Today we’d like to introduce you to Connie Karstens
Hi Connie, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Our journey began in 1986 when Connie and Doug got married and decided to make sheep farming their livelihood. Connie, who grew up on a hobby farm, and Doug, a young sheep farmer, shared a passion for sustainable agriculture. During their honeymoon in New Zealand, they were inspired by innovative grazing techniques and brought those concepts back to their own farm. Their vision was simple: intensive grazing with sustainable practices to ensure top-quality nutrition.
As the farm grew, people driving by often noticed the sheep grazing and stopped to ask if they sold lamb. After receiving enough inquiries, Doug and Connie realized there was a real demand for high-quality, locally raised lamb. In 1996, they opened The Lamb Shoppe, one of the first farm-based retail stores of its kind, offering 100% grass-fed lamb raised right on the farm.
Beyond the shop, they introduced their lamb directly to consumers through a food booth at the Minnesota State Fair in 1990 under the name “Ewe Love It.” Later rebranded as The Lamb Shoppe, the booth became well-known for serving gyros, lamb burgers, lamb chops on a stick, kombucha, baklava, lamb wraps, and more. After 28 successful years in food service, the family retired this part of the business in 2018 to focus more on the Shoppe & Wellness Center.
Meanwhile, Connie and Clara, their youngest daughter, had long envisioned creating a holistic wellness space where like-minded professionals could support the community. In 2019, this vision became a reality with the expansion of The Lamb Shoppe & Wellness Center, adding a full-service wellness space and classroom.
Today, our Wellness Center is home to a dedicated network of independent practitioners offering services such as nutrition counseling, herbal medicine, massage therapy, thermography, lymphatic drainage, muscle-nerve therapies, myofascial release, mental health counseling, detox therapies, and much more! We recognize that each person’s wellness journey is unique, and we provide a variety of functional medicine services to support individual health needs.
Through all these years, our name and mission have remained the same: “Empowering health and wellness from our farm to you.” In addition to our professional wellness services, we now offer a variety of natural foods, organic produce, local goods, herbals, and health and wellness products—continuing our commitment to supporting a healthy, sustainable lifestyle.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Our story started over 20 years ago. When Clara was only four years old, unexplained health issues started to show up, and her weight went down to 28 pounds. Clara’s health and vitality started to decline. Her parents took her to many doctors and specialists who, unfortunately, had no answers. Desperate to turn this around, her parents decided to try natural medicine and consult with an herbalist. This visit was life-changing as it became a wellness journey that would come full circle.
After being utterly amazed by the healing power of plants growing in their backyard, Connie went back to school to study herbal medicine. As Clara grew up, she continued to be emersed in many holistic health modalities and knew she had a passion for helping others in similar situations.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Lamb Shoppe & Wellness Center?
You will fall in love with our local natural foods store where we put our customers first! Come and visit our quaint farm Shoppe & Wellness Center located 10 miles west of Hutchinson Minnesota on Hwy 7. Our Shoppe is open Monday – Friday from 9:00 am – 6:00 pm and Saturday from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm.
Our Wellness Center is comprised of a network of professionals who work independently to help empower health & wellness. In 2019, our Wellness Center grew to offer more holistic services to the community, including functional medicine, nutrition, herbal medicine, flower essence therapy, massage therapy, muscle/nerve/lymphatic techniques, myofascial release, Reiki, sound therapy techniques, thermography, IonCleanse Detox Foot Bath, and more.
We believe that there are multiple avenues to healing, and our countryside location provides a perfect environment to rejuvenate and restore. We recognize that each individual’s wellness journey is unique and offer a variety of functional medicine services.
The Lamb Shoppe & Wellness Center also features a variety of educational classes, including nutrition & healthy living, herbal medicine studies, and much more.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Doug Rathke, Connie’s husband, has had the incredible honor of representing the United States multiple times in the World Sheep Shearing Competitions. His expertise has taken him across the globe, including New Zealand, Canada, Ireland, Wales, England, Norway, France, and Australia.
In July 2009, Doug pushed his skills to the limit by completing a 24-hour sheep shearing marathon, shearing an astonishing 607 sheep during that time.
In 1994, Doug and Connie were selected by Winrock International for a special mission to Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan (Central Asia), where they taught local farmers advanced sheep shearing and production techniques—helping to enhance sustainable farming practices in the region.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lambshoppe.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lamb_shoppe/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LambShoppe
