It’s not uncommon for people to say their parents are role models, but for one St. Louis Park businesswoman, her mother’s influence stretched well beyond the norm. Sandy Fielder is the youngest of three in a motivated family. She chose to become a physician, a profession that instantly made her mom, Ina Lang, proud. “I called and told her I was accepted into med school and she said in an excited tone ‘No you didn’t!’” Fielder recalled. “She was really supportive.” As years passed, Fielder decided to jump into the pharmaceutical industry. “I was climbing the ladder and things were good,” she …

Tucked back in a maze of generic commercial buildings sits a white warehouse with a retro metal sign and a wine barrel mounted above the door. These are the first clues that what awaits behind this otherwise drab facade is not an ordinary industrial space in St. Louis Park. Inside, vintage tables with candlesticks speckle the room. Wine bottles draped in awards sit atop shelves. Oak barrels line the side of a wall and a shiny tasting bar sits in the middle of the business known as Warehouse Winery. An eclectic mix of art, antiques and decorative sheet metal surround the winery, and its owner …

Lori Anderson has an eye for the unusual. As the owner of EuroNest, a unique European antique and furniture store in St. Louis Park, she travels all over in search of one-of-a-kind pieces for her customers.  “A lot of businesses say they handpick items, but I literally travel to Paris, Belgium and Holland to find interesting pieces,” she said. “I’m not just looking for a unique piece—I look for things that have a story.” Pieces like a hand-painted armoire come to Anderson’s mind as she describes some of her favorite finds. “I found this Danish armoire that dates back to the 1850s and it has …

Susan Hanegan Burdorf has always loved to cook. The mother of two was constantly in the kitchen trying new recipes and teaching her children the joys of baking. With her children grown, the 61-year-old decided to turn her love of cooking into a business. “I finally got to a point where life started to slow down a bit and I really wanted to do something for myself,” Hanegan Burdorf said. With her kids in college and her husband on the road for work, she decided to take a few cooking classes. Through these classes and conversations with other cooks, a business idea was born. “I was chatting …

Businesswoman Susan Sun takes the term multi-tasker to a whole a new level.  She owns and operates a designer store in St. Louis Park and is a mother of two kids under the age of 2. “As a mom and businesswoman, it’s hard to stay on top of things, but I figure if I can juggle both I know there is nothing I can’t do in the future,” Sun said. Originally from Taiwan, Sun opened OPM, a retail clothing and handbag store, in the Excelsior and Grand area in 2008.  “The same year I opened the store, I also got married,” she said. “I guess I’m just used to handling a lot at once.” Now this modern day …

Four years ago Keith and Trycia Miller decided they wanted to get out of the corporate world. Trycia has a degree in nutrition and Keith has a background in radio.  “The 9-5 world just wasn’t for us, so we started tossing around business ideas,” Keith Miller said. “We spent a lot of time at dog parks and having fun with our dog, Roxy, and one day a business idea just clicked.” Their plan was to open a doggie daycare. After a year of research, the couple cut their corporate ties and opened Pampered Pooch Playground. “I remember when we first started I called one of our employees and said, ‘You…

On an average day, more than 1,000 students scurry about inside the walls of Benilde-St. Margaret’s, and the man who overseas the bustling busyness is Dr. Bob Tift. Tift has a long history at the private, Catholic school. Not only is it his alma matter, it’s also where Tift spent most of his academic career, first as principal and then as president, a position he's held since 2004. “I love this job,” said Tift, who has lived in St. Louis Park for more than 20 years. “Benilde-St. Margaret’s is such a great community, and I’m very passionate about our ministry and mission.” Tift says he takes …

Winter is unavoidable in Minnesota. Despite the warmer-than-usual temperatures, snow is inevitable, and that’s exactly what one St. Louis Park business is waiting for. “We are ready for the skiing and snowboarding season to begin,” Hoigaard’s advertising manager Ryan Anderson said. “We sell outdoor fun—what could be better than that?” This enthusiastic father and ad guru started working for the outdoor sporting goods store four years ago, and says the allure of working for a family owned business drew him in. “There was just something about working for a mom and pop store that I really …

Lisa Abernathy said no, we shouldn’t do the interview in her office at the St. Louis Park Rec Center—it was just too full. There weren’t really many places to sit. “There’s just so much Halloween stuff in there,” said Abernathy, the city’s recreation coordinator. She and her colleagues are busy planning the Goblin March and Boo-Gie Concert, the center’s annual kids’ Halloween party, which will be held this year on Oct. 28. So we found a place in the lobby to talk, and it soon became clear that, like her office, Abernathy’s plate is full, too. From special events like the Halloween party to …

It’s hard not to relax upon entering the waiting room of A Gentle Touch by Sandra. Owner Sandra Caldwell wants the atmosphere—the soothing music, the low lighting coupled with lamps that give off an entrancing red glow and the artwork highlighted by the meditating Buddha statuette atop a shelf—to put customers in the right mood for a facial or a waxing. “It’s an extension of my personality,” Caldwell said of the décor. “I want my clients to escape and forget their stress.” Caldwell realizes that people will be more stressed when the economy is bad, as it is now. And like many business owners…

