Ep 38: Lifelong Relief from Pain is the Driving Force Behind LIV Chiropractic
Ep 37: How Edina High School Became a Nationally Recognized Model of Success, and What that Means for Your Family
Ep 36: Title Boxing Club is Your Safe Zone to Punch Out Stress, Clear Your Mind, Feel Empowered, and Achieve Full Body Fitness
The Minnesota Lice Lady: Peace of mind one lice treatment at a time
By Lianna Matt
All it takes is a note from school, an itchy head or just one simple word to get a household in full panic mode. Lice.
Gonne Asser has seen it all when it comes to getting rid of that household terror.
“Some of these moms are really actually experiencing shock,” Asser says.One mom sat in the chair with her arms folded, repeating the same words over and over to herself. Most moms come in crying, overwhelmed by all of the cleaning they think they have to do, or they’re tired of trying to battle it themselves for weeks to no avail.
Asser stops the panic. She knows exactly what to do to get rid of lice, and she does it with efficiency and a reassuring smile, building up a reputation and a business for herself as the Minnesota Lice Lady.
When someone has lice, Asser says, it can feel like the apocalypse for many parents. And Asser gets it—she felt that way herself when she and her family got lice years ago.
Asser received a note from her children’s school saying there was a lice outbreak. Like a dutiful parent, she checked her children and didn’t see any lice, but she was itchy. She went in to get checked by her doctor and nurse, but they didn’t find anything. Fast forward a few days, and not only was she still itchy, but now her children were. This time when Asser checked her children, she saw lice. When she tried to show her husband, despite his best efforts, he didn’t see it.
“That’s when boom, the panic hit,” Asser says. “I was like, ‘We’re obviously all going to die from lice and he’s not going to—’ I don’t know what happened in me, but it was full on panic.”
A friend helped Asser understand what she had to do to get rid of the lice and how to prevent them in the future. Armed with the zeal only a miraculous healing could give, Asser went to the school and checked all of the children for lice. After that day, she would volunteer to check her friends’ and family’s children. She did that for three years until her original savior said, I think you’ve paid it forward enough.
That was when Asser realized it wasn’t only about paying it forward: She actually liked being the one whom people turned to. In her past careers and her work helping homeless youth, she had never experienced anything that brought such immediate relief and gratitude. If mere lice prevention and treatment could make that much of a difference for people, why would she abandon what good she could easily do for others?
So Asser set up shop and now has two locations in Edina and Apple Valley. She and her team offer lice checks for individuals and groups, lice treatment and removal (complete with snacks and movies for the children), professional grade tools like nit combs for purchase, and most of all, the peace of mind that comes with actually understanding what it means to get lice and how easy it can be to remove them.
First of all, if your child has lice, it’s not a bad thing. Asser and her associates actually think it’s a good thing.
“When a kid comes into the salon and the mom is freaking out, we say, ‘Oh, honey you’re five, and it’s October, and you have lice? You’ve only been a school a month? You must be the social butterfly in your class,’” says Asser.
Lice only spreads from hair to hair contact. If the lice’s legs cannot grab onto another strand of hair, they won’t move. That means all of the cleaning and cleansing of the pillows, couches, car seats, blankets and more is, for the most part, unnecessary. This fact in itself can cut down the immense stress attributed to lice. Additionally, if there is a lice outbreak, style your (and your family’s) hair in a way that leaves the lice nothing to grip ontoto prevent them from moving from head to head.. Longer hair should go in hairdos like braids or buns, shaggy cuts should be shellacked with gel, and of course, getting a close shave is always a solution. Moreover, consider using special sprays or fragrant essential oils in the hair to mask the smell of the scalp to attract less lice.
Asser recommends that everyone have a good nit comb in their household so when the occasion does arise, you have the resource you need to properly check for lice. When you do a lice check, you cover the whole head, from crown to nape of the neck, in two-inch sections. Make sure the nit comb’s tines get all the way down to the scalp and then move it as parallel to the scalp as you can, in Asser’s words, “like you’re trying to scoop up the louse,” and follow the strands of hair down their entire length before wiping them on a damp paper towel.
