A Heartfelt Attempt at Starting Again

February saw the close of a Linden Hills staple, the whimsical children’s shop Wonderment. Financial woes and a challenging economy forced owners Joyce Olson-Kapell, Lisa MacMartin and Zuzanne Fenner to make the difficult decision of closing down shop. A few short months later, a new and similar shop is open in the space Wonderment left behind, with one of Wonderment’s founders at the helm. 

Lisa MacMartin looked relieved to be back in the shop, which opened as Heartfelt in May, doing what she knows and loves. 

“I’ve always been in retail,” she said. 

And when Wonderment closed, MacMartin just wasn’t ready to call it quits. So she sat down with her husband, a financial planner, and came up with a plan to reopen in the location Wonderment had held since 2005.

Rather than trying to secure a large loan from one lender, MacMartin solicited smaller loans from individual lenders in the community. 

“I contacted everyone I knew and some people I didn’t know,” she said.

There was a brief period of uncertainty, but in the end MacMartin managed to pull together the necessary funds. She was also fortunate to have the support of the location’s landlord, Don Hawkinson, who said others had expressed interest in the newly available space. 

“I did have other potential people who wanted to rent the space, but we never got down to talking specifics about the lease,” Hawkinson said. “I could have turned it over and gotten someone else in there for probably more rent, [but] it’s a lot better from my point of view to have some sort of continuity.”

Calling Heartfelt a “more grown up version” of Wonderment, MacMartin said there is some carryover from the previous store’s selection but that Heartfelt stocks more items for adults. The store also offers craft classes for kids and adults. 

Just because there are new items, though, don’t expect to find the plastic, battery operated, noise making variety here. MacMartin is keeping in the spirit of Wonderment with a focus on real, quality products that foster creativity, from locally made items to overseas imports. 

Though MacMartin is making a go of it as the sole owner this time around, she credits her former business partners in being able to take this new step. 

“I could never have done this without them and the years we spent in the retail trenches together,” MacMartin said. 

Former business parter Joyce Olson-Kapell has yet to visit the new store but said, “It’s great that Lisa can continue on with a new version of Wonderment and I wish her the best with that.”

Olson-Kapell is currently fulfilling . Operating out of the Casket Arts building in Northeast Minneapolis, Olson-Kapell runs Pied Piper Crafts, offering classes for kids and adults. 

MacMartin is taking it slow with Heartfelt, listening to the wants and needs of her customers and being careful not to overstock products. The aesthetic of the store retains some of the whimsy of Wonderment (including its trademark tree) but with a more open floor plan and bolder colors. A website for Heartfelt is in the works, but for now, check the Facebook page. MacMartin’s daughter Charlotte (named for the spider in MacMartin’s favorite book) works part time at Heartfelt and manages the store’s Facebook page.

A word to the wise: “If you want a good Facebook presence, put your best 20-year-old on it,” MacMartin said.  

MacMartin is being cautious and thrifty with her new venture, but does she still harbor some concerns about opening a new business in the space of a similar, recently closed one? “Of course,” she said. But she’s taking what she learned from Wonderment and applying it here.