Northern Lights Toys

09/14/2026

🎣 54,000 LURES LATER… WE’RE DONE. 🎉🙌

Remember that innocent little photo from five days ago? The one where 54,000 lures were sitting in bags around the warehouse waiting to be mixed?

WE. FINISHED. THEM. 😂

It took 5 DAYS of dumping, mixing, sorting, moving, questioning our life choices, and discovering that 54,000 is a much bigger number when you have to physically touch all of them. 😅

But every single lure is officially mixed and ready for production! 🎨🎣

The State Fair ended and apparently we decided recovery was overrated. We went straight from 12 days of fair chaos into 54,000-lure warehouse chaos.

Because apparently at Northern Lights Toys, we don't really *end* the chaos…

✨ We just change which chaos we're doing. ✨

Next stop: turning this mountain of lures into a whole lot of Create-A-Lure kits! 💪📦

54,000 lures. 5 days. DONE. ✅

…Can we sit down now? 😂

09/11/2026

🇺🇸 September 11, 2001 — September 11, 2026

25 years.

It almost doesn't seem possible.

Twenty-five years ago, Cassie was sitting in a 9th-grade math class and Brian was sitting in a 10th-grade German class when the news began to spread that something terrible was happening in our country.

We were just kids.

At that age, we couldn't possibly understand the magnitude of what we were watching or how much that day would change our country and the world around us. But like so many people who lived through September 11, 2001, we remember where we were when we heard.

And somehow, 25 years later, we still do.

We grew up. We built a life, a family, and eventually a business together. Brian would later serve our country in the U