Brainerd Dispatch: Business | Brainerd, Minnesota | Brainerd Lakes Area Business on brainerddispatch.com

Home > BUSINESS >

Saturday, February 3, 2007

E-mail

Forums

Elements of success

Pillager woman turns passion into a thriving entrepreneurship

By RENEE RICHARDSON

Senior Reporter

PILLAGER - Nalrah Hicks has an infectious laugh, a strong work ethic and a driving desire to help other women reach their goals.

To that end, the Pillager entrepreneur has more than a few irons in the fire. A dislocated shoulder and a neck injury sidelined Hicks' participation in the family business - Oak Hill Landscape - that her husband continues to operate. They live on a farm west of Pillager. Wanting to contribute to the family income, Hicks decided to do something she hadn't tried before - her own store.

But it's not her first personal business venture.

An avid outdoor enthusiast, Hicks started Minnesota Adventurous Women after she found an affinity in being able to share her passion with other women. It began as a fluke. Hicks took a few women fishing with her and unexpectedly tapped into a vein of outdoor recreation seekers as more women asked to go along. Now Hicks takes groups of women for outdoor excursions - such as fishing, hiking, dogsledding. After she took a firearms safety course in Baxter, Hicks was asked to come back as an instructor. She said women taking the course often felt more comfortable with a female instructor.

The Four Elements store opened in the Almost Free Pillager Mall along Highway 210 in Pillager. Brainerd Dispatch/Renee Richardson
» Purchase reprints of this photo.

"I just want women to feel comfortable no matter what they do," she said. "I want them to know they can do anything."

Hicks said women need to know there are no limitations, just dreams they can make happen, even through their fears. She advises women to tell themselves - "I just have to breathe and I can do this."

Greater self-esteem and confidence follow, she said.

Originally from Pine River, Hicks became a landscape designer. She studied business at Central Lakes College in Brainerd and St. Cloud State University. She sought out information about small business ownership at the Business and Industry Center in Brainerd. She taught classes about edible herbs and American Indian spirituality.

She also makes dolls out of terra-cotta clay. She said a Scottsdale, Ariz., gallery has expressed interest in selling them. It's an avenue she'd like to explore. Now the challenge is finding time to make the figures.

When Hicks decided to open a store, she first thought of an outdoor focus in clothes and equipment. But the store actually evolved into a general consignment clothing store with sidelines in jewelry and home furnishings. Hicks opened her Four Elements store in Pillager in November. The shop is in the Almost Free Pillager Mall along Highway 210, which has been recent host to a number of women-owned business startups.

Nalrah Hicks (left), Four Elements store owner, recently talked with Beatta Blakeman and Shari Stamps in the Pillager store. Four Elements, which opened in November, is being revamped and will mean changes in the store by March. The store is no longer accepting local consignment. Clothes are coming from Los Angeles, New York, England, Italy and Japan. Brainerd Dispatch/Renee Richardson
» Purchase reprints of this photo.

With help, Hicks painted murals depicting the four elements - fire, air, water and earth. Her consignment business had items from across the country - Los Angeles, New York City, Texas - and Manchester, England. Days off were few and far between. But Hicks said the experience has been exhilarating and fulfilling.

In January, the store took a new direction as Hicks added silent partners and left the local consignment market. Clothes continue to come in from England, Italy, Japan and the Twin Cities, but the Four Elements is no longer taking local clothing. Furniture, such as dressers and chairs, and home decor will be part of the store's offerings. The store's transformation is expected to be completed by March 1.

Hicks hopes to go full circle and said she wants to get back to having outdoors gear, such as hunting and hiking equipment in the revamped store.

Jody Kay Rager, who has been friends with Hicks for 17 years, has been on more than a few adventures - hunting, fishing, berry picking, campfire watching. Rager said Hicks excels in her organizational skills making it easier for others to enjoy a get-away.

"She absolutely just loves the outdoors," Rager said of her friend. Rager described the outdoors appeal as freedom, a break from everyday pressure in a beautiful and elegant natural environment.

"It seems real life pushes you so hard to put all these external factors into play sometimes you can lose your true selves," Rager said, adding getting closer to nature is a way to help set priorities back in order.

RENEE RICHARDSON can be reached at renee.richardson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5852.

E-mail

Forums