- [Announcer] Funding for Off 90 is provided in part by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.

(birds chirping) (upbeat music) - [Woman] Cruising your way next Off 90, the story behind a poor house turned artist's studio.

We visited a Scandinavian gift shop in Red Wing.

We're browsing upcycled furniture store in Mankato.

And Lanesboro turns 150.

These stories and more are coming up on your next stop, Off 90 (upbeat music) - Hi, I'm Barbara Keith.

Thanks for joining me on this trip, Off 90.

The blue earth County poor farm has gone through many changes and many owners since it was built in the late 19th century.

In the late 20th century, it became the Poor Farm Studios, an art studio, workshop, and theater.

We talked with Brian Frink and his partner Wilbur about what the Poor Farm has become.

(instrumental music) - I love to think about and imagine all the people that lived here.

So starting in the 1870s, all of the people that went through these doors and who lived in this place, and who worked here, who died here, all the volunteers, all the people who manage this place, I'd love to think of their stories.

Who are they?

What were they thinking?

And they're human beings, and what were they doing living out here?

What were the circumstances?

So for me as a writer or a person who loves words, I'm attracted to the story of this place.

It was a first homesteaded in 1863.

The front part of the house was built in the 1870s.

And then he sold it to another guy two years later.

And then a couple years after that, they sold it to Bullitt County.

- [Brian] And this particular poor farm was originally built for German immigrant farmers who could no longer farm fields.

And they could physically, and they didn't have family then.

I mean, they couldn't sell their farm for a zillion dollars or whatever.

So they didn't have any resources.

They came here to live.

So the County provided it, - They owned 168 acres.

They farm those acres to help pay for the people who lived here at its peak.

There were about 40 to 44 people living here.

And then it was purchased by a brother and sister team who then opened it as an old folks home.

That's what they called it back in the day, it was called the Oak Grove Home.

At the end, there were about 11 people left living here.

And then those individuals where they found other living arrangements in this area.

And then I think there were many efforts to try to do things with this building of (mumbles) happen, a business, and it finally ended up in our hands.

- So I came out here and when, okay, I was like, I don't know, a dog going after punk a meet or something.

I just gotta have this place.

We wanna remind me of, it reminds me of our loft in New York, but surrounded by cornfields.

So it had this kind of both country, but then this kind of sophisticated, urban feel about it.

Except all I was all in my head.

The problem is it was a wreck.

There was, one of the windows was blasted out.

There was no steps in the front.

It was, there was a sprinkler system throughout the whole thing.

Everything has fluorescent lighting.

It was just awful.

- So I remember we had to go the front part of the house.

- [Brian] Yeah.

- And the way to get into the house is you had to step on a box and then step up onto the porch, which was like a really big step for a short little lady like myself.

And so we come into the house and I'm like, I really don't think so.

Brian is an excellent, he is so good at convincing people.

He's a great salesperson.

(laughter) It's in his family.

His grandfather was an entrepreneur.

And so the next thing I knew is we were signing on the dotted line for this place.

Brian and I have always had an interest in our community and giving back to our community.

And I think we have a heart for that.

And we've had (car engine roaring) two weddings here, and fundraisers, and music events.

- I see what we're doing is almost sort of making a new identity for this building and for this location, and for this idea.

That is all about the arts and about inclusivity, and about generosity, I hope.

- For about two years, I was doing tours of mainly older people who had come here as volunteers.

Some people had worked here, and some even had like a relative who lived here.

And so people wanted to come here because they really wanted to see this place in a different way.

This house was built on the compass North, East, West.

I knew so North, South, East West.

- South East that way.

- And there's something about that that feels very much, like it's our own little sort of vortex.

Like there's this creative vortex here.

And Brian and I can share that energy, but we also love to invite other people like Collin and Kelly, who are performing here tonight to also be kind of part of that energy vibe of this place.

- [Brain] Yeah.

- This place has really good energy.

- Yeah, I agree.

- Yeah.

- Our vision for this place today, I think has been kind of very much what we've been doing for the 21 years we've lived here.

And that is just to provide a place for people to congregate and try things out.

I've started this gallery downstairs, it's called Raca gallery.

And part of my vision for that is to have a very flexible space.

I don't schedule out very far.

So if somebody comes up with some kind of an idea, they can just kind of quickly, like tonight with the music performance and sort of implement that idea and having have an audience there to kind of help them with their idea.

I've also provided as a space for artists who perhaps have gotten the State Arts Board grant or a Prairie Lakes grant.

They can use that as their community component.

So I think these kinds of things supportive sort of activities for artists in the art is important.

- But the way I think about it too, outside of all of those things is really to continue to create a warm and welcoming place for anyone who would come here.

- [Brian] Yeah.

- [Wilbur] That's really important.

And we'd love to be able to serve people good food, and just to, and have a place where people feel welcome.