Working by himself for hours at a time—doing things like carving wax and setting stones in his shop—doesn’t bother St. Louis Park jeweler Scott Verson. “I like my alone time,” said Verson, who opened Metal & Stone Design in 2000. He moved to his current location in St. Louis Park three years ago. And yet, Verson’s favorite thing about his job is connecting with others. “The biggest reward I get is just working with people,” Verson said. “I guess with wedding rings—(they are) such a personal item. (People) sort of let you into their world for a little while.” Verson doesn’t just do wedding …

While she’s at work, Kate Burggraff talks about what’s for dinner—just like most people do. But unlike most people, Burggraff talks about what other people and their families will have for dinner. That’s because Burggraff works as the food shelf manager and volunteer coordinator at the St. Louis Park Emergency Program (STEP). “We talk about food a lot at STEP,” Burggraff said. The nonprofit organization, started in 1975, provides basic needs like food and clothing to St. Louis Park residents, serving about 1,600 people each month, according to the group’s website. Before being hired at STEP, …

If you check the backlog of "Local Places, Local Faces" articles, there has been a wide range of businesses and groups that have been highlighted week in and week out. With countless more ready to get the attention they deserve, now might be as good a time as any to take reader suggestions. A fair question would be, "Why now?" I, the author, have been in the running for a copy editing job at an advertising agency in downtown Minneapolis for the last couple of weeks. I received the news earlier this week that I got the job, which is very exciting for me. As I start the new job, and settle into…

What is "cool?" What defines it? According to INSTORE, the independent jewelry industry's trade magazine, Style By Max is the definition.  Style By Max, or Max's for short, is the creation of Ellen Hertz. In 2006, after a tiring two decades in the corporate world, Hertz opened the doors of her unique St. Louis Park boutique. Specializing in artist-designed jewelry, home decor and specialty chocolates, Max's instantly became a hit in the Twin Cities metro.  Earlier this week, INSTORE named Max's "The Coolest Little Store in America." I decided to talk with Hertz about what makes her store cool…

I called M&T's Munchies earlier this week to set up an interview for this week's column. "Can you call back in a an hour, man? We just got completely slammed with customers," the voice on the other end of the line told me.  I'd later find out I was speaking with Todd (the "T" in the diner's name) Schumacher, co-owner of M&T's Munchies, an obviously popular neighborhood eatery found in the old Palm's Bakery location. The two-year-old cafe was a perfect match for Todd and his wife Melanie (the "M"). "I've always wanted to own my own business," Todd said, "and my wife has always wanted to have …

Picture the stereotypical tattoo shop. The artists have more than enough experience with the trade judging by their arms, and the walls of their waiting rooms oftentimes look more like those of a rock and roll club. Now think of reversing the ink-getting process and the sterile environment in which that might take place and you'll have the Tattoo Removal Shop, Dr. Mike Towey's business on Minnetonka Boulevard. "We're one of only two places in the country that specialize in just tattoo removals," Towey told me from inside his tastefully decorated consultation room. "The other one is out in L.A…

Jason Alvey is a jovial Australian transplant who stands about a beer barrel and a half tall. The decade he's spent living in the States has only slightly taken away his Aussie accent, but those same 10 years have done a great number on his appreciation for craft beer. "When I lived in Australia, I didn't know anything about good beer," Alvey said from behind his small desk's makeshift location in a swelling beer cooler. "Most people there drink mass produced lagers like Bud, Miller, Coors or the Australian equivalent." Judging by his uber-successful craft beer store, The Four Firkins, Alvey'…

"Do you have a headache?" my interviewees asked.  "Actually, I do have a headache," I replied.The next thing I knew, the rest of the interview was conducted with three acupuncture needles in my forehead and one in my arm.  Welcome to Acupuncture in the Park, run by Lynn Jaffee and Shelley Conn—two very kind, very gentle women with a passion for helping their customers relieve pain. Since 2003, Jaffee and Conn have been practicing acupuncture in their St. Louis Park location. However, how the business came about was almost by happenstance. "We studied at Northwestern Health Sciences in …

While doing an interview recently for an article I'd submit to a neighboring city's Patch, I was snidely belittled by the interviewee. "So you're part of the whole happy journalism movement, eh? Sort of like, 'look how great our community is' type stories?" I was taken aback by this slightly. After choosing my words carefully, I mentioned to said person that I am currently writing columns for St. Louis Park Patch that started with the idea of digging deep into the city and finding those interesting people and places that might otherwise not be getting the recognition they deserve. Call it …

Robyn Awend, director of visual arts at the Sabes Jewish Community Center, is one of the reasons why St. Louis Park still has a strong arts community. I sat down with her this week for a discussion about the role that art plays, both in her life and at Sabes. St. Louis Park Patch: First off, what's your background in the arts? Robyn Awend: I went to school at the University of Arizona, where I studied fine arts and got my undergraduate B.A. When I went to graduate school at the University of Texas in Dallas, I was working towards an M.F.A. in printmaking. During my time there I ended up …