PASSING ON THE KEYS. Emilie and Jon Menz are the proud new owners of La Dee Dah in Menomonie. After seeing that the business planned to close after more than a decade in business, the pair knew they wanted to keep the gift shop's iconic downtown presence alive.

As Emilie Menz scrolled through her Facebook feed one day, she stumbled across a post that resonated with her – a post she ended up not being able to stop thinking about.  The post was from Karen Hurtge, then-owner of La Dee Dah – a gift shop in Menomonie – about her shifting priorities and making the difficult decision to close the doors to the shop that had been open since 2008. 

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"We are here, store keys in hand, a truck full of merchandise, and the well-wishers at our back pushing us forward." 

Emilie Menz

New owner of La Dee Dah

Menz couldn’t shake the feeling of grief over losing this charming business in the beautiful downtown district of Menomonie. When she overheard her 19-year-old daughter express love for the small town – and wanting to stay close to family – it clicked. If she could have something to pass to her daughter and keep a small business alive, she wanted to make that happen.

Menz reached out to Hurtgen, and with little to no retail experience, some vision, and a little convincing, was handed the keys in December.

“We are here, store keys in hand, a truck full of merchandise and the well-wishers at our back pushing us forward,” Menz said.

LaDeeDah will remain primarily a gift shop with handmade cards, knitted items, specialty books, artisan wares, jewelry, kitchen, and home décor, as well as baby items. It will also serve as a hub for  area artists to sell and display their work, while providing a community-based resource for locals to purchase unique, one-of-a-kind items.

In the future, Menz's husband Jon wants to add a haberdashery for men in the rear of the store, focusing on wallets, pens, grooming supplies, caps, as well as cocktails, whiskey, bourbon glasses, and other snazzy items for the modern man.

The couple plan to open their doors later this month.

For more information on the gift shop, you can visit their website ladeedahgiftshop.com.