Their
building stands on Gateway Drive and a how very apt the
address is: this truly is a gateway to a vast and inspiring world
which only the dedicated stitcher could appreciate. Nordic Needle
is the culmination of a mission that two naive, young stitchers
embarked upon almost 25 years ago.
In
1975 Sue Meier, Roz Watnemo and Gayle Hillert worked at Concordia
College. They had just made the acquaintance of Marie Hanson
who introduced them to an obscure embroidery technique. Each
took to it with gusto, but found supplies elusive. That their
passion for Hardanger became the cornerstone of a business dedicated
to it, is rather extraordinary since, even though both Roz and
Sue descend from Nordic stock, neither had ever even heard of
it before. The three decided to open a tiny shop to supply their
own group. The inventory consisted of 20 yards of Hardanger fabric,
2 cases pearl cotton #5 & #12, 2 books, needles and some
local
crafts. They set up shop in an old hotel as "Crafts, Cloth
and Collectibles"- try saying that fast three times!
After
a short-lived occupancy, a better spot was found in an enclave
of small businesses known as "Block 6." In the interim,
Gayle had moved but Roz and Sue forged ahead. To attract customers,
they began a series of Hardanger classes, teaching wherever and
whenever they could. The next logical step was to publish a book
of the word-of-mouth patterns they had compiled from their teacher:
Hardanger Embroidery Favorites. Though barebones, it presented
the stitches clearly charted, with straightforward instructions.
It was such a success that it is now in its 18th printing. Next,
they had no alternative but to attempt their own designs. Eureka!
They found they both had a talent. To date, Nordic Needle has
published over 130 Hardanger books, several kits and chartpacks
which are sold wholesale to 1200 needlework shops and to 78,000
retail mail-order customers throughout the globe.
Even though Hardanger is a very specialized technique, they mined
it to the minutest detail. "We found a very small but necessary
niche in the market." Sue elaborates, "And we've explored
that narrow niche in great depth to fill our customers' needs."
In so doing, they have preserved a venerable Scandinavian art
and gained many a new convert. Later, they added complimentary
techniques; first counted cross stitch which has Danish origins
and then tatting, silk ribbon embroidery, Brazilian embroidery,
bobbin lace, blackwork, pulled thread, canvaswork and counted
bead embroidery. Recently Russian punchneedle embroidery and
Romanian point lace have been introduced. Their space in Block
6 went through 3 expansions before their current premises of
9000 sq. ft. were built in `84. The name was changed after the
1st renovation; crafts had fallen by the wayside and their area
of specialty called for a more suitable moniker.
Being
so devoted to promulgating a selective range of needlearts, Nordic
Needle has a most eclectic and eccentric roster of customers;
a couple from Israel was visiting NY and decided that they were
already so close, they might as well fly to Minneapolis, rent
a car and drive for a day, just to see Nordic Needle! Folks on
vacation just pop in: one RV was as close as Omaha, NE, so they
drove the extra 7-8 hours to pay a call. A young couple from
Toronto planned their whole holiday around shopping there. When
a stitcher in Georgia was asked what she wanted for her birthday,
she declared: a trip to Nordic Needle! She got it. Obviously,
Roz and Sue have made an indelible impression on stitchers the
world over.
For twenty years, Nordic Needle has been sponsoring a Hardanger
design contest and Roz marvels, "Every year the entries
get better and more amazing!" Designs are judged on workmanship,
creativity, color appropriateness and overall general appeal.
The 10-12 winners selected have their designs are published in
a annual pattern book. Nordic Needle's website carries
contest info, free patterns, special sales, new products and
photos of their operation in full swing. Their staff consists
of 23 women and 1 "token" male, the webmaster! Both
partners stress how much they owe to their exceptional employees.
Nor could they have succeeded without the support of their husbands,
Jim and Harold, and their children, who have all helped with
the nitty- gritty day-to-day chores of boxing, labeling, sorting,
mailing, stitching, loading and general gophering - no preferential
treatment there!
It
is no wonder that Roz and Sue have received numerous accolades:
in `90, Fargo's Small Business of the Year award; for `91 and
`97, N. D.'s Small Business Exporter of the Year distinction;
Zweigart's `91 Outstanding Support Services Award; in `94 &
`95, ND's Number One Outstanding Women in Business. For several
years, they were on Fargo's Top Fifty List of fastest growing
companies and were featured in "The Area Woman" magazine.
