Aryn Henning Nichols

When your parents are entrepreneurs, it can often feel more realistic to become an entrepreneur yourself. 

From childhood into adulthood, sisters Erica Thilges and Monica Thilges watched their parents create various businesses. Harlan and Joan Thilges, originally from north central Iowa, moved their family to Fairmont, Minnesota, in April of 1980 to open a decorating business. “They moved and opened the business the same weekend our younger brother, Jason was born!” says Erica. “At the time, I was two and a half years old, Monica was one and a half! I can’t imagine!” 

Harlan and Joan ran Fairmont Decorating, as well as partnering in a storage unit business, until they retired in 2012 and attempted to adjust to the new norm.  “While our mom had loads of hobbies to keep her busy, our dad really missed the social interaction,” says Erica. So Harlan and Joan decided to move to Harmony, Minnesota, in 2015, purchasing an already-existing antique mall, Generations. They rebranded it New Generations and ran it until in 2021, when they retired and Erica took over as co-owner and manager.

Erica’s path led from Minnesota to Asheville, North Carolina, where she managed a bed and breakfast for more than a decade. After quarantining with Monica’s family in Madison during the pandemic, Erica decided to move to Harmony to learn the antiques and resale business from her parents.

Monica spent most of her early adulthood in Oregon and California. After she got married, they had a couple of kids and decided to move to Madison in 2017 to be closer to family. Then, in 2025, Monica and her family moved to Decorah. “I am really fortunate to be able to work remotely, which made the move to Decorah a lot easier because I was able to stay with the same company,” says Monica. It also made it easier for Erica and Monica to hatch a plan for Stardust Retro Revival, which opened in March of 2025. Monica is the owner, while Erica manages the day-to-day business. “I typically get out to Harmony a couple of times a month – the malls have proven helpful as we settle into our new home!”

New Generations of Harmony has 85 vendors and more than 130 spaces in the nearly 10,000-square-foot antique mall. Stardust Retro Revival has 125 vendors and more than 144 spaces in over 11,000 square feet.

 Both malls have a great mix of fun finds, but New Generations has more of an antiques focus and Stardust leans more toward vintage. “Our customers generally stop by both,” says Erica. “Having two malls so close together definitely makes Harmony an antiquing destination!” 

Read on for insight into how these two fun, talented, and smart women run their “sister malls” in Harmony, Minnesota.

The Basics:
Name: Erica Thilges, Monica Thilges
Age: 48, 47
Businesses: New Generations of Harmony and 
Stardust Retro Revival
Year Business Established: 2008 and 2025
Business addresses: 
New Generations of Harmony 50 Industrial Blvd NE Harmony, MN
Stardust Retro Revival 605 Main Ave. N. Harmony, MN 
Websites: NewGenerationsOfHarmony.com • StardustRetroRevival.com 

1. Tell us about the “leap” moment. When/how did you decide to jump in and become your own boss? 

Erica: Our parents, Joan and Harlan Thilges, bought the New Generations Mall in 2015 as a semiretirement venture after decades of running small businesses in Fairmont, Minnesota. By 2021, they were ready to fully retire. In the summer of 2021, I was ready for a change, so I moved to Harmony to learn the business from our dad. It was a good fit from the start, and I now co-own the mall with them.

Monica: We were sitting around the table in spring 2024 when Erica floated the idea of me investing in a new mall. Given that I have zero retail experience, she also offered to run it for me and sold me on the fact that it would essentially be a copy/paste of the New Generations business model – and they had a three-page-long wait list of vendors at the time. 

My day job is in environmental sustainability, so I was intrigued – antique malls give usable items a new home and keep them out of the landfill. Then Erica casually mentioned that there was a long-vacant roller-skating rink just a half mile down the road from New Generations that might work. I am a sucker for a disco ball, and I really love the idea of saving a cool building that means something to a community, so I was hooked.

The building needed significant work – the kind of work that would cost more than the property – so it took a lot of effort to get it figured out. After closing on the property in December 2024, a team of local contractors helped to transform it and we were able to open the doors two and a half months later, on March 1. It was seriously impressive.

2. What’s the best thing about being your own boss? 

Erica: For me, the best part about being my own boss is getting to evolve! If something isn’t working, we try something else!

Monica: Even though I technically own Stardust, I consider Erica to be the boss! She is so awesome at what she does.

3. How about the worst? 

Erica: The worst part about running your own business is keeping up with the ever-changing federal and state laws.

Monica: Paying back all of those pesky loans – I’ll be doing that for a loooooong time!

