Halstad: A town where women get down to business

HALSTAD, Minn. - Donna Scholl bought the town grocery store in August and instantly became part of an unofficial club she didn’t realize existed.

Out of about a dozen businesses on Highway 200, the main street through Halstad, seven are owned by women.

Most of the women either bought existing businesses to keep them going in the town of about 600, or started businesses so they could work in town.

“We like Halstad, we wanted to stay in Halstad and it’s an investment in Halstad,” Scholl said.

The community, located about halfway between Moorhead and East Grand Forks, supports its local businesses.

It’s not uncommon for customers to see Scholl’s 3-year-old son pushing a car down the aisles of Scholl’s Super Valu, and they understand her commitment to both her business and her family, she said.

“It’s good for my boys to grow up being part of a community,” Scholl said.

The women business owners say they have to stick together.

“If the store wouldn’t have been bought and had to be shut down, it would affect our business and everybody else’s,” said Emily Finney, who owns Burd and Rise Independent Insurance Agency with Lori Rufsvold.

Rufsvold said she felt a sense of pride and accomplishment when she realized how many local businesses are owned by women.

“This is certainly not a ‘we hate men’s club,’ ” Rufsvold said. “We just kind of realized it one day.”

Ultimately, she said it doesn’t matter whether it’s a man or woman running the businesses as long as they stay in town.

“We live right between Grand Forks and Fargo, which is huge competition for a small town normally, but there’s a lot of loyalty to the businesses in our small town,” she said.

Joy Hollinshead opened Dr. Joy’s Dental Clinic in December 1998. At one point she considered moving, but the town rallied to keep her. In September she opened a new office.

“Halstad has always been very open to getting businesses in, opening up a spot, trying to keep the town alive,” she said.

Amber Black recently moved her business, Proximity Salon, from Hendrum to Halstad. She opened the Halstad location Nov. 4.

She said the camaraderie among the women business owners made the move and the decision to move much easier for her.

Pia Thurland, originally from Denmark, opened her business, Eagle Tree Feed Store, on Dec. 9, 2008. She started out as a Nutrena Animal Feeds dealer because she had to drive to Fargo to get the horse feed she wanted.

Then she opened a store and her business grew from there. She sells horse food, pet food, grooming products and horse tack. She’s even branched into coffee, tea and cocoa.

“All through history, women have always been the silent ones. Today it’s just different. Women can do anything,” Thurland said.

Roberta Hettervig runs Halstad Café. She owns the business and the city owns the building and the major equipment. She decided to take over the business in 2005 because she didn’t want to have to leave town for work.

“I wanted to make sure I was still working in town because my child is in school here,” Hettervig said.

Bambi Hellerud had a similar reason for starting her business. She wanted something to do, but didn’t want to commute.

Hellerud opened a flower shop with a tanning bed in 2004. While the tanning bed was a hit, the flower shop was not. So, in July 2008, she moved downtown and opened Vroom Closet, a motorcycle clothing and collectibles store that also has a tanning bed.

“We’re trying to keep things going in town,” Hellerud said. “You see towns around us starting to fail. We’re trying to keep the businesses we do have going.”

Readers can reach Forum reporter Tracy Frank at (701) 241-5526