Far north, on the tip of Minnesota where you can almost touch Canada, you find small family-owned shops lining the streets along the sparkling and freezing waters of Lake Superior in the small town of Grand Marais.
When Kelsey Kennedy moved back home to Grand Marais in her thirties, she knew she wanted to open her own business someday. She was inspired by the many dynamic and fierce women entrepreneurs in the area that merged both work and family.
Kelsey grew up working in her mother’s small businesses which includes Beth’s Fudge and Gifts which her brother now owns. In 2016 Kelsey opened Picnic and Pine. The shop became her “little baby” and she says it was a pleasure getting to run it. It was just a labor of love. Kelsey said “it was based around things I love and things other people would love. It was very Minnesotan themed.”
When she was first setting up the business, she was going to invest in a stock picnic themed photo for the store signage but decided to use photos from her picnic themed engagement photo shoot because they were free, thinking she would replace them in the future, which never seemed to happen. The photos ended up turning into a bit of an inside joke. Her husband, who is quite shy, ended up having a large photo of himself featured on the side of the building which his friends lovingly gave him crap for.
Summer 2019, Kelsey’s family was met with heartbreak. Her Mother fell suddenly ill and was diagnosed with a spinal stroke. She became paralyzed from the waist down, spent 5 months in the hospital, and is now in a wheelchair.
Kelsey (Associate Director – Program Director) has worked for Cook County Higher Education since 2012, a non profit that helps provide support for learning in Cook County. “We provide free support for community members attending college courses (locally or long distance) and prepping for college. We also offer learning opportunities locally to lifelong learners and those looking for training and certification. They work to make programs affordable and give out thousands of scholarship dollars.” This past year, Cook County Higher education has distributed more than 160 laptops to community members in need. “We try to be responsive and flexible to the needs of our community and if possible ahead of the curve.”
On the afternoon of April 13, 2020, Kelsey was on a conference call with the Grand Marais business coalition discussing what they were going to do to survive this summer due to COVID-19 when they got the news about a fire.
“I heard the Crooked Spoon is on fire and I knew my store was going down as well because the buildings are so close together,” Kelsey said.
In a devastating turn of events, 3 small family-owned businesses in Grand Marias burned down that day: Kelsey’s Picnic and Pine, The Crooked Spoon Cafe, and White Pine North gift shop.
“We had a really rough 9 months with my Mother’s paralysis, my aunt and my SIL’s father unexepectedly passing, and then my shop. It loosens your trust to know what the future holds. Nothing feels like it’s a guarantee any longer,” Kelsey said.
When asked if Kelsey will rebuild she replied, “I am trying to not have to have all the answers right now. Which is hard for my planner personality. But we are keeping our options open and considering what could be.
With COVID-19, her mother’s ailment, the fire, her job, and raising a toddler, Kelsey has had a full plate. However, she still stays involved in the community by volunteering her time for local non profits and provides support with their social media efforts. “She does amazing things for the community,” said local resident Lisa Bauer.
When Kelsey is not busy working or volunteering, she is pontooning with her family, watching Netflix, dreaming of future adventures, and playing with her daughter down by the lake. She is admittedly “a bad Northern Minnesotan person. I am not an active outdoorsy person and I don’t really like the snow.”
Despite the challenges she has encountered, Kelsey has undoubtedly made a huge impact in her town. Without knowing what the future holds, she continues moving forward and we look forward to seeing what she does next.
