Small Business Spotlight: Heartfelt
How the Linden Hills craft store lives up to its name and delights the community’s youngest residents
by Gina Rautenberg
In the mid-1990s, Heartfelt owner Lisa MacMartin journaled about her desire for a professional restart. After relocating to Minneapolis from Toronto with her husband and kids, she wanted to take a big risk and start something on her own. Still, she worried about making too many changes at once.
“I want to work for myself, but I can’t quite yet,” Lisa wrote. “I want to do something with heart.”
Lisa waited for the right opportunity to present itself. In 2005 – leveraging her deep experience in retail and marketing and spurred by a still-burning desire for self-employment, Lisa and two partners opened Wonderment, a wooden toy store, at 4306 Upton Ave South. Together with Wild Rumpus, Creative Kids Stuff (now Pinwheels and Play Toys) and Sebastian Joe’s, Linden Hills cemented itself in that time as a destination for children and families.
In 2011, the three partners closed Wonderment and Lisa opened Heartfelt, a craft shop that doubles as a drop-in studio for the creatively minded. Crafters are invited to stop in and pick from a menu of pre-selected projects that range from painting mini landscapes, to designing fairy treehouses, to decorating a line of German-based swords and crossbows with wax crayons that leave a metallic-looking sheen. Dedicated craft specialists guide as needed, ensuring that each maker leaves with a creation they’re proud to show off.
The model sometimes confuses would-be patrons, who ask how they should sign up for a specific craft class. While reservations are encouraged, drop-ins are fine too. Lisa tells them, “Think of us like a restaurant. You can come by any time. And instead of food, we serve crafts.”
View the Summer 2024 Craft Menu.
Navigating unexpected construction delays in Linden Hills
On a rainy Tuesday in July, the success of this unique drop-in setup was evident. Kids and their caregivers were stationed across Heartfelt’s large craft space, working on mushroom houses, papier-mâché puppies and decorating a wooden sloth family hanging from a fake tree branch for added effect.
But this busy-ness is unfortunately not the norm these days, says Lisa, who has seen her sales drop off by more than 25% since April, when the city of Minneapolis and Metro Transit began their planned construction work at the intersection of 43rd and Upton. (In July alone, sales are down 35% year-over-year.) Like many other Linden Hills business owners, Lisa is growing anxious about her ability to stick it out through the end of the project, which is now expected to extend into October. Without any relief expected to come from the city, the only way forward is for her client base to keep her afloat.
“I’m trying not to resort to doom and gloom. I want people to know how much I appreciate them coming in, despite the fencing that surrounds my store. It’s not exactly welcoming,” Lisa said. “At the same time, I do want to counteract people’s natural tendency to come back when all of this is over. We can’t stick it out forever; we need customers and support in the here and now.”
How to support: One-of-a-kind offerings, birthday parties, summer camps
The best way to support Heartfelt is also the most fun – by leaning into the craft options that Lisa offers to makers of all ages. Anyone can drop in to paint and design crafts that include a peg doll or unicorn family; parents and caregivers can sign up for birthday parties or remaining summer camp options, as well.
“Our birthday parties are a lot of fun,” Lisa shares. “They’re old-fashioned, sort of the opposite of the frenetic experience you may get at something like Pump It Up. I lead the kids through a craft, we pop popcorn and do a treasure hunt. The parents bring cupcakes. It’s really sweet. We also get really great attendance because the kids get excited to do something they’ve never done before.”
Learn more about birthday parties at Heartfelt. Call 612-877-8090 to get the latest info on camp openings, which are limited.
Make today, play tomorrow
After 13 years in business, you could forgive Lisa if she was losing her passion for kid-centric crafts. Instead, she is more energized than ever, creating in-house craft kits unique to Heartfelt and setting up a Makers’ Market for kiddo crafters who want to sell their wares.
She’s also busy researching and buying new stock of dollhouse and fairy garden accessories. Both are long-time favorites of her youngest customers, who come to spend their allowance or birthday money on tiny books, dishes, birthday cakes and brooms. The teeny fruits and vegetables are especially popular – apples, carrots, corn and tomatoes. Lisa makes sure to find the ones that will spur the most delight for the price.
“My favorite thing about the business is always the people. My staff, of course, but also the customers. And I do consider the kids customers. I love coming up with new options they’ll enjoy making and will play with as toys once our crafting time together is over.”
Despite the recent construction setbacks and slowing sales, it’s easy to see that Lisa’s original goal remains as strong as ever: She has built something with heart, a store bringing pure joy to a customer base others may overlook or not take seriously.
It’s time, now, to help her keep it going.
Visit Heartfelt during their open store and studio hours: Monday – Saturday, 10am – 4pm and Sundays, 11am-4pm.