4. Was there ever a hurdle where you just thought, “I can’t do this?” How did you overcome it?

Erica: Honestly, having my sister to collaborate with takes so much pressure off. The clarity she provides has made all the difference for me. I am, however, not looking forward to the day New Generations needs new carpet… But we’ll figure that out too!

Monica: After the rink sat empty on the market for something like six years, someone else put in a higher bid on the same day we made an offer. I crunched the numbers and realized that I really couldn’t go any higher, so I took a deep breath and let the dream go. Unfortunately for them, but fortunately for me, their offer fell through and I was able to get the building at the price that worked for this business. I think that it’s really important to know your financial limits when starting your own business, even if that means you have to walk away from it.

5. Did you both come up with the name Stardust Retro Revival? 

Erica: Coming up with the business name was the hardest part! Of course, friends and family all had loads of suggestions. My favorite is still, ‘Sister Monica’s Retro Revival’, but Monica vehemently put the kibosh on that. It came down to the wire, but we’re both happy with where we landed.

Monica: It took sooooo long to find a name. In the end, we liked the alliteration, the vintage vibe and… obviously, the nod to David Bowie. IT’S WAY BETTER THAN SOME WEIRD NAME MY SISTER WANTED.

6. Any mentors/role models you look to/have looked to? 

Erica: Our parents have been small business owners our entire lives, so I owe my work ethic to them. When I managed a bed & breakfast in Asheville, North Carolina, for 11 years, I worked for a lovely couple, Chris and Jim Muth. They taught me to manage with grace and understanding. 

Monica: Ditto on what Erica said about our parents.

7. What’s the one thing you wish you had known before you started? 

Erica: If I had known how welcoming and supportive this community is, I might have moved here sooner.

Monica: How to scrub really old and gross mystery things off of carpeted walls.

8. How do you manage your life/work balance? 

Erica: The life/work balance can be tricky, for sure. The last few years, I’ve filled my life with a little too much volunteer work, but this year I’ve taken steps to reclaim my free time. I have some creative hobbies I’ve begun to reconnect with. Additionally, Monica and her family moved to Decorah a few months ago, so being surrounded by family is a welcome motivation to make time for living!

Monica: Moving my family from Madison to Decorah helped a lot, but I think it really comes down to two things for me:

1. Having a super competent business partner that I trust implicitly (it also helps that she does 99.9 percent of the work) – I would not do this with anyone other than Erica. 

2. Finding joy in it – this business would often be super overwhelming and stressful if we were not having a ton of fun. I hope that vibe comes through when people walk through the doors!

 9. What are some of your favorite things you’ve seen come through the doors of New Generations and Stardust?

Erica: For me, seeing how vendors are displaying their merchandise is almost as exciting as what they bring in. I love a good booth overhaul! Many of our vendors are keeping up with vintage trends via social media, so it’s been fun to see those hot items come into the malls and promptly go to their new homes. Personally, I’m a fan of the variety our vendors bring in, especially the unique stuff. There is absolutely something for everyone!

Monica: Man. So much fun stuff. There have been a lot of very cool vintage lamps, but I do love the kitsch. One of the first items I bought to resell at Stardust was particularly memorable – this really cute set of egg coddlers with little chicks on the front. I couldn’t get them open but didn’t think much of it. Well… when we finally got them open, we found the cremated remains of a guy named James. I promptly returned him (and the coddlers!) to the funeral home that cremated him and learned my lesson: Do not buy anything you can’t open. 

10. What keeps you inspired? Any quotes that keep you going?

Erica: I do love the people but I’m also all about ‘connections’. I’m inspired by how much our vendors, staff, and customers connect with each other over shared interests and nostalgia in both antique malls. There is a real sense of community here which makes the malls feel like ‘home’.

Monica: “Go a little bit out of your depth. And when you don’t feel that your feet are quite touching the bottom, you’re just about in the right place to do something exciting.”  – David Bowie

New Generations of Harmony and Stardust Retro Revival are both open 7 days a week, 10 am – 5 pm

Rural Iowa has much more to offer than endless corn fields and gravel roads. Near Decorah, an unexpectedly vibrant source of creation and community lives at the convergence of creeks and pine forests: South Bear School.

The art school’s idyllic property features a small cottage, two barns, and a monumental 65-room main building, which originally hosted a senior living and nursing home community from 1915 to the early 1960s. Over the last six decades, it has become a new sort of “home,” one that has hosted hundreds of creatives, artists, and wanderers. 

