Allie Engie, owner of The Shed in Thief River Falls, MN, shared the story of her entrepreneurial journey at the launch of TREK on October 6. (Read more about TREK here.)
Allie’s business story started about 10 years ago. “At that time, I had a wonderful job at Digi-Key, with amazing benefits and I really loved what I did.” The thought of owning her own business was the last thing on her mind.
But then, she had a major stroke. Life changed. She was no longer able to do the same things she did before. She fell into a deep depression, but emerging from those depths, she discovered her true passion. With a $1,000 investment, she was able to launch her business on a shoestring in a small rented space. Since then, it has grown exponentially. In early 2020, she moved into the former Elks building and in just a few short months has outgrown the new space, leading her to expand the footprint of the store once again.
“People have asked me, ‘what’s your inspiration,'” Allie said, “and I say, yes, I’m a mom. I’ve got a wonderful husband and an amazing team. My biggest inspiration is also my biggest failure, because I know where I’ve been and I don’t want to go back there.”
