinking?’”

While many customers opt for this more a la cart rental (with an option to pick it up yourself or have it delivered), others prefer a more comprehensive event planning experience, the kind of White House Co. design immersion that the company has provided for clients as diverse as West Acres, Sanford and the state of North Dakota. The trio created a sumptuous tent for Fergie and Lionel Ritchie’s concert inaugurating the new Sanford hospital and styled North Dakota’s ad campaign that starred Josh Duhamel. Local brides often request the same experience.

“We don’t get the typical bride,” explains Schiltz. “We have the ‘color outside the lines’ bride. It’s about adding that extra little touch, down to the gold silverware setting, the colored glassware at your head table.”

“I don’t think people realize all those little details until they meet with us,” chimes in Rydell. “It helps them think outside that box, not to be like everyone else. Especially when there are only so many venues. When someone’ s already been to a venue and seen a wedding, they want to make it their own.”

This is a time of unprecedented creativity and customization in the wedding industry, which means couples have more opportunities to make their wedding their own than ever before. The White House girls have helped their clients embrace Friday and Sunday weddings and hold their receptions in unconventional venues like tents, family farms and museums. The White House Co. has put its own spin on trends like sweetheart tables, harvest-style community tables and hand lettered signage and provided customized bar set-ups, striking table settings and seating for the bride and groom that ranges from claret colored velvet sofas to boho wicker thrones.

Every item in The White House Co. is intriguing on its own. But when classic vintage pieces, a client’s vision and The White House girls’ expertise combine, that’s when the magic happens.