Apr 18, 2010

The Duck is the Business of the WeekBy Emily GeddeBemidjiPioneer.com

Joan Pearson is a good example of proving that dreams can come true. She had always wanted to own a gift/antique store and 10 years ago, she did just that — she started her shop called The Duck.

Prior to getting into the retail business, Pearson was a beautician for 35 years and then ran a bar where The Duck is now located for six months.

“We didn’t want to do the bar, so we tried to sell it,” she said. “Times weren’t good when we attempted to sell, so my husband asked me what I’d like to do with the space. I said, ‘silly man, I know exactly what I want to do. I want to open an antique shop’ and that’s exactly what I did.”

After cleaning up what used to be a bar, Pearson opened The Duck for business July 1, 2000.

The idea for the shop came easy to Pearson.

“I had a few ideas, but I wanted something original,” she said. “I wanted people to identify the product they got from my store with the name of the town. When people like something they got here, they will remember they got it in Blackduck.”

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