“If you’re seeing dark, miniscule dots the size of a knot in a thread,” Asser says, “they’re going to be the gray brown nits, the eggs. If you see something moving, then you’ve obviously got a bug.”
Once you’ve identified lice, then the Minnesota Lice Ladies step in with their full lice removal treatments. While they have their set salon hours, for an extra fee, they can do in-home treatments or they can schedule you in their salon after hours.
Even though Minnesota Lice Lady is the only place in the country who guarantees you will be lice free for 60 days when you receive their full treatment and a follow up, they also offer methods and tips on their website for getting rid of lice on your own.
“We want everyone to be lice free,” says Asser. “Sure, work myself out of the business. Sure, fantastic!”
Besides ridding the world of lice one head at a time, Asser is trying to work herself out of the business through her related nonprofit, Combs for Kids. Combs for Kids works on getting nit combs into the hands of families who might not be able to afford the Minnesota Lice Lady services.
No matter which way you look at it, Minnesota Lice Lady isn’t just a business or a persona for Gonne Asser. It’s her way of doing good in the world—bringing comfort to families and clean scalps to the public—and she can’t think of anything she would love to do more.
Ep 35: Filthy Lawn? Filthy Shoes? ScoopyPoo DogPoo Removal Gives Dog Owners a Chance to Enjoy the Best out of their Dog, While They Take Care of the Worst.
Sonja Tengdin was a bond trader and busy mother of two before venturing into the world of dog poo in 2001. Finding it impossible to convince the kids to pick up after their dogs (without getting paid), she stumbled on an idea. An idea that was popular where she grew up in California, but not here. So she took a chance, and ScoopyPoo DoggyDoo Pickup was born. She has a great sense of humor, but even though she jokes about the task ScoopyPoo performs, she isn’t shy about saying that it’s a serious business with a serious future. She reveals all to Tim Murphy in this episode of Advice Givers (r).
France 44: Where Quality Ingredients Are Just Part of the Family
By Madison Bloomquist
Something about Minnesota just tends to call people home.
Maybe it’s the fresh air, or the lakes, or the genuine “Minnesota Nice” attitude that just isn’t present across the globe. Maybe family and friends tug at our hearts a little more than we thought they would. But add in a successful, warm, homey family business, and staying away is nearly impossible.
Rick Anderson knows the homecoming story better than anyone. He’s a third-generation manager of France 44 Wine and Spirits, a 60-year-old family business. The Edina/Southwest Minneapolis institution started as a humble mom-and-pop liquor store in the 1950s when Anderson’s grandparents, Red (a fastpitch softball champ and local entrepreneur) and Harriet Anderson, opened its doors in downtown Minneapolis on Nicollet Avenue. Rick is part of the third generation of Andersons to own and operate France 44–the down-home shop where employees remember your name and your whole family is always welcome.
France 44, A History
Red and Harriet’s little bottle shop did well on Nicollet, but when the giant Convention Center budged into downtown Minneapolis in the 1970s, they knew it was time to make a move. Their son (Rick’s dad) found an abandoned gas station on France Avenue and 44th Street that he swore up and down would just be perfect for their store. It took a little imagination. Well, a lot of imagination. Not only was the storefront itself nowhere near ready to become a charming community liquor store, but the area was not the fun, trendy area it is today. It was a sleepy neighborhood of modest middle-class homes, good for family living–but businesses weren’t exactly racing in to join the fun.
Like they always do, the Anderson clan persisted, running on a passion for creating a community store about more than cheap Budweiser, and the store grew and grew into what it is today. Now, they have a carefully curated selection of beer, wine, and booze–as well as a fully-stocked deli and cheese shop, charity causes they’re passionate about, and traditions and events for the whole town to enjoy.
Listen to entire interview here
Homecoming King
Rick Anderson didn’t set out to be part of his family business. Sure, he spent his after-school hours and weekends at France 44, carefully sweeping and stocking and pricing items, but his career dreams grew bigger than Edina could hold. When he turned 18, he set out for college on the East Coast and picked up a high-powered, high-energy consulting job right out of school. He pushed and pushed, working long hours as hard as he could, but he felt like something was missing. That nagging feeling he wasn’t where he was supposed to be, making him homesick, would not go away. He knew, deep down, where he would feel right with the world again.
