One of my first jobs after college was as a cashier at Midwest Mountaineering in Minneapolis. This was in 1995 and Cedar Riverside, where the store was located, was kind of a rough area. Occasionally we’d have people come in, steal expensive North Face jackets, then run down the block. A few of the managers, including one guy with a big mustache and long hair, would run and chase them down the street.
Recently I got an assignment to do a story about Northstar Canoes. When I was watching a video of the owner, Ted Bell, he mentioned he was a manager at Midwest Mountaineering and it came back to me. He was the guy who chased the thieves down.
When I talked to him for the story, he confirmed this and we laughed about it. Back then I had no idea he had a canoe company or that he was behind Northstar Canoes until I did this story. But it was a fun full-circle moment.
Now Bell is hoping to close his own circle and sell Northstar Canoes, a much-beloved company, which makes fantastic boats. I hope he finds a goo buyer.
This story ran a few weeks ago in the Minnesota Star Tribune:
As Ted Bell moved through his 60s, he started to think about getting out there more, into the wild.
“I’m turning 70,” he says, “and I want to cycle more and paddle more and climb more.”
In order to do that, he would have to work less. And ultimately, he decided, that would mean putting his company, Northstar Canoes, up for sale.
“I’ve been in the canoe business for 45 years,” Bell says. “The plan is to stay here, because we own the building, and to keep the same workforce, because they do a really good job. That’s my goal. My goal is to replace me, so I can do more of what I want to do at this age.”
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