the atmosphere you desire gathered boutique rentals creates

a unique environment for any occasion

WORDS : CAROLYN LILLEHAUGEN

PHOTOGRAPHY : HALEY FROST CREATIVE

Driving into the industrial park in south Moorhead, one sees many large non-descript buildings filling a variety of storage and work-space needs for area companies such as building contractors, electricians and manufacturers. Nestled among these businesses is an oasis of beauty sure to provide inspiration for anyone planning a special event. Gathered Boutique Rentals is an event staging business that helps people create a unique and memorable atmosphere for weddings, office parties, photo shoots or any other special occasion. Entering the front door of Gathered, gorgeous decor instantly creates a sense of warm welcome. Not only are the surroundings lovely, but Carrie Brusven the owner and chief designer immediately makes you feel like a welcome friend.

A Creative And Entrepreneurial Spirit Emerges

After graduating from Gustavus Adolphus College with degrees in German and religion, Brusven accepted a position as the office manager at Our Saviors Lutheran Church in Moorhead. She knew it was not her dream job, but at the time, she wasn’t sure what her dream job was. She had an inner longing to do something creative and exciting, even “not normal,” but what could that be? So, in the midst of work, marriage and parenting two young boys, Brusven embraced the process of discernment by reading and researching, as well as surrounding herself with other creative entrepreneurial-type people.

Brusven grew up in Princeton, Minnesota, as the middle daughter in a family with three girls. Her passion for finding treasures out of others’ trash was nurtured early as their family liked to search for antiques at flea markets and auctions. Another frequent activity was creating crafts. It was common for the sisters to put on a movie and pull out craft materials to make things such as friendship bracelets, paper cranes and designs out of beads. “Though I grew up doing crafts all the time, it took a long time for me to realize I was creative,” Brusven shares. “My sister Abby majored in art at Concordia and my artistic expression didn’t seem as official as hers, so I dismissed my abilities.” Yet that inner attraction toward creative expression continued to percolate.

As she was working through years of career discernment, Brusven recognized that her dream job would include creativity, physical activity and a focus on serving people. The world of vintage rentals was an emerging industry and it attracted her attention as a service she could provide to the Fargo-Moorhead community, while simultaneously creating a life of happiness and success for herself and her family. It was an unusual concept, with no other role-models in the area, but it felt right, and so Brusven cautiously began creating this new business as a part-time gig.

A tipping point occurred when Brusven attended a 2013 “Spark of Awesome” retreat featuring international speaker Danielle LaPorte, an advocate for conscious goal setting and entrepreneurship. As she explains, “That weekend was crucial in helping me exercise the courage to move forward. I was terrified of the risk of developing this unusual business around a concept that was completely unknown, but I felt empowered to take the leap. In the midst of the process, I had an astounding revelation about myself, I discovered that I was brave!”

Soon she took another helpful step by attending a workshop for wedding coordinators and designers in California. The main stylist for the event was Jeni Maus, a frontrunner in the vintage rentals industry who was generous enough to visit with Brusven and share some of her expertise. As Brusven admits, “Since there really isn’t a field of study related to the vintage rental industry, I had to learn vicariously by watching what others were doing.” Things like developing contracts and tracking inventory are essential elements of a well-run rental business and she studied other models to develop strategies that would work well for Gathered Boutique Rentals. She not only talked to business owners, she also jumped inside delivery trucks and warehouses to learn about best processes and practices for moving, packing and storing furniture and accessories.

Each step along the way provided learning experiences as Brusven and her husband and business partner Scott Brusven made calculated decisions about business growth. Brusven’s husband Scott is the director of Theatre at Oak Grove Lutheran School in Fargo, and, also managing artistic director of his own company, Ignite Theatre, so his creativity brings a wonderful addition to the Gathered business. Besides that, his ability to build shelving, move furniture, and, in the midst of it all, make Brusven laugh, are tremendous assets.

As the business began to take shape, they determined not to take on debt, so that required they start out small, even occasionally renting out their own family things. Brusven recalls the morning when son Miles awoke and came out of his room saying, “Mom, what happened to all of our furniture?!” No problem, it had been rented out for a wedding, but would be back at the end of the weekend. As they acquired more inventory, the Brusvens initially stored it in their own home, soon taking over the porch, then the basement, next a storage unit, and eventually a space at Sanctuary Events Center. In 2018 the Brusvens acquired property at 2201 14th Ave. S., Moorhead, and now after a year and a half of customizing their warehouse and showroom, they have a beautiful place for Gathered Boutique and Rentals to call home.