Small area of Little Red Hen during September sale

The Little Red Hen Home Comforts shop brings a twist to the saying, ‘Reduce, reuse, and recycle’; at the Little Red Hen it could be rephrased as, ‘Redecorate, refresh, and revive’.   Owners Kent and Brenda Rydberg have brought the occasional sale concept to Dassel, Minnesota, where their shop is open the last Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of each month.

Kent and Brenda, both professional painters, spend weeks before each sale repairing, repainting and refinishing used, and often very unique pieces of furniture.  Each month the store is stocked with wonderful and unique pieces of furniture, vintage collectibles, hand-crafted items, and both new and gently used home accessories.  About fifteen gals, who all happen to be ‘collectors, decorators and thrifters’, bring items for consignment and help the Rydbergs’ keep the inventory replenished and interesting.

Each month a theme is chosen, lending additional fun and intrigue to each sale.  For example, in June there was a bridal theme, showcasing vintage wedding dresses, and wedding punch along with wedding cake was served as a treat to customers.  In July a patriotic theme was present, and August was back to school, with a school room set up so charmingly nostalgic that it made you want to stand up and recite the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag in the corner.

After having attended occasional sales of this kind for years such as Second Hand Rose, Three Sisters, Barn Chix, and This ‘N That, in Buffalo, Minnesota, the Little Red Hen in Dassel has become my favorite.  It is evident that many hours are spent each month prior to a sale rearranging and decorating the entire shop, down to the smallest details.  The top-notch decorating expertise of the gals involved in this venture inspires customers to return each month for ideas, bargains, and of course, for socializing.  There is always free coffee, punch, and treats, door prizes, and even a baby corner where mothers can set sleeping infants in their car seats while they browse.

If you want to redecorate, refresh, and revive your home without breaking the bank, visit the Little Red Hen Home Comforts shop, or sign up for a decorating class held at the Little Red Hen.  ‘Decorating on a Dime’ is a fun and popular decorating class offered by consignee and gifted decorator, Deb Halonen.  Call D-C Community Education to sign up for this popular class at (320)286-4120.

Little Red Hen Home Comforts  ~  261 Atlantic Ave W, Dassel, MN  ~ 320-275-9725

October Sales ~ October 23, 24, 25   9 a.m. - 6 p.m.

November Sales ~
Holiday Open House - November 7 - 8       9 a.m - 6 p.m.
Regular Sales - November 20, 21, 22      9 a.m. - 6 p.m.

December Sales ~ December 11, 12, 13 (held earlier than usual)     9 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Map to Little Red Hen:  http://www.mapquest.com/maps?city=Dassel&state=MN&address=261+Atlantic+Ave+W&zipcode=55325

Touring the cut gardens

On Friday, September 12th we were part of a tour scheduled for the Minnesota State Master Gardeners Conference.  At 10:30 Friday morning a large coach motor bus arrived with 48 gardeners aboard, most of them Master Gardeners.  We had been tuning up the yard and gardens for weeks, and converted our garden shed into a temporary ‘Soap Store’ for the day.

During the tour, Mike was busy fielding questions about organic farming while I focused on the cut flower growing inquiries.  Our daughters Shari and Julie took care of selling our Good Thymes Bath & Body products, and sharing with folks how we make all our own product right here on our family farm.  And my mother was there, too, helping to watch the little ones during the tour.

We had invited our farming neighbors, Daniel and Janel Lemke, over to promote their natural ice cream.  They scooped and sold ‘Sunny Road’ ice cream that they make in a cheese and ice cream plant right on their farm, with milk from their herd of pasture fed brown swiss cows.  We treated the tourists to organic coffee to compliment the wonderful ice cream and Italian ice made by Lemke’s.

I think it went quite well, though I was very, very nervous.  In fact, I was so nervous that I needed to hold my 7 month old grandson, Gregory, the entire tour, just to have something to hang on to.  A 7 month old in charge of supporting a grandma?  What’s this farm coming to anyway?

Selling soap in the garden shed

Lemke's natural ice cream

I recently had the opportunity to work with Kristen Miller, a journalist for our hometown weekly newspaper, on informing the public about the FDA Globalization Act of 2008.  I think Kristen did an excellent job of explaining how this new legislation could personally hurt Good Thymes Bath & Body, and also how small businesses can unite with organizations like Indie Beauty Network to work on this issue together.  Click on the title to read Kristen’s article, “Proposed cosmetic regulations act concerns small beauty industry“, published in the Enterprise Dispatch on September 15th, 2008.

In her weekly column, On My Mind, Kristen has shared in a three part mini series about her introduction into the natural bath and beauty world.  Welcome, Kristen!

I have a hard time comprehending that GOOD THYMES Bath & Body, my business that I have worked so passionately to build for the last five years could be taken away from me with one stroke of a pen!  I am doing what I can to advocate for my business; I have volunteered to work with the Indie Beauty Network however I can help, and I am trying to help my customers understand the effect the FDA Globalization Act of 2008 will have on consumer rights and small business owners.

If you would like to read an interesting explanation of what we are up against, please take a moment to read this blog post by Andrea Kane of Organic Beauty Expert Blog.

Then, please take a moment to join us and the 2,450 consumers and small businesses who have signed this petition against the FDA Globalization Act; please include your city and state.  Together we can make a difference!

On July 18th we hosted a Red Hat ladies group for a tour of our gardens and soap business. After touring the cut flower gardens, Loy Ann, Jenny, Penny, Marilyn and Char each made a bouquet to take home, and enjoyed ice tea and each others company while relaxing at the edge of the gardens. They also toured our soap business to see how a small company like ours makes everything fresh in small batches. The weather was lovely and so were the ladies!

Due to recent requests and interest, we are opening our cut flower gardens for visitors to come and pick their own bouquet in our quiet countryside setting. Visitors are welcome to wander through the gardens and quietly enjoy nature. Our local newspaper recently featured our gardens and our announcement to invite visitors. Read the article here.

If you are looking for something fun to do when you have your next mother-daughter get together, or a girls day outing coming up, think about making bouquets together. Give us a call at 320-286-5384 to set up a day and time if you would like to come out and visit. Happy bouquet making!

The FDA has presented to Congress the FDA Globilization Act of 2008, an act that if passed in its present form could devastate small natural bath and beauty companies like ours. The issue that will affect most small bath and beauty companies is the registration fee they will impose on all businesses within the cosmetic industry, a minimum of $2,000.00 yearly and up to $12,000.00 per year. Those fees alone could put many small natural bath and beauty companies out of business, while it would have little effect on the big name brand cosmetic corporations.

Donna Maria Coles Johnson, founder of Indie Beauty Network, is spearheading an effort to fight enactment of the proposed FDA Globilization Act of 2008. It is our hope that with the advocacy of Donna Maria and IBN, small bath and beauty businesses will be able to stay alive and competitive in the marketplace.

If you enjoy purchasing products from small natural bath and beauty companies and want to know more about how you can join the effort to stop the FDA Globilization Act of 2008, visit and sign a petition here at Donna Maria’s blog.