Annabelle's Wish comes true...
Warren woman fulfills her dreams by buying a clothing and gift store
By Rona K. Johnson
Neighbors Staff Writer
Posted with permission of the Grand Forks Herald

December 7th , 2005 : Grand Forks Herald

WARREN - Annabelle Narlock has had her share of hard knocks in life, but that didn't stop her from making her dreams come true.

Narlock, 34, recently purchased Country Casuals in Warren, and has renamed it Annabelle's Wish.

The store, at 108 East Johnson Ave., came up for sale when the former owners, Betty East and Jody Larson, no longer had the time to operate the business.

East's coffee shop, River Jordan, took off in a big way and Larson also works at the Northland's Rescue Mission in Grand Forks.

Narlock, who once worked as an assistant manager in a clothing store in California, where she grew up, had always wanted to own her own clothing business.

"I'm a big fan of clothes and I shop for clothes all the time," she said.

Cancer survivor

Narlock came to this area when she was in the U.S. Air Force and was assigned to the Grand Forks Air Force Base.

When she completed her military duty in 1995, Narlock had planned to go to college. She started school at the University of North Dakota and worked part time. But in 1997, at the age of 24, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and had to quit school.

Doctors performed a lumpectomy and Narlock had to go through chemotherapy and radiation treatments.

In 1999, she was able to go to school part time and in 2001, she felt good enough to go full time.

But once again she was diagnosed with cancer. "I was working 30 hours at the bank, had 14 credits at UND and I had a baby in 2002," she said. "It was really trying, but I figured if I could do that I could do anything."

Despite all the setbacks, Narlock graduated from UND in 2004 with a degree in mass communications with an emphasis in marketing.

"I remember studying for finals in the chemo chair," she said.

Before she bought the clothing store she worked for eight years as a personal banker and insurance agent at Bremer Bank in Warren.

Doing it right

Before she purchased the clothing store, her husband, Dan, who is an engineer technician for EAPC Architects Engineers in Grand Forks and a farmer, said she had to do a business plan.

So Narlock projected her income out five years and had her plan approved by an accountant.

When she presented the plan to her husband, he didn't even want to see it. He just wanted to make sure that she went through the process.

"Now that's love," she said.

Although she had intended to take over the business next year, the current owners talked her into starting in November.

"They didn't want me to take over in January when it's really slow," she said. "They wanted me to start out with a good month."

Attracting customers

Narlock knows she has to have unique items in order to draw customers to Warren from the surrounding area.

"People come here to find their own style," she said.

She also only orders one or two sizes of each item.

"Customers know when they walk out the door they won't likely run into people wearing the same clothing," she said.

Narlock said her most popular clothing brands are Tribal, Willow and Parkhurst.

Along with clothes, jewelry and accessories, Narlock also offers gifts and greeting cards. And, she's planning to bring in some Victorian paintings, which are similar to ones she has displayed in her own home.

By concentrating on items that aren't readily available to customers in the Warren area, she hopes to build her business.

And, after all she's been through in her life, she's sure she can deal with anything that life throws her way.

"God thinks I can handle a lot so he always tests me," she said.