The Hickory Shop, Motley, added another product line. Owner Tim Mikish is selling a dry pre-mixed seasoning and spices for the do-it-yourselfer making sausage, jerky, beef stick or hamburger. Mikish said he has a multitude of recipes and was approved by the Department of Agriculture.The Hickory Shop, Motley, added another product line. Owner Tim Mikish is selling a dry pre-mixed seasoning and spices for the do-it-yourselfer making sausage, jerky, beef stick or hamburger. Mikish said he has a multitude of recipes and was approved by the Department of Agriculture.
A long-time sausage maker, Mikish put a play on words by calling his line The Hickory Shop Seasonings and Spices from the seasoned professional. Pre-mixed seasonings may be $4.50 or $5.75 to handle a 25 pound batch of meat. Mikish said his bratwurst seasoning has nine different spices. He also has a lemon pepper for fish. He offers rubs, a mixture of spices used as seasoning for meat, fish or poultry and casings for polish sausage. The products are available in both retail and wholesale.
The Power Lodge opened on Highway 371 North earlier this month and is celebrating the new store this weekend with food and prizes. An expanded crew of 15 workers is on hand for the weekend. The business caters to all kinds of power sports with boats, pontoons, Polaris snowmobiles, ATVs, and Victory motorcycles.
"We sell fun," said Tom Hedtke, sales manager.
Construction on the building started last fall. The Power Lodge opened the first week of May. Hedtke said the business started as Mille Lacs Motor Sports in Onamia and added stores in Mora and now north of Baxter. The Power Lodge has just under 9,000 square feet of space here.
Hedtke said it took some time to find appropriate land on Highway 371, which seemed a natural fit as a major artery for people heading north and a close draw to Brainerd International Raceway. Hedtke said while people talk about a down economy, customers are still spending on recreation equipment. In addition to the power sports items, the store offers full service on all brands, parts, sales and storage - along with accessories.
Blue Canoe opened about a month ago with new ownership in Nisswa. Kathy Johnson said she bought the business in March and along with business partner Dawn Emstad-Linborg is offering mid-range fine jewelry and gifts.
The store is on Main Street by the Adirondack and Rainy Day Bookstore. Johnson said she has five years of experience in jewelry while Emstad-Linborg has 20 years in the industry. The store includes baby gifts, grandfather clocks and picture frames, globes and whimsical items. Johnson said offerings include work by area artists in mediums like fusion glass and jewelry.
The Framing Connection recently moved from Excelsior Road in Baxter going north to Edgewood Drive in the Paul Gazelka Insurance Agency building between Slumberland and the China Garden.
Peterson has been handling framing needs for years, previously working at Christmas Point and then Ben Franklin when it was in the East Brainerd Mall and at before starting her own retail business in 2003.
Peterson said she wanted to make the change to gain more visibility. From framing prints, Peterson has witnessed the business change to work with things people are more personally attached to such as memory boxes - for military medals and artifacts with veterans photographs, children's art, vintage family photographs and newspaper articles. She even frames family history in colorful and detailed confirmation and birth certificates from generations past.
"There's no end to what they bring in," Peterson said.
The Gull Drive-In, just off Highway 371, opened this weekend for its first three-day weekend run with plans for regular weekend movie offerings beginning again on June 13.
Terry Iverson, owner of Hastings-based Twilight Zone Outdoor Cinema, is leasing the Gull Drive-in on Highway 371 from owner Babe Winkelman.
Iverson said he is hoping to get movie-goer feedback on what movies people would like to see in the area. Feedback is welcome at www.gulldrivein.com.
Food is available at the drive-in or people can bring their own snacks, but Iverson said leave the charcoal or gas grill at home as that won't be allowed.
The Brainerd Lakes Convention and Visitors Bureau finally announced the official change of its name to Visit Brainerd.
The move comes after the organization previously changed its named to the Brainerd Lakes CVB in 2007 from its earlier name the Brainerd/Baxter Lodging Association.
RENEE RICHARDSON, senior reporter, may be reached at renee.richardson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5852.