New Ottertail store to hold grand opening April 18

By Chad Koenen

Publisher

After 40 years with the Department of Agriculture, Mary Sue Ohlhauser thought about easing into retirement. However, that thought was quickly erased after the Burlap Boutique owner began planning for an expansion of her Fargo-area store into the heart of lakes country in Ottertail. 

“I worked for the Department of Ag for almost 40 years and I retired last year. I thought about gliding into retirement, but why,” said Ohlhauser, who lives in Fargo but also has a place on East Leaf Lake outside of Henning. 

Approximately 11 years ago, Ohlhauser and a co-worker and friend at the Department of Ag began Burlap Boutique in Fargo as a way to meld her friend’s love of vintage items and Ohlhauser’s love of shopping for one-of-a-kind items. The business was meant to be a small side job for the pair, but quickly turned into much more. After four years, her business partner Paula Otto got out of the business and left Ohlhauser taking over the reigns. 

“It was supposed to be very small and actually it got so big she got out of Burlap about four years in,” said. Ohlhauser. “I have a love of vintage so we pair the vintage with the new.”

As they both prepared for retirement, Ohlhauser talked to her friend and former business partner about her idea to expand into the lakes area in Ottertail. 

“She asked me, ‘are you asking for my blessings to open at the lakes,” said Ohlhauser, who told Otto she was in fact asking for her blessing. “You have it. Yes, do it.”

The new store will be located in a 2,500-square foot space in the Ottertail mall along Highway 78 that was previously occupied by The Grain Bin. 

“I always had in the back of my mind about opening a second location in Ottertail. I asked some of our customers and they thought it would be a good fit,” said Ohlhauser.

In addition to her Ottertail location, Ohlhauser own Burlap Boutique, located at 3401 S. University Drive in Fargo. 

For those who have never been to her Fargo store, Ohlhauser said Burlap is as much about the products inside, as the community of people who frequent the store. There is a coffee bar, cottage-like items, hand-crafted jewelry and their own line of Fusion mineral paint. There are plenty of places to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee or a treat, while people also take time to get to know each unique piece inside the store.

“It’s a fun experience, but you do have to experience it I can tell you that and that’s why I don’t have a website,” said Ohlhauser “It’s truly a fun atmosphere and that is what I want for the community.”

Burlap Boutique and Burlap at the Lakes essentially takes vintage pieces of furniture and other items and recreates them into new pieces for a new generation. Each piece is custom-made and comes with a story through a unique name given to each piece.

“We name our furniture,” said Ohlhauser. “I actually have a piece of furniture that came from Switzerland.”

Another popular feature at the Fargo store are the paintings by Linda Hilbrand, who paints under her Heavenly Chic Designs label. She has already created quite the following in Ottertail with her folk-art paintings, which now include a few depictions of otters and other lake creatures commonly found in the Ottertail area.

“I have a painter exclusive to Burlap and from Wednesdays opener I can tell she is going to be busy,” said Ohlhauser.

The Ottertail store will include a bit more cottage-style items than the Fargo location and will also feature a corner of the store dedicated to her friend and former business partner Paula Otto.

“I have a little corner called Paula’s Pantry inside the store in Ottertail and it is a tribute to Paula,” said Ohlhauser. 

Paula’s Pantry will feature pieces from Burlap’s last decade in business, including news articles, photos and memorabilia. It will also feature some of Otto’s favorite pieces of merchandise and memories from their time together. 

The store will also include a new collection from Ohlhauser’s daughter Kennedy Jo who has created a collection of collegiate vintage athletic wear called JoJo’s Corner. Her daughter has sold vintage wear via Instagram over the past several years and is now getting into the retail space at the new Ottertail store. 

Throughout the year there will be a variety of pop-ups for things like bakery items, as well as workshops for customers to delve into the world of transforming vintage piece into new creations and creating a unique painting of their own. 

Ohlhauser is planning a grand opening on Saturday, April 18 at the Ottertail location located at 231 Highway 78 in Ottertail where there will be door prizes and special gifts given away to the first 25 people who walk through the door. 

Burlap at the Lakes in Ottertail will be open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.