“It’s expensive,” said Lisa Clemons. “I wanted to build a platform because there’s no bridge between ‘I’ve outgrown my home base’ and ‘I’m ready to grow’ and then there’s retail. You’re just jumping from no overhead to massive overhead.”
So, last fall, she opened Nest to Threads. It’s a business that leases small spaces to other businesses.
“It’s a little bit of a hybrid, I think. I use lots of different words to describe it, but I would call it ‘micro spaces.’ It’s taking the same bigger concept of a strip center and putting it into one
little space,” said Clemons
Inside there are about 15 small businesses. Most of them rent the space by the month; but some rent for as little as a week, and some rent for several months at a time, making for an evolving shopping experience.
“Almost every time you come in you’re gonna find something different. It can changes fairly often. Right now we have some clothing boutiques, we have handmade woodworking and cutting boards, hand carved bowls, we have handmade décor, jewelry, and greeting cards.”
Most of Lisa Clemons clients began their businesses out of their homes, and decided to take the next step. One of those businesses is Cotton Patch Boutique.
“I am a product of the pandemic,” said Pam Linton, owner of Cotton Patch Boutique. “I started an online ladies boutique that launched in June of 2020.”
Pam Linton says 2020 was the right time for an online business, but now it’s the right time for her to step into a storefront.
“People at that time even gravitated more so towards online shopping,” said Linton. “We saw a surgent of everything from the groceries to the big boxes. Now that things have relaxed a little bit, it’s time for me to get out and meet and greet; but I don’t want that great big space.”
Another business owner is Danya Lindahl. She creates and sells seasonal home decor in her shop, Handmade by Danya.
“When I decided to do this I didn’t really know how to. I didn’t know where to start. Somebody said, ‘go to Marketplace or Craigslist and get online.’ I’m not an online person. I’m a people person. I’ve always interacted great with people, and I thought I don’t really want to do the online thing,” said Dayna Lindahl.
Lindahl says it’s a great fit for her, and she plans on renting a space for one month every season, and plans to bring different items every time.
“I was here for [Lisa’s] grand opening, and I was here for a month. It went fantastic. I am now on my second go around here at Nest to Threads,” said Lindahl.
Clemons also has her own shop on site. She says she doesn’t see the other shops as competition, but instead as member of the same team.
“When it’s just one fish swimming upstream is really hard; but if we’re all swimming upstream together it’s better by all of us working together in the same manner. One small business alone is a lot of work, but if there’s this machine of small businesses we become more noticeable so it’s really about working together,” said Clemons.
Nest to Threads is in Coon Rapids, and features the work of many local creators and curators. Right now it’s open Thursday through Saturday.
