Across the Desk

It didn't take much to cause the owner of Mosaic on a Stick to change banks. It all came down to her old bank's focus on the transaction and her new bank's focus on a relationship..Lori Greene was set on her path to opening a mosaic art supply store by the jarring events of September 11, 2001. On that day she had planned to finish a mosaic project for Resource Center of the Americas, a non-profit organization that serves the local Latino community. Her team decided to install the mosaic despite the events of the day. "The community really came out and it was healing for everybody because it gave us something to do besides watch the news," Greene said. "That experience on September 11 set me on the path to opening the store; it made me aware that this is what I have to do.".Greene hatched the idea of creating a place where people who are not artists can come and make art. "Mosaic is very user friendly and anyone can do it. Most people take an art class; they tend to get stuck in those classes. This is just playing," she said..Three years later Greene opened Mosaic on a Stick, a name that comes from its location near the Minnesota State Fair. Opening day was a big success. "We were shockingly busy," Greene said. "That kind of grand opening was bizarre for an art store." In addition to the turnout, Greene was approached to do work for the Ordway Theater in St. Paul and for a local children's festival. "It was uncanny how much happened immediately," she said..Greene's store is the only one of its kind in Minnesota and the surrounding states. "We are a destination location; there is no other mosaic store [in the area]. We've had people come from Canada and Missouri just to shop here." As a promotional effort, Greene puts on a few free events each year. "We've had hundreds of people come to these," she said. "People stand in lines that go out the door.".Greene's work has a high profile in the area which allows her to diversify her business. She is known in the area for the mosaic pots that adorn Snelling Avenue in St. Paul, the main street through the neighborhood. Her notoriety allows her to weather times when one business line is slow. The store consists of mosaic retail supplies, a mosaic gallery, and a studio where Greene teaches. Greene also takes on commissions for large mosaics at schools and in public spaces..Mosaic on a Stick has grown every year because the store is a community space. "On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays we are packed. Saturdays are busy all day long," Greene said. "When I teach a class at least a few people will become regulars. We've been compared to Cheers," she added..After eight years of businesses, Greene is planning to buy a historic building in the neighborhood. The move offers more space and a bigger profile in the area but she needs the money to purchase and remodel it to fit her needs..But Greene won't be going with her current bank for the loan. When she opened her store she had taken out a line of credit but her bank hasn't focused on getting to know her or her business, she said; instead they focused on new transactions. "I do not love my relationship with my bank; I don't feel it's very helpful," she said. "They don't understand what I do and I don't feel like they care." Greene said she receives a call twice a year in which the banker asks if she needs any help. "I will tell them the things I need," she said, "but they don't follow through. It felt like the calls were just the bank's way of digging for new things to sell me.".She had begun shopping for a new bank when a banker from Bremer Bank in St. Paul stopped by to visit her. The banker asked if she had done the mosaic pots in the neighborhood, which showed he was from the area and knew her work. "We had a good conversation and I felt like he really had an understanding of what I was doing," she said..Now Greene will obtain her loan through Bremer. "They've been here to talk to me three times," she said. She has met with her banker even more at the branch to plan for the building's purchase. The extra time on the part of the lender paid off in a new relationship with an established small business..Customer checklistLori GreeneOwner, Mosaic on a Stickwww.mosaiconastick.com. Relationship with lender — "Come in and understand what I do because what I do is different.". Wants sincere counsel about bank products that can help her achieve her goals.