South Bear School, founded in 1970 by Decorah residents Dean and Geraldine Schwarz, alongside their friend Doug Eckhart, has undergone countless changes over time, including a nearly 40-year hiatus from hosting their hallmark summer workshops. What hasn’t changed, however, is the Schwarz family’s commitment to maintaining a community of like-minded folks who champion rural arts and authentic craftsmanship.

Revitalized in 2020 by Dean’s children and grandchildren, South Bear School is once again a lively hub for learning and development. Hosting two weeks of rustic pottery courses each summer, as well as periodic weekend workshops, meditation retreats, music festivals, and other events, this magical place is well on its way to re-asserting itself as a vital center-point in Decorah’s creative culture.

“My siblings and I were incredibly lucky to have been raised in an artistic fashion,” says Maggie Schwarz, Dean’s granddaughter and South Bear’s current Executive Director. “It’s always been a goal of mine to make that kind of community and experience available to other people.” 

The Birth of South Bear School

The depth of South Bear’s historical tradition can be traced to 20th century Germany, where Marguerite Wildenhain, the first woman to be designated as a master potter, studied ceramics under the prominent Bauhaus school. After being forced to flee Germany during World War II, Wildenhain immigrated to northern California and started the Pond Farm artists’ colony, where she ran a rigorous and disciplined summer pottery workshop that helped kickstart a studio pottery movement across America.

Born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Dean Schwarz studied ceramics at Iowa State Teachers College, then served in the US Navy, before spending three summers at Pond Farm as Marguerite’s apprentice and teaching assistant. Dean and Gerry settled in Northeast Iowa in the mid-1960s, where Dean taught at Luther College. By 1970, the Schwarzes and fellow Luther art professor Doug Eckhart decided it was high time to bring Pond Farm’s Bauhaus model of apprenticeship and artistic community-building to the Midwest. 

Before South Bear found its current home, it was situated 20 miles away, in Highlandville, Iowa, a tiny town of less than 30 people. Dean and Gerry had purchased an abandoned hospital house and got to work converting its 14-rooms into dormitories for students and instructors. The adjacent barn was turned into a studio for pottery, one of the core artistic disciplines upon which South Bear School, named for the small creek running through Highlandville, was built.

Throughout those first few summers, students traveled from near and far to experience the collaborative environment of a traditional folk-art community. Though centered around pottery, painting, and poetry, the subjects taught at South Bear varied widely, and students were encouraged to explore various modes of thought and multi-disciplinary methods of creation.

After six wonderful and fruitful years in Highlandville, it was time to expand. In 1976, South Bear moved into the then-vacated, historic Aase Haugen campus located in a rural spot five miles southwest of Decorah. This new space offered endless opportunities for expansion, including the addition of classes in areas such as Women’s Studies, Stone Carving, Philosophy, and more, all taught by artists and professors from across the region. For the next several years, South Bear School supported a community of more than 100 artists and students during its nine-week programs each summer.

The Family Years

Though South Bear School summer programming ended in 1984, the connected, passionate spirit brought by the various cohorts of artists never left the property. When Maggie was born in 1999, there were four generations living in the historic main house, still carrying on the South Bear tradition of living and learning in community. By then, Dean had retired from Luther and was a full-time studio potter, working out of the basement studio in the winters and the chicken-barn-turned-studio in the summers. 

“I didn’t realize how uncommon our upbringing was,” says Maggie. “We essentially lived in a museum, and our grandma hosted Sunday lunches every week for family, friends, and visiting artists. Experiencing this depth of artistic discussion as a child was deeply influential and made me want to facilitate similar opportunities for others, even if on a smaller scale.” 

Around 2019, Maggie, and her siblings, Will and Sophie, as well as their father, Lane, began thinking about bringing some of the fondly remembered workshops back to life. After a couple years of reaching out to past students and building a social media presence and new base of interested students, the first official South Bear School pottery workshop under new tutelage was held in 2021.

“So far, a lot of our advertising has been through word of mouth, passed down from folks who have some connection to South Bear’s past, whether it be as a student themselves, or someone who had relatives and parents that studied with Dean,” says Maggie. “We’re excited to start welcoming new audiences, such as college students and those who might be unfamiliar with the world of pottery, and building a multi-generational community of folks that come from diverse backgrounds and experiences.”

Summer Pottery Workshops

Currently, the summer pottery workshops are held for two consecutive weeks each year. While these workshops are heavily informed by and modeled after the original nine-week South Bear School programs, they are also designed to be accessible for all who are interested in learning more about the history of pottery and the joy of independent craftsmanship. Students are encouraged to pick the length of time that works best for them, whether that be the full two weeks, one week, or the weekend workshop.

