After her family moved back to her husband’s hometown of McIntosh, Minn., Andrea Stordahl opened a retail store. Seeing potential in the partially vacant downtown, she started acquiring and renovating buildings. So did others. Women-owned businesses now occupy much of the street.
As Andrea saw opportunity for additional growth, her banker connected her with MMCDC, which provided a $185,000 loan. This allowed her to complete renovations and purchase an additional building.
Reopening a community café is her latest vision.
I’m an accidental entrepreneur. Andrea Stordahl, Minnesota Rust
In addition to MMCDC, she gives credit to a long list of believers: First National Bank of McIntosh, City of McIntosh, USDA Rural Development, Northwest Minnesota Foundation, Minnesota Small Business Development Center, Sugarbrooke Creative, and many existing McIntosh area business owners and community members. They even came together during the pandemic, participating in Facebook live events at the local stores. “In the long run, our sales went up and we got a whole different audience,” Andrea said.
