As shoppers gear up for Small Business Saturday, a new business owner is hoping to make a name for herself along one of St. Paul’s historic shopping corridors.

Sara Holst has high hopes for her women’s boutique, mor, that sells clothing, perfume, candles and accessories on Grand Avenue.

“In July, I honestly was having a midlife existential crisis,” said Holst, a mother of two in her late 30s. “Come to find out after some research, midlife for women is 39, 40, 41 – that’s where I’m at.”

Holst, who works by day as a business consultant for aesthetic clinics, said she began pondering some of life’s bigger questions, like “What is my legacy going to be?” when she pulled up in front of a “for lease” sign on Grand Avenue.

“When I pulled up that day, I felt this call,” she said. “I’m going to sign a commercial lease and I am going to open a store.”

Mor officially opened its doors last month at 844 Grand Ave., just a stone’s throw from Café Latte, one of the avenue’s most popular destinations.

The store’s name, which comes from the Norwegian word for mother, “is an homage to my Scandinavian heritage,” said Holst, whose grandfather is from Norway and grandmother from Sweden. “Mother is the term I cherish most in my life.”

Small Business Saturday

To celebrate its first Small Business Saturday, mor will offer shoppers a 20% discount on clothing through the weekend.

Founded in 2010 by American Express, Small Business Saturday has slowly become a staple for small business owners, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration, which started co-sponsoring the event in 2011.

Minnesota is home to over 547,000 small businesses, which employ roughly half of the state’s workforce, according to a 2024 report from the SBA.

“Small businesses are the heartbeat of Minnesota’s economy,” said Brian McDonald, Minnesota district director for the SBA. “Retail stores, restaurants, e-commerce businesses and other mom-and-pop shops along Main Streets across the state strengthen local communities and create jobs.”

American Express estimates that the total spending in the U.S. by those who shopped at small businesses on Small Business Saturday was around $22 billion in 2024 and it has generated more $223 billion since the event was founded, Forbes reports.

More about mor

Sara Holst has high hopes for her women’s boutique, mor, that sells clothing, perfume, candles and accessories on Grand Avenue in St. Paul, seen Nov. 26, 2025. (Claudia Staut / Pioneer Press)

When entering the shop, patrons will be met with a table full of skin care products, rows of dresses, blouses and jeans, jewelry displays and stacks of candles.

The chic storefront leans into the minimalist aesthetic with neutral earth tones, warm lighting and seasonal garland adorning the doorframes.

“Shopping in stores is an experience,” said Holst, who loathes online shopping.

“This is not fast fashion. It’s for people who want to curate a wardrobe.” Holst said of the store’s clothing inventory. “Our prices are more on the contemporary women’s clothing side,” she said, with clothing items ranging from $75 to $500.

Northeast Minneapolis resident Alayna Bombard said she has shopped at mor twice since its grand opening last month.

Bombard, who heard about the store through word-of-mouth, said she specifically comes to Grand Avenue to “shop local,” and appreciates mor’s rotating selection.

If you’re looking to spend less, mor also offers products like greeting cards, hand soaps, nail polish and candles for less than $50.

As the buyer for the store, Holst said, “I am my target market.” As a result, she focuses on small makers and sustainability. Such was the case for Roen, a Los-Angeles-based candlemaker.

Created by Brit Roennigke after she left her career in the fashion industry, Roen makes small batch scents that are vegan, cruelty-free and packaged in fully recyclable materials.

Roen’s candle scents, like 29 Palms, which is mor’s most popular with notes of sage, cedar and eucalyptus, are influenced by Roennigke’s experience in fashion, styling and product development, according to her website.

Related Articles

Teen brands win over wary Black Friday shoppers while other deals disappoint

Lawsuit: Meta allowed sex-trafficking posts on Instagram as it put profit over kids’ safety

St. Paul recognizes five businesses with annual award

Airlines adopt software fix for Airbus A320 after plane has sudden altitude drop

Dakota County will host US’s first international horticultural expo

“I loved this woman’s story,” Holst said, adding that Roennigke pours the candles in a bungalow in her backyard.

“Resonating with small makers was important to me,” Holst said. “Being a small business, I want to support other small businesses.”