New for Summer 2026 is the option to purchase single-day passes, perfect for those who are interested in experiencing South Bear’s atmosphere and trying out a kickwheel without committing to a full workshop.

“We try to offer a variety of options, so everyone is able to join us in the act of creating, despite busy work and family schedules,” adds Maggie. “And with all of our instructors being volunteers who have their own separate careers and commitments, two weeks felt like a good place to start.”

Held in the converted chicken barn, just down the hill from the main house, the workshops offer a rustic, authentic, and well-paced approach to pot-making. Rather than using electric pottery wheels like many modern-day teaching studios, South Bear students learn the analog way – on custom, wooden kick wheels based on Marguerite Wildenhain’s original design and handcrafted by the late Orville Running, who was an accomplished local artist and Luther College professor.

Upon entering the Summer Workshop, you are met with a rhythmic thumping sound, a product of the potters kicking the wooden flywheels to power their wheel. Throwing pots on a kickwheel is a very grounding, meditative process, requiring the potter to focus on their breathing and to carefully sync each movement to the rhythm of the wheel.

“Students who have previously worked on electric wheels are often intimidated by the concept of having to spin the wheel yourself,” says Maggie. “We find they end up really enjoying the process – there’s something very special about connecting with that ancient human ability to make beautiful art out of simple, rudimentary materials.”

South Bear summer pottery students follow a 16-form progression, a workshop structure that originated from Germany’s guild system and was brought by Marguerite Wildenhain to Pond Farm in California. Apprentices work alongside Master-level craftsmen, learning first to imitate technique and craftsmanship, before creating their own unique work and designs.

The first form begins with the simple dog dish – which is not actually used for pets, but as a glaze-catcher for larger pots. Each subsequent form introduces a new throwing skill. 

The second, the flower pot, teaches potters to throw a pot that gradually gets wider near the top; next comes the bowl, which requires smooth, gradual curves, and that special attention be paid to the pot’s rim. By form six, the potter will produce a pot that is taller than it is wide, and by form 13, they will be combining multiple forms, thrown separately, into one finished pot.

“Each step teaches you how to get to the next one,” explains Maggie. “The forms build upon each other, and over time, you develop the critical eye needed to start creating your own forms and finding ways to express yourself through the clay.” 

Celebrating 50 Years of South Bear!

2026 marks 50 years since South Bear School, and the Schwarz family, first came to call the historic Aase Haugen property home. To mark this exciting milestone, the upcoming year is one of jubilant celebration, featuring concerts, workshops, and reunions that honor the legacy of South Bear and highlight what’s to come for this tight-knit community.

Specific events to look forward to include the third iteration of Gays and Faes music festival, a 50th anniversary alumni gathering, and the annual Midsummer’s Eve party. 

This year, the Summer Workshop will also see the revival of an integral part of South Bear’s foundation: the option to take shorter courses in a variety of artistic disciplines – such as printmaking, watercolors, and poetry – alongside the typical pottery instruction.

“Providing a learning environment that incorporates and encourages multiple disciplines is something we’re thrilled to begin offering again, as we grow,” says Maggie. “The goal is, and has always been, quite simple: to hold space for the learning and teaching of Bauhaus traditions that have been developed and passed down by humans for over six-hundred years.” 

Clara Wodny

Clara Wodny is a 2025 graduate of Luther College, where she fell in love with the Driftless while studying English and Visual Communications. Currently residing up north in her hometown of Duluth, MN, she works in Aquatics Management at a YMCA and interns with LAMBDA Literary, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to nurture and advocate for LGBTQIA+ Writers. 

Visit southbearschool.org for more info or to sign up for the Summer Workshop! Plus, save the date for these 2026 events:

Gays and Faes Music Festival, May 29-31
Summer Pottery Retreat, June 8-19
50th anniversary reunion, June 20-21
Midsummer’s Eve Party, July 18

There was a sense of connection as Dan Christianson nailed the final pieces of siding to Miss Francis’ new house near Boone, North Carolina. Dan and his wife, Sherri, of West Salem, Wisconsin, were part of a 10-person relief team from Bethany Free Church of La Crosse that headed to storm-tossed western North Carolina in November of 2025. They spent one week helping with rebuilding efforts after Hurricane Helene devastated the area in the fall of 2024. 

Floodwaters had ripped up huge chunks of road and tossed houses into the swirling morass like toys. Entire sections of towns had been swept away. The storm carved deep scars into the landscape as well as the hearts of its people.

But this had become a time of rebirth for these people and their communities. They proved to be strong and resilient, and waves of support and assistance poured in from across the nation.  In fact, the outpouring was so great that Bethany Church, which had originally fielded four teams, had to wait almost six months for just one slot to open up. 

