Local goods + clothing + accessories = River & Grace

Rachel Kroeger

Staff

January 20, 2025

DURAND – By pure coincidence, two women from Durand were brought together and developed a partnership through their joint business venture, River & Grace.

Ashley Urness and Ashley Dorschner said they already knew each other through their children when they discovered they both were exploring the idea of starting their own businesses.

“We spent quite a bit of time together (at) different sporting events (for our kids) and so forth, and didn’t realize we had the same interests until a local business entrepreneur that buys rental properties, fixes them up and then leases them out, brought us together because we both inquired about a space she had listed for rent,” Urness said.

Urness said both she and Dorschner individually inquired about that rental property in town, located at 319 W. Main St., and decided separately it wouldn’t work out “for lots of reasons.”

“Having your own business and being a mom is a lot of work,” Urness said. “And so once (the landlord) brought us together, the flags went up – we didn’t know that (we were both) into that kind of stuff.”

After their introduction, Urness and Dorschner said they began collaborating and decided to take their separate business ideas under one roof and one name.

“It’s just kind of funny that we know each other, and we talk often because of our daughters being such good friends and it never really got brought up,” Dorschner said.

Mutually beneficial

Though the businesses are separate, Urness and Dorschner said their individual product offerings complement each other.

“I carry clothing, shoes, jewelry, accessories and purses (in the store),” Dorschner said. “So, mine is mostly wholesale. I do have a couple of local vendors that I just added that make some things, like screen-printed shirts and some crocheted items like headbands, hats, things like that.”

Urness said her side of River & Grace focuses on providing a wide variety of locally made goods to their customers.

“I (sell) the goods and the local products,” Urness said. “I carry anywhere from local food products made in the area – so West Central Wisconsin – (to) kitchen goods, baby items, home decor, soaps and homemade beauty products. I (also) have consigners on site – so, it’s always changing.”

An advantage to partnering with each other, Urness and Dorschner said, is that it makes scheduling the store’s hours of operation easier for the working mothers.

Urness said she’ll work three days a week at her current job as a dental hygienist in Eau Claire and two days at River & Grace, while Dorschner (a stay-at-home mom) said the shop has become her full-time job as her now school-aged children grow older.

“As a business owner, if you want to do it, you really should be there full-time,” Urness said. “My primary income is dental hygiene. I couldn’t take any more time off work, so Dorschner kind of supplements.”

Another advantage, Dorschner said, is that she and Urness, as first-time business owners, have a partner to learn from and bounce ideas off of.

“There are things that Ashley thinks of that I don’t,” Dorschner said. “And when she brings (those things) to my attention, it’s like, ‘Oh, gosh, I’m so glad somebody else thinks about that, because I didn’t think of it,’ and vice versa… There’s been a lot of things that we’re learning as we go, and we both say, ‘I am so glad you’re here to help me learn this.’”

Operating their businesses in conjunction with each other, Urness said, also alleviates some of the burdens and stressors that often come with starting a business.

“To start a new business is a lot of work, because you are the bookkeeper, you are the marketing (person), you are the person that does the purchasing – you’re doing everything,” she said. “So to split that (up) and kind of tag-team it helps a lot.”

Having enough product to fill their storefront, Urness said, is also a challenge made easier by her and Dorschner teaming up.

Grow together, thrive individually

Though currently operating under one roof, Urness and Dorschner said they still maintain their individual business identities so if or when they are ready to separate they can do so easily.

“I think when we originally got together and started talking about this, that was a goal of ours,” Dorschner said. “I think we have a lot of the same ideas of how we want to grow our business, but also how we want to help invest in our community. So I think we probably will always work together, as far as planning events and creating things that can help grow our business, as well as growing the Durand community. But we may eventually grow big enough to be in separate spaces.”

The name River & Grace, Urness and Dorschner said, is a combination of their separate business names – Riverstead Goods and Graceful Fit Clothing.

“We just condensed and shortened it to make it a little simpler and easier to remember,” Dorschner said.

Opening for business at the end of November 2024, both women said they are grateful for the support they’ve received from the Durand community and are excited to hold an official ribbon-cutting ceremony Jan. 30.

“We initially wanted to do it earlier, but with Christmas, it was too much,” Urness said. “So we intentionally put it off till January. It’s a little later than we wanted, but part of it is just to keep the community excited.”

Dorschner said though River & Grace had yet to hold its grand opening, it was busy throughout the holiday season.

“We opened our doors Nov. 21 – so right before Thanksgiving – and we stayed very busy from the beginning all the way through Christmas,” she said. “Now, there’s been a little bit of a slowdown in January, which we really predicted would happen, but it’s still been steady, and we’ve still had people come to the door to take a look around and purchase items. So, that’s been very exciting and very encouraging.”

Urness said she and Dorschner are excited to contribute to the business community in Durand because the small city with a population of fewer than 2,000 “struggles (with) business growth.”

“We’re hoping to grow another uniformed connection with all the other businesses and really make Durand a destination,” she said.

With plenty of vacation rentals, outdoor recreation opportunities and riverside views, Dorschner said she and Urness are looking forward to helping make a name for their community.

“Our downtown is actually really neat (because) it runs right along the Chippewa River,” she said. “And I think, like Ashley Urness said, if we can, we both have a goal in mind to help our business, as well as other businesses in the area, and grow our community to be somewhere that people from outside (Durand) want to come visit and spend a day or spend a weekend (here).”

Visit River & Grace’s Facebook page for store hours, product previews and more.