Before it was a women’s boutique, the 900-square-foot storefront was home to Nothing But Canna dispensary, Zero Proof, a non-alcoholic bottle shop, and most recently, Wonderland Mushroom, Minnesota’s first mushroom dispensary.

The fourplex building, which is also home to Specs Appeal and Preferred Management Services Inc., is owned by an entity called “844 Grand Ave. LLC,” according to Ramsey County property records. The building was last sold in 2004 for $895,000.

“We signed a 12-month lease, but we plan to be there as long as we possibly can,” Holst said.

‘Financially savvy’

Sara Holst and Matt Holst talk behind the counter inside mor in St. Paul on Nov. 26, 2025. (Claudia Staut / Pioneer Press)

Some first-time business owners turn to federal loans while others rely on the generosity of family members to get their businesses up and running.

That was not the case for Sara Holst and her husband, Matt Holst, who own a Minneapolis duplex that they rent out.

“We’d been saving for another rental property to buy,” Holst said. But after some discussion, the husband-and-wife team decided to “put that dream on hold” and use that savings to launch mor.

“We’re pretty financially savvy,” said Sara Holst, adding, “I am a little bit of a doomsday prepper.”

To set up the shop, the Holsts turned to Facebook Marketplace where they found discounted retail racks, furniture, plants and a bar that the couple repurposed to serve as the store’s checkout counter.

When it came to building out the space, Matt Holst got to work, assembling dressing rooms and doing electrical work.

Earlier this year, Matt Holst was working in the steel industry, his wife said. Now that the store is open, he runs the shop Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, with Sara Holst taking over on Saturdays.

“He’s the most amazing person and he’s my biggest fan,” she said of her husband.

“I am so proud of her,” Matt Holst said, adding that he has struck “a great work/life balance” between running the shop and caring for the couple’s 3-year-old child.

Tariff troubles?

“I thought (the Trump administration’s tariffs) were going to affect me more,” Sara Holst said. “Most of the brands I’m working with are either made in the U.S. or they ship from the U.S.”

With that being said, mor is not entirely unscathed by the tariffs.

Sara Holst said she has seen wholesale prices increase from one brand that ships from Florida. And she was recently made to part ways with a Canadian beauty company as a result of the tariffs.

Based in Montreal, BKIND creates nail polish, body scrubs and hair care products, to name a few, with vegan, eco-friendly ingredients.

Founded in 2014 by Marilyne Bouchard, BKind recently announced that it would no longer ship to the U.S., Sara Holst said.

“She’s really bummed, she’d love to continue working with the U.S., but unfortunately the cost associated with doing so and the shipping and tariffs is too high,” Sara Holst said. The dozen or so BKIND nail polishes in stock at mor will unfortunately be the last, she said.

Looking ahead

An exterior view of mor in St. Paul on Nov. 26, 2025. (Claudia Staut / Pioneer Press)

“I was blown away with how well we did the first two or three weeks being open,” Sara Holst said, adding that the store made enough money to cover a couple months of rent.

Related Articles

Holiday arts and entertainment: 15 fun family activities to light up the winter season

Former Irish on Grand employee buys building, opens new St. Paul store

‘Huge boom’ as driver crashes through wall of business on St. Paul’s Grand Avenue

Developer asks St. Paul for $3.5 million loan for housing, retail at Grand and Victoria

Closure of Grand Avenue segment ends Tuesday with free community celebration

Despite the shop’s early success, the Holsts are not counting their chickens before they hatch. “I am fully aware that most businesses don’t take home a profit for two years. We are ready to hunker down,” she said.

“We want a life-first business,” Sara Holst said. “We want mor to be a blessing to our family, not a curse.”

In keeping with this goal, the store is only open four days a week for eight hours at a time, which Holst said is intentional. “We want something we love doing, not something we feel obligated to do.”

If all goes according to plan, Holst said down the line she hopes to expand the store to offer men’s and children’s clothing and host events like once-a-month galleries for artists.

“I want to give back to the community all that we are bringing in,” she said.

mor

When: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays

Where: 844 Grand Ave., St. Paul

Holiday sale: Clothing 20% off through Dec. 1