Today we’d like to introduce you to Theresa Stenstrom. Them and their team share their story with us below:
Stenstrom Jewelry was established in 1881 by Louis Stenstrom who migrated to Minnesota from Sweden. Louis brought his watchmaking skills with him and opened Stenstrom Jewelry.
The store has been owned and operated by family members since then which makes me Theresa and my husband Daren Stenstrom a 5th generation owner. I operate/manage the business while Daren operates/manages our collision center & carwash at Stenstrom Collision & Detail. I also do all the advertising & bookkeeping for both businesses.
In 2018, we added a boutique to the store as we felt a need in the community for a fun, fashionable clothing & unique gift item boutique, and the 1881 Legacy Boutique was established. The front of our store is the boutique & the back is our Jewelry store, they are one business Stenstrom Jewelry & 1881 Legacy Boutique!
I am super excited to say that in the fall of 2023, we will be adding on to the store as we purchased the building next to us. We have started the renovation process by exposing all of the original brick and the original white tin ceiling will go beautifully with our existing building! We are growing and couldn’t be more excited about it! We will also be renting out the front 3rd of the building for a new to our community business to start up!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I had the luxury of having a well-established business by the time we got the opportunity to buy the store, however, it has grown tremendously over the last 5 years since adding the boutique and it keeps getting busier & busier.
I put in long hours, especially over the holidays, and get very little sleep during that time as I can’t seem to turn off my brain due to the excitement of the holiday season. I LOVE Christmas and the store is amazing and looks so beautiful during the holidays. I get told that our store feels and looks like a “Hallmark Movie”. What a compliment!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am so incredibly proud of my team! I have amazing women working at the store, Noel, Abby, Eve, Erika, Sheri, Tonya, and my daughter Jade who do some modeling for us. All of these women excel in customer service! Our goal is to make our customers feel welcomed, special, and beautiful in the boutique, they will shower you with gift ideas and style you in gorgeous, nice quality clothing and fashion jewelry. With a pair of shoes to match! We carry sizes small to 3X.
The jewelry store has a legacy to uphold that started back in 1881! Trust! I am proud and honored to be able to keep offering our loyal customers honest, quality repair service at reasonable prices and an acceptable turnaround time. I myself love jewelry and I hand-pick every piece in the store in hopes that you will love it too. I love to do remounts, and custom jewelry designs and just help you find the most precious, fine jewelry item for you or a loved one!
Customer satisfaction is my #1 goal, I want every customer to have an amazing experience in our store and leave happy while wanting to come back in the future.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
I love our small town, it’s all heart! As a community, we love and support each other and as business owners, we all love and support each other. Our Main Street (Union Street) is filled with adorable retail shops, restaurants, realtors and so many owned by women!
Our city has great walking/bike paths and has a lot to offer in outdoor events like the Vasaloppet ski race in February, the canoe race in May, and the bike race and running race in August. We are a sister city to Mora Sweden and we have the United States’ largest Dala Horse statue the Mora Klokka is centered in the heart of Main Street.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.stenstromjewelry.com
- Instagram: @1881legacy
- Facebook: @stenstromjewelry