Well, I think it's interesting to think about legacy.

Hopefully people will have good memories of coming to this place.

And, and I think it'll be up to our children.

Our daughter is already thinking about ways that she can create a foundation for other artists to come here and work for treat center.

- [Brian] Yeah.

It will be a wonderful residency, artist residency.

Personally, just as artists, we're gonna continue to create our art and engage our community in both our art, and others works.

So, that is important too.

- [Wilbur] And we're going to have a wood-fired a pizza oven.

- [Brain] We're gonna have a pizza oven, yes.

So my plan for that is to have openings or parties, like we're having tonight musical events, and I'll make everybody pizza for free.

- And the other really funny story that goes with this is, so I called my parents because we needed money for a down payment.

I'm telling my mother, I bought this like, really this great old house out in the country.

It needs like the work, but it has so much potential.

And my mother, and she did not know this was an old poor farm.

She goes to me, "Oh dear, you're gonna end up "on the poor farm."

(laughter) And I said to my mom, I go, I am not saying this to be rude, but this actually is the old county, a poor farm.

- [Brain] We're buying the poor farm, yeah.

(upbeat music) - If you're from Minnesota, you probably mumbled an Uffda a time or two.

But where does that saying come from?

Meet business owners, Sara and Arne Skyberg, who have made a living off of embracing their Scandinavian heritage, one tomten at a time.

(upbeat music) - [Sara] Uffda is an immigrants term that came over from Norway, and it means basically good grief.

We all know, it can be good or bad, but a lot of times feel here.

All my grandmother always to say, Uffda.

- Hi, I'm Arne Skyberg.

- And I'm Sarah Skyberg.

And we're the owners of the Uffa shop.

- The Uffda shop is located at the corner of Main and Bush in downtown Red Wing right across from this historic St. James hotel.

And we're right on highway 61, so you can't miss it.

The Uffda shop was started in 1977 by Ralph and Martha Skyberg, my parents.

And I got involved in 1981.

And we've been here for 40 some years.

Our employees are the face of this place.

They really make it a fun place.

Customers can tell when staff has having a good time.

So we're blessed with a great staff here.

The Uffda shop is really focused on Scandinavian design.

So we deal actively with 70 to 80 suppliers to bring you the best mix of Scandinavian design products from books and crystal and sweaters to jewelry and Christmas items.

Well, I personally like the Vikings.

So we've got some Viking stuff, that's fun.

Some for guys.

So I try to add to the mix.

She's the design and maven.

And I try to get some fun.

Tom does other stuff for guys.

When we first started the store, we traveled extensively to Scandinavia, to source products.

And over the years, most of these companies have established their own presence in the United States because they're able to land it here a lot cheaper than we are shipping and duties and all that, all those costs.

So, it's simplified our life in a big way, but you don't need to go over there as much as we used to.

- All the Scandinavian countries have a little legend that (clears throat) each farm has a little tomten that kind of takes care of the animals and keeps the farm safe.

So at Christmas time you're supposed to give them a little bowl of porridge to keep them happy.

And if you don't do that, you'll start getting a little bit of trouble because your keys will start disappearing and that sort of thing.

So they'll start playing tricks on you if they don't get that porridge at Christmas time.

This is a dollar horse, D-A-L-A.

They come from the Dalarna region of Sweden and they've become a symbol of Sweden.

Way back in the day, they used to sit around the fire at night and carve these horses.

And then they would use them as currency for gifts and that sort of thing, and even as toys.

And then they were hand-painted, and ours come from directly from Sweden, and they come in many sizes and different colors, but the orange is the most traditional.

- [Brian] I think there're founders of the store just saw a lot of Scandinavian immigrants in this area, as well as Red Wing is a pretty healthy tourist town.

So we see a lot of new faces every year.

So it's easier for us to develop new customers and then we keep them with a catalog and website.

So we have lifetime customers in all 50 States.

So, I think they saw that vision and then slowly but surely we built the business over time.

- We get a good mix.

We're really busy may through Christmas.

And I'd say in the summertime, it's mostly tourists.

October is actually our busiest month of the year with the leaf traffic going up and down the river Valley.

And then we stay busy with our mail order and Christmas traffic, which is more local in December.

Well, I think it's an easy day trip from the twin cities, just natural beauty (mumbles), yeah.

The bluffs, the river, the scenery, the changing leaves.

It's just a beautiful place to live.

(upbeat music) (instrumental music) - Next time you take a walk in downtown Mankato, keep an eye out for mother-daughter duo, Denise David and Jess Tanoe.

Their storefront is filled with art and furniture, and plenty of interior design inspiration.

Stick around to find out how these women are taking refurbished furniture to the next level.

(upbeat music) - I'm Jess Tanoe and this is Denise David, and we are the co-founders of Whimsy and Weathered (upbeat music) Whimsy and Weathered came about from really Denise.

