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For immediate Release Contact: Jenny Putnam,
952-935-7131
Media Spotlight Shines on General Store of Minnetonka
KARE 11, Fox 9 and WCCO-TV recently featured General Store of Minnetonka on their newscasts. Gail and Chris Bollis are celebrating 25 years in the business of selling gifts and goods in endless variety together with their children Jenny, Christopher and Matt and Gail’s sister Liz.
On May 9th, Fox 9 News reporter Tom Halden paid a visit and told their story on the evening news. As he walked through the store, he repeatedly said, “Please don’t let my wife find out about this place.”
On June 20th, daughter and Marketing Director Jenny Putnam took KARE 11 News Saturday viewers on an in-studio tour of boat stopping products and snacks for summer days on the lake. We invite you to stop by and check out the featured items that continue to fly off the shelves.
On June 28th, WCCO-TV news reporter Angela Davis highlighted the store within her “Finding Minnesota” segment. She featured photos of Bollis family members in the early days and talked with each about the role they play at the store today. Angela will admit that she had a hard time separating work….from shopping!
Gail Bollis says she has it all. “I get to do what I love, surrounded by my family, great employees and valued customers. It doesn’t get any better than this!”
For more information on General Store of Minnetonka, call Jenny Putnam at
952-935-7131 or better yet, stop in!
For immediate release Contact: Jenny Putnam
952-935-7131
General Store of Minnetonka Celebrates 25 years of selling goods
and buying priceless family time
Minnetonka, MN - Gail Bollis, matriarch of the Bollis family and founder of General Store of Minnetonka is celebrating 25 years in a business that has brought a big payoff – spending every workday with her husband, children and grandchildren.
The Bollis family combines their best talents and skills for the benefit of their customers. On a typical day at General Store, you’ll find Gail Bollis overseeing operations, while keeping a watchful eye on 6-month old grandson Spencer as he sleeps in is his portable crib. Spencer’s mom (Gail’s daughter) and marketing director Jenny Putnam is meeting with a vendor in another part of the store, baby monitor in hand, so she knows when Spencer wakes up. No worries if he does, Grandma and her sister, Great Aunt Liz will fight over who gets to hold him! Liz is the main buyer for the store and loves searching for new and fun products.
Son Christopher Bollis is making a batch of homemade fudge in the kitchen of the General Store Cafe, while another staffer whips up Grandma Gloria’s famous pumpkin bars, a big seller. Grandma is also is the most popular customer greeter at the store, especially during the holidays.
Son Matt Bollis is shipping merchandise to a customer, while his dad Chris Bollis is adjusting a hinge on the back door of the store. The family calls him the “dad of all trades.”
Gail Bollis will tell you she feels blessed to have built a successful career and business while, surrounded by her family….on a daily basis. Her kids grew up in the business and now they help run it. She will also tell you that her employees are her extended family, including three that have been with her all 25 years. There are also a lot of regular customers, including one from Iceland.
Gail also finds joy in helping customers find the perfect gift from within her store that she started in 1984, amid the last recession. In those days, the store was stocked with handmade crafts and art, made by women who came looking for income because their husbands had lost their jobs. Some of those women still supply merchandise for the now 20,000 square feet icon on Highway 7 in Minnetonka.
General Store of Minnetonka went green years ago when Gail’s father and brother built the store with recycled cobblestones from the city of Minneapolis and timbers that they took to the sawmill and to cut to size.
Gail Bollis says she has it all. “I get to do what I love, surrounded by my family, great employees and valued customers. It doesn’t get any better than this!”
General Store of Minnetonka has gifts and goods in endless variety – from home décor to clothing, jewelry, gourmet foods and more. They deliver old-fashioned customer service for an unforgettable shopping experience.
As seen in the July 2009 issue of Lake Minnetonka Magazine:
“This year the General Store celebrates a quarter of a century as a neighborhood legend. The wheels of the General Store started rolling back in 1984 when co-owner Gail Bollis decided to move her home folk –art boutique business to a brighter and greener pasture…Bollis prides herself on having kept the General Store all in the family. She and husband Chris run the show, with help from their three children and her sister Liz—all of whom still work for the business in its not-so-corporate environment.”
By Sarah Baumann, Lake Minnetonka Magazine
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