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Hegge working to 'create a miracle'

Crookston Daily Times
Written By: Mike Christopherson, Managing Editor

Kay Hegge stands in the onetime Quist's office area that she has opened up to accentuate antique lighting fixtures. (Mike Christopherson, Photographer)

November 1, 2005 - The Friday after Thanksgiving is typically one of the busiest holiday shopping days of the year. If everything goes as Kay Hegge hopes it does, local shoppers will have a new store to visit that day, "Kay's Attic and Antique Emporium," located in the former longtime home of Quist's Trading Post on Robert Street.

"People are typically out and about that day," she said. "Hopefully curiosity will get the best of them and they'll stop in to check it out."

Although there's still plenty of work to be done, the space that will soon be home to Hegge's consignment store is virtually unrecognizable from its trading post days. The floor is being stripped down to its original hardwood maple, the office area in the rear has been opened up, and a vibrant, fresh coat of paint covers the walls and tin ceiling that dates back to the 1930s.

"I've gone through so much blue tape," Hegge said. "I've bought rolls by the dozens."

Hegge spent most of the summer cleaning out the space and is now sprucing it up. She's quick to add that she isn't doing it alone. Keith Oien at Crookston Paint & Glass next door has been a "godsend," Hegge said, as have helpers from the Care & Share Center, and city Building Official Paul Mercil. UMC students have volunteered their services, too, and Hegge said her kids, Lydia, Sara and Ethan have been a huge help as well.

"We had 100 appliances we had to get out of here," Hegge said. "If I've learned anything during this process it's that it takes a village to start a small business."

The store will feature antiques, collectibles and various gently used items, including clothing and furniture. It will also serve as a temporary home for the Cathedral Gallery and Store that features fine arts and crafts.

"If you're looking for something for yourself or a gift for someone else, chances are we'll have something here," Hegge said, adding that everything will be on consignment. She's currently building her inventory in preparation for the store's opening and is accepting items by appointment. She's also working with a couple of people who have a large stock of items that Hegge said will give the store a "full feeling" from the first day it opens. If people have large items that they can't move on their own but think Hegge might be interested in, she said they can contact her (khegge@rrv.net).

The building is more than retail space, however. There are four floors, with 5,000 square feet on each, and 15 apartments on the top two floors that Hegge is looking to renovate and rent out. Getting the store up and running is first on the list, though, because the apartment project that would be targeted at homeless and low-income tenants is dependent on grant funding, she explained.

If there's a trend, both locally and beyond, for stores that sell quality used merchandise, Hegge doesn't believe it's an accident.

"It's been a national trend and I think we're starting to catch up with it around here," she said. "Stores that sell quality, used items are popular because they're affordable."

The consignment system is attractive for consumers as well, Hegge explained, because, for instance, "they can sell some clothing and buy some more."

For others, shopping at stores like "Kay's Attic" is pure fun, she added.

"It's about finding bargains and hidden treasures," Hegge said. "People love the joy of the hunt."

Kay Hegge stands in the onetime Quist's office area that she has opened up to accentuate antique lighting fixtures. (Mike Christopherson, Photographer)

When finished, the retail space will have an art-deco look to it, and will in many ways resemble an attic. Hegge credits Gail Myers for coming up with the color scheme.

As she puts in six days a week at the site, Hegge said many people have stopped by to provide encouragement. "People are thrilled to see something good and positive happening," she said. "They can't wait to see everything when it's finished."

Hegge will soon be erecting signage on the front of the store.

"This is definitely a challenge; it's economic development with a budget of nothing that I attribute in large part to the wonders of paint," she said. "We're creating a miracle here."