So he came home to France 44.
Rick didn’t shoot to the top of the France 44 ranks straight away. His dad, the owner and manager, wouldn’t hear of it. They had several loyal, smart, knowledgeable employees who had worked solely at France 44 for decades–some since its opening day. Someone who was literally grandfathered into the business would have to cut his chops at bottom levels first. Rick put his consulting skills to good use, learning everything he could about the shop and industry, all the while gaining trust from the staff and surrounding community. First project? Renovating and updating the old building.
“I learned in consulting that businesses that succeeded were the best practices,” Anderson said. “They always had an inspirational feel to them.”
Creating A Home
He didn’t want his beloved France 44 to feel like a run-down, fluorescently-lit discount liquor stores. He knew there were already plenty of those, and they had their loyal patrons as well. What he wanted was to create a community space, somewhere a mom could bring her kid as she went shopping and not feel embarrassed or judged if she ran into another parent, or a teacher, or neighbor. He created a light, bright space with a different feel than any other liquor store. It’s high-class without being expensive and inaccessible. And everyone is always welcome.
Part of that is the fact France 44 offers much more than liquor. They have a little grocery store, a cheese shop, a deli–all with natural, locally-made or -harvested items. The meat all comes from free-range animals who lived and died humanely. The cheese is good and fresh, including some from one of the best cheese makers in the country (that’s Pleasant Ridge in Wisconsin, for you foodies–and the owner comes to France 44 twice a year to chat cheese and dole out samples). The staff knows: Cut-to-order cheese, as opposed to pre-cut, sliced, or, heaven forbid, shredded cheese most grocery stores offer, is always fresher and better tasting. They’re willing to bet you can tell the difference.
Forever Evolving, For the Good of the Community
With recent renovations, the deli at France 44 is bigger than ever. Like the rest of the store, the deli sandwiches are made from fresh, quality ingredients. They’re simple–there are hardly ever more than three or four ingredients–but they’re good.
“The idea is if you’re using high-quality ingredients, you don’t need all the razzmatazz,” Anderson said.
Free wine tasting nights every Friday and Saturday, though, really bring in the biggest crowds. You’ll see everyone, from families to dogs to twenty-somethings who just want to try new types of wine, and it really helps bring our community together. There are regular groups who come to see their friends–staff of France 44 included–and it’s hard not to walk out with something new and wonderful.
Anderson dedicates his life to creating a warm, welcoming space for the community that’s supported him his entire life. Part of that is trusting his customers–he knows you’ll shop around, but he knows the people who are truly his customers (i.e., people who care about a friendly small-business experience over the cheapest price and quickest option) will come back. As the old saying goes, if you love someone, set it free–if they truly loves you, they will come back.
And come back, they do. He listens to his customers, absorbs their constructive criticism, and always strives to give them something more–and better than they’d get anywhere else. He gives to local charities, he’ll remember your favorite wine and suggest some cheese to go with it, and he cares about you as a person. Try getting that at a warehouse discount store.
A special holiday message from Tim Murphy
As we close out 2017 and the first year of the Edina-SW Minneapolis Advice Givers Podcast, we want to thank each and every guest that agreed to be on our podcast. Here’s a special holiday message from Advice Giver’s (r) host Tim Murphy.
MUSIC:
Artist: Nicolai Heidlas
Title: Santa Claus Is Coming To Town Swing/Jazz Version
Episode 34: From First Lesson to Becoming Famous, Brad McLemore’s House of Music Provides Aspiring Musicians the Tools and Confidence to Step On Any Stage.
Ep 33: Jennifer Adam and the Edina Historical Museum Need You to Keep Edina’s Rich History Alive for Generations to Come
Tim Murphy sits across from Edina Historical Society Executive Director Jennifer Adam to talk about this city’s significant history, and how they are stepping outside of the museum to teach it. From camps, tours and exhibits, to sledding hills and hot chocolate, this museum has found new energy. Listen to the exciting project they’re in the middle of now, and plans for the future, as well.
Make sure to click the links for iTunes or Stitcher to subscribe to the podcast. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, too!
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