“People were here from Texas, California – from all over,” says Dan, a veteran of over 14 relief missions including Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the local Rushford, Minnesota flood of 2007.  The last five years have found him in Bogota, Columbia, helping to build a children’s home with Bangor, Wisconsin-based Children’s Vision, and refurbishing a building at a Christian college in Colorado. 

For Dan and his teammate, David Paudler of Brice Prairie, Wisconsin, this was their second trip to the stricken area. The first was just a few weeks after the hurricane tore through the state. “Everywhere you looked you saw trees down,” says Dan, recalling that trip. “We drove along the river outside of Asheville and saw places where houses just weren’t there anymore.” Back then, the work required tree cutting, brush removal, and tarping roofs. David recalls people living in houses with buckets placed under holes in the roof. 

In the immediate aftermath of the storm, Samaritan’s Purse, a Christian relief organization led by Franklin Graham and headquartered in Boone, North Carolina, coordinated much of the rescue activity. It organized the largest civilian airlift in U.S. history with well over 200 helicopter flights dropping supplies. Grieving survivors found comfort in the counsel and prayers from Samaritans Purse chaplains who accompanied relief teams. Now, the organization coordinates much of the rebuilding effort, which some estimate could take as long as five years.

Even a year later, when the Bethany Free Church team arrived, evidence of the storm was still visible, with cars and debris marking the riverbanks and huge, lumbering machinery restoring the roads. “It was eerie to see all the destroyed homes,” says Lisa Cochlin of Onalaska, who joined the Bethany group with her husband, Paul. “There’s no way to rebuild on some of these sites.” 

“You just can’t understand what these people went through,” Paul adds. “You don’t realize what it means when your house is underwater.” 

While in Boone, the Bethany team, with an average volunteer age of 68 years, slept at a local church and took meals from a mobile kitchen outside. Under the direction of Samaritan’s Purse, the group got to work quickly, tearing down sheds, cleaning up debris, and filling dumpsters before finally moving on to home repairs.

At Miss Francis’ worksite, Dan and Paul nailed siding while Sherri and Lisa taped off windows, washed mud from the house, and prepared the exterior for painting. This was a change for Sherri, who originally planned to volunteer as a cook, as she did with Hurricane Katrina relief.  “I had to leave my comfort zone,” says Sherri. “I was not used to ladders. Then they would say, ‘go down to the stream and get a bucket of water to clean your paintbrush.’ I don’t normally do stuff like that.”

Brian Martz, along with Doug and Jolene Williams, all from Onalaska, worked with David Paudler at a different location where a young mother lived in a camper with her four children and grandma. Jolene was moved at the sight of most the family’s personal possessions still laying outside under a tarp. She connected with the young mom, helping with the difficult task of sorting through beloved family possessions.

As the week progressed, the team found that volunteering with Samaritan’s Purse meant more than just clean up and construction. “Samaritan’s Purse rebuilds people as well as it rebuilds houses,” says Dan. “People come first,” echoes Sherri. “If anyone wants to talk, we stop and listen.”  

So, when the 84-year-old Miss Francis recounted her story, they listened. Miss Francis had sheltered in her home when the storm hit. Initially rebuffing her brother’s suggestion to evacuate, she later acquiesced and he picked her up in his car. Then came the floods. Afterward, when authorities allowed them to return, Miss Francis found that floodwaters reached several feet above her countertops. “She lost everything except for a few clothes,” says Sherri. “If she had stayed…,” her voice trailed off.

After the group finished work on the house, Paul led everyone in a final prayer for Miss Francis and her new home. “Miss Francis was very emotional, grateful and crying,” adds Lisa. “She must have given us 20 or 30 thank-yous.”

As the volunteers returned home, thoughts often turned to their own lives. “You hear about people going through trials and you learn compassion,” says Paul. “If we don’t have compassion and love, who are we?”

For Brian, the work felt really important. And the camaraderie and connection among the volunteers made an especially lasting impact. “There was a lot of bonding with other team members,” he says. And as he listened to retirees who volunteered regularly with Samaritan’s Purse, an idea took shape. “I’m getting close to retirement so I might do it more,” he says. “It gives me a reason for living.”

Greg Kirscher

Greg Kirscher is a La Crosse based writer focusing mostly on faith issues and church events. He is also a photographer focusing mostly on his 14 grandchildren.

People interested in assisting or giving to Samaritans Purse can connect with them at samaritanspurse.org. Or helping through Bethany Free Church at bethanychurchlax.org