Minnesota Prairie Roots

Pulling out of the Kwik Trip convenience store in Pine Island recently, flashes of color caught my eye across the street. “What’s that?” I wondered aloud. I was about to discover Miss Angie’s Place.

If not for the colorful painted rock and concrete wall bracing a hillside, I may not have paused to learn more about the nonprofit based in the town’s first church, Grace Episcopal, built in 1874. Good News Evangelical Free Church closed its doors here in 2023, opening the door for Angie Severson to relocate her nonprofit into the vacated building from several blocks away.

This mother of four daughters and a life-long artist, who has worked as a high school art and business teacher and as a graphic designer, offers “a fun, nurturing and safe space to gather and grow for people of all ages through art, nature, education and well-being.” Those define the four pillars of Miss Angie’s Place.

That’s exactly what I discovered once I finished exploring outside—looking over the brightly-painted retaining wall with uplifting words, checking out the giving shelves and Little Free Art Supplies Library, and a memorial garden for Angie’s infant daughter, Pearl.

I headed up the steps past a kid’s bike and helmet, passing under signage telling me everyone is welcome and loved, before opening a red door to the vestibule.

For a moment I simply stood there, still uncertain what I was walking into. I continued on, through an interior doorway into the former sanctuary. Two young mothers and their children were gathered around a table with paint, pipe cleaners and paper plates, clearly in the middle of creating. This, as it turns out, was a free early literacy and playtime with Angie and Heidi Breid, youth services librarian from the Van Horn Public Library.

One of the moms, mother to a preschooler and a newborn, later shared how she appreciates the opportunity to get out of the house with her kids and connect with others.

This space, this place, still feels like a sanctuary in many ways as people gather in community. For nearly 150 years, people walked across the well-worn wooden floors, gathering to grieve, to celebrate, to seek sanctuary.

It feels right that this former house of worship today offers a safe haven, a sanctuary, for all ages to create, learn, connect, meditate and more. Here young moms come with their littles, school-aged kids create art and explore nature, youth attend summer day camps focused on kindness, gardening, fishing, art and much more. Adults practice yoga and attend wellness retreats.

In a short conversation with Angie, I learned of her passion for this place she’s created and filled with art supplies, books, nature finds, toys, aquariums, cozy seating and much more in a truly welcoming, creative and joyful learning environment.

When someone does what they love, it shows. From her vibrant tie-dyed sweatshirt, to her engaging smile, to the way Angie cuddled the resident rabbit, she exuded a sense of purpose and joy. I watched her interact with preschoolers, bending to their level, encouraging, connecting.

Miss Angie’s Place is, indeed, “a fun, nurturing and safe space to gather and grow.” It is the type of place I delight in discovering in small town Minnesota. Unexpected. Connective. Creative. And centered in community.

© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling