Where do we see ourselves in 10 years?
…Being a rejuvenating part of the ongoing story
of North and South Dakota.
How does a business create a legacy?
Is it possible for a business to operate each day in such a way that creates a future for the young people of North Dakota?
Especially while preserving the effort and value of the past…
My vision is to be part of the ongoing story of North and South Dakota.
Imagine walking up the broad stone steps of an iconic local landmark- one you’ve heard stories about since your childhood. Maybe it’s that house on the corner that everyone says was haunted, but is it, really?
Wicker chairs line the wide porch, gentle piano music echoes from indoors,
and one of your neighbors is sitting in the porch swing, enjoying a cup of something that smells delicious.
The sweet and pungent aromas of chocolate and coffee waft toward you as you open the door, and walk across the old hardwood floors.
You’re greeted with a smile by a high-schooler who offers your choice of the truffles in the case,
and suggests you browse shelves of local history and check the calendar for the next storytelling event
featuring a local musician and a respected historian.
“My friends and I are performing songs about our grandparents’ lives later on this summer,
and the chef said she’d design chocolates for the event that tells their story, too!
Would you make time to attend?”
Goal: Become a neutral and welcoming place where stories are heard and shared.
Step 1:
Find an iconic property- one with a story behind it that’s pivotal to regional history. Get it listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and renovate it with the following goals in mind:
Include a moderate-sized kitchen to be licensed by the ND Department of Health with space to support ongoing subscription box sales.
Design a sitting area with bookcases along the walls, space for a grand piano, and one to two other musicians such as a guitarist and cellist.
Step 2:
Integrate a network of historians, writers and musicians to create an ongoing series of storytelling events. Cooperate with existing organizations such as the State Historical Society of North Dakota, Sitting Bull College in Fort Yates, the ND Department of Tourism, Books on Broadway in Williston, Rob Connoley of Bulrush, United Tribes Technical College, and the German from Russia Heritage Collection at NDSU, as well as the Teddy Roosevelt Presidential Library to offer opportunities for bilingual storytelling events, connection, fundraising and outreach, as well as connecting young people with the exciting possibilities of a career in historic preservation and cross-cultural development. (cross cultural = valuing and respecting each other’s perspectives and needs regardless of skin color)
Step 3:
Market the subscription boxes to groups throughout the United States passionate about storytelling, history, and indigenous culture. Funnel proceeds into the organizations listed in Step 2 to create a sustainable network of support for those involved, and to emphasize the impression for recipients that their monies are supporting more than just a chocolate shop. Hire young people at a living wage who are interested in a career in top-level culinary arts, and those interested in community development and local history to staff the space.
Culture that attracts newcomers is created
by cultivating the connections and community that already exists.
By maintaining a space that brings in the songs and stories of our own,
and sharing those stories with the wider Midwest and United States
through the medium of chocolate boxes that tell our stories,
Northern Soul Chocolates would become a pivot point for developing the creative arts community in the Great Plains and bringing value-added tourism to the region.
Make home so sweet that no one wants to leave.
Make here so sweet that others want to call it home.
“What will this place be called?”
—
“The Lemon Tree.
Because, when life gives us lemons,
let’s plant the seeds.”
— RubyAnn