Today we’d like to introduce you to Veronica Marpoe.
Hi Veronica , we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
It starts back as small as I remember being, I’ve always been creative, crafty, looking for things to do and be busy. I loved creating memories with family during the holidays and summer. I also have always been a chatty person, which I believe put me on this path. I love talking with customers and forming.a bond and just being relatable.
I went to college and received my bachelors in Graphic Desgin, and through my college career took every class imaginable, heavily in marketing, design, paint, you name it.
When I met my husband Jeremy Marpoe who is in construction, did I start my journey of wood working. And our small hobby of creating took the opportunity in opening a shop on Main Street in Perham.
And I have been able to create a space where I get to do all the things I love. Talk, make things, create events, and promote this small town and all the amazing things it has to offer.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I would love to meet a small business owner who hasn’t had a struggle. I always tell people a quote I heard that goes “an entrepreneur will work 80 hours to avoid working 40 for another company.” If you have it in you, you will put in the hours and it won’t feel like work. Don’t get me wrong it’s hard work, but I don’t ever get up regretting going to work. I love what I get to do, and the people I have met on my journey.
But real life struggles is getting people interested in shopping with you than with (as we call him) Daddy Bezos. It’s the struggle of getting customers to get back to shopping small town America. The shops that donate towards the little league sports, fundraisers, you name it every small business gets hit up with needing donations. And we love to help, but the trend we are seeing are towns that their small businesses have closed due to support, now those towns citizens are coming to towns that are open looking for donations.
It’s all the big picture, we get that everyone has to budget and be mindful but a small purchase from your small shops will add up in the long run.
Which is why I am one of the biggest advocates of supporting all small businesses and promoting them. A rising tide lifts all boats.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Oh goodness what don’t we do here….hahaha. So we are known for creating lots of home decor, between hand painted (not stickered, or vinyl) signs, to crafted mantles and shelving. We have a variety of pieces we make in house, and I think people love that. They love taking home something that not everyone will have. And because we do things in house we are able to stay what I would consider reasonable in price.
The big attraction too is the amount of custom lake products we do in house, everything from decor, to coffee mugs, magnets, kitchen towels, and so much more.
I also love our DIY classes we do in house, and I think what I love the most about that is allowing a space for friends and family to gather and make memories, catch up on life, while creating something for their home. It’s creating experiences for people that I feel like as a generation we need to get back to doing. Less times on our phones and more time being present.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
Being apart of the community, creating events that families can make core memories at. My husband and I started 4 years ago putting on the town Easter Egg Hunt. Why because there wasn’t one, and the importance of giving back to the community and putting on something that not all kids have the opportunity to partake in is what is important. What legacy are you leaving behind besides just being a space to shop, you need to leave some good behind in the world.
And besides creating events I love being a space where people can come have a laugh at one of our funny signs, mugs, or card wall. And be overjoyed when they see our shop dog Phillip come to greet them.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.northpinesmarket.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/veronica_northpinesmarket/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Northpinesmarket/