So Denise is my mother.

So we are a mother-daughter owned company.

And I was finishing my master's and Denise had kind of retired from her career, and was ready to kind of do something new.

And she had done some painting and things for other stores and kinda just knew that we had the skill and the passion to have our own.

So really she kinda had the idea.

She came to me and just like, it's crazy.

Are you in?

And I graduated and said, let's do this.

(upbeat music) We specialize in home decor as well as repurposed furniture.

- [Denise] So we're a retail location in Mankato, off riverfront drive.

We are both designers and love decor.

- We fight sometimes.

(laughs) But not too bad - I'll tell you more than once I've taken a spin around the block, but what's unique about Jess (laughs) and I is that we're very similar.

We can have a disagreement with one another and it's over in two seconds, and then we're deciding what we're gonna order for lunch.

- Hpw I really got into design was while growing up with my mother, always doing, like the home always was fantastic.

Christmas was fantastic.

(upbeat music) - Just as all of our photography, which is beautiful.

And once those pictures go up, which are teasers, which are typically about usually around five to six days in advance.

Once those pictures go up, we sell nothing.

We guarantee that if you come to Whimsy, and you've seen it in the photos, it's going to be here when we open those doors.

(upbeat music) We are blessed enough to have folks come from quite a distance to visit whimsy.

- We saw a lot of repurpose furniture.

Often we will get messages, "Oh, I see that dresser sold.

"I want one just like that.

"Let me know when one comes in."

And it's very much like the antiquing world.

We never know what's gonna come in.

We have some great vendors.

We have different girls that make signs and candles, and... - A gentleman that makes like the farmhouse tables - Yeah (mumbles) - It's someone else.

Yes, those are made by a gentlemen.

We're always trying to make sure that they fit our design for the store.

- [Jess] But yeah, promoting - [Denise] Yeah.

- That's like locally made.

What we really strive for is to provide what can be handmade and still be affordable to our clients.

- What we are known for is Christmas.

We do Christmas fabulous.

We are thinking about the design concept and what's going to happen in the store where our trees will be.

Last year, we built a building inside the other part of the store.

So when I say phenomenal, Christmas is phenomenal here at whimsy.

- [Jess] We really make sure that when you come, it's an experience, [upbeat music] We have what we call whimsy weekends.

So each month is dedicated to a certain feel or look, and we want people to come in, and it's a new experience every single time they come.

(upbeat music) (instrumental music) - A small Minnesota town, hidden in the bluffs is commemorating their sesquicentennial.

150 years celebrated in concert, dedication and community.

Keep an eye out for a familiar face in the Ukulele band.

(instrumental music) - So Lanesborough was started back in 1869 by a group of entrepreneurs from New York state who wanted to make a resort in Minnesota.

They were shrewd though because they knew that the decision had already been made to bring the railroad through the root River Valley.

It was started as a tourist town way back in 1868.

(instrumental music) Lanesborough is a unique little city.

You'd come in on County road eight and it's like you're coming into a Norman Rockwell picture because it is so picturesque.

The people that live in this town definitely have a passion for Lanesborough.

Some of us grew up here, or you have those that moved to the area and fell in love, and wanted to start a business here.

For the hundred and 50th there're historic preservation group that met, we had three girls that volunteered to do some research, and they looked at what each business had been through the past years, and what was the most prominent that people would remember it by.

And then they each put together a sign for each window displaying the hundred and 50th, and what each business was.

- I actually remember the Centennial.

I was born here in 1955 in a beautiful old Victorian home.

I was 12 and we all wore long dresses and all the men grew beards, and it was a delightful time.

Don't remember much more than that.

But of course, when this one came along, I thought, well, I'm still alive, I better be involved in this one too.

And it was a beautiful service remembering everyone who came before us.

And then everything here in the park, other people stepped up, did the potluck, did the Ukuleles, did everything.

It was a wonderful afternoon.

- The great history of Lanesborough was part of the attraction here.

As newer residents, we wanna be involved in every way we can and the time capsule that's going on, and all the fun stuff here.

I think, again, speaks to the community.

You saw the gathering here earlier today, and we were excited just to be a part of that.

- The people that planned the bike trail and focused on the natural beauty of the Lanesborough areas really hit the mark.

We have a robust small community with a wonderful business community and lots of art activities.

We have a theater district.

It makes for a community that feeds one soul.

Yeah, you can get what you need as a person to feel fulfilled in life.

(instrumental music) - We've reached the end of this tour, Off 90.

Thanks for riding along.

See you next time.

But before we go, here's a song from jazz composer and musician, John Paulson (orchestra music) (crowd clapping) (crowd clapping) (crowd clapping) (instrumental music) - [Announcer] Funding for Off 90 is provided in part by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.

(birds chirping) (crowd faintly singing)