`98 brought a Lifetime Achievement Award for ND's Women Owned
Businesses. They have also been profiled in Jane Applegate's
book, 201 Great Ideas for your Small Business, Idea #116:
How to turn your hobby into a thriving business.
As working mothers, Roz and Sue are very responsive to the
needs of their staff and endeavor to be flexible with scheduling.
The structure of their corporate hierarchy definitely sets them
apart, reflecting a sensitivity, democracy and spirit of fair
play that, I'm sorry, no man I know could conceive of.
Jim Meier serves as the secretary of the corporation, Harold
Watnemo as treasurer and Roz and Sue switch-off every two years
as president and vice president. How could anyone argue that
if women ruled the world, there would be no war??!!!
Though many folks envision places like Fargo to be kind of in-the-middle-of-nowhere,
the natives loudly proclaim otherwise. Many may already know
it through a popular cowboy love song:
Come and sit by my side if you love me; Do not
hasten to bid me adieu;
Just remember the Red River Valley and the cowboy
who loved you so true.
The
area was put on the map in 1997 because of the severe flooding
of the Red River. On a more upbeat note, Fargo gained notoriety
when the movie of the same name came out. Though it is the largest
city in ND, it is essentially a rural agricultural community
with many urban amenities: fabulous restaurants, summer theater,
golf courses, parks and a new zoo. Apropos to Nordic Needle's
raison d'etre, the area is heavily populated by people of Scandinavian
heritage. Roz and Sue are adamant that the locale is the ideal
place to raise a family, with only one qualification:
if you can stand the winters!
Their working relationship is very satisfying and both stress
that the key factor is the delineation of responsibility according
to individual preferences and talents. Sue is the "numbers"
person, devoting herself to the wholesale and foreign distribution
aspects. Roz is the artist/designer, specializing in the retail
end of things. Sue's advice echoes hard-won wisdom " Being
in partnership is a lot like being in a marriage. You need to
both be aware before you start that the other person is unique...for
Roz and me, it is the differences that make our partnership work
so well...It brings diversity... that is good for the business...
Above all, be prepared to compromise on a daily basis...Choose
a partner who complements your strengths, and be prepared to
let her do what she does best - her way!" Both firmly believe
needlework is ever growing in popularity and expect to enjoy
their partnership well into the 21st century.
Anecdote's
reveal how intensely connected their personal and business lives
have become. Roz and Sue remember business highlights relative
to family milestones. You might hear Sue exclaim, "After
five years [in business] and four daughters, we expanded the
store!" Or Roz may reminisce about the time she had to close
shop early to get to the hospital in time to deliver a baby!
As people in business for themselves will tell you: It's all
in a day's work!
Nordic Needle is located at 1314 Gateway Drive, Fargo, ND
58103
Phone: (701) 235-5231 and (800) 433-4321
Fax: (701) 235-0952
E mail: needle@corpcomm.net
Website: http://www.nordicneedle.com
Nordic Needle maintains distributors in the US, Canada, Australia,
New Zealand, Japan, England, Netherlands, Mexico, Brazil, Singapore,
Korea, Belgium, Germany, Austria and Costa Rica
- STORE
FOCUS ARCHIVES
(For
previous month's features)
-
- Needlemania,
in Cranston, Rhode Island
- The Country
Cross-Stitcher, Woburn, Bedfordshire, UK
- Amy's Golden
Strand, Memphis, TN
- Needle in
a Haystack in Alameda, California
Tri
Thy Needlecraft Centre, in North Wales, UK
Fils Du Temps
in Strasbourg, France
Stitchery Source International
/ Rainbow Picture Framing in
Miami, Florida
Nettie's Needlecraft in glamorous Beverly Hills, California...
Island
Needlework, Key West, Florida...
The
Summer House Needleworks,
Oley Valley of Pennsylvania
Evening
Star Designs, mail order specializing
in Quilting supplies
Ginger's
Needlearts and Framing, Austin, Texas
The
Needlewoman East in Falls Church, Virginia
Hook-n-Needle in Fairfield County, CT
The
Needlepointer, Everett, Washington
Haus
Tirol in Williamsburg, Virginia
Crafty
Lady in Macomb, Michigan
It's A Crewel World in Salem, Massachusetts
Exclamation Point!in Saratoga Village, California
Thistle
Needleworks in Glastonbury, Connecticut
