Meet North of Nice Co

Sometimes life's biggest dreams start with coming home.

After spending time in the mountains of Colorado, I never expected to find myself back in my tiny hometown in southern Minnesota. But when Mom got sick in 2024, I packed up my city life faster than you can say "ope, sorry" and headed north.

The plan was simple: help Mom, spend time reminiscing since she was the only family I had left, work remotely, and definitely not fall back in love with Minnesota. But you know what they say about plans...

We had just a few precious months together before she left us, far too soon. In those final weeks, she made me promise two things: to stay true to my creative dreams and to never let Minnesota nice become Minnesota boring.

So here I am, running a design company from my childhood bedroom turned studio, where the Wi-Fi occasionally gives up (just like we all do during February), and the UPS guy has to navigate around three feet of snow to deliver my supplies. But you know what? Mom was right. There's something magical about creating art inspired by this place where "you betcha" is both a response and a life philosophy.

North of Nice Co. was born from grief, love, and a slightly obsessive relationship with all things Minnesota (except those lake-sized potholes after spring thaw – we need to talk about those, Minnesota). Every design is infused with that perfect blend of northern charm and creative spunk that Mom always said made our state special.

Because at the end of the day, Minnesota isn't just a place on the map – it's a state of mind where creativity flows as freely as coffee at a church basement funeral, and where coming home sometimes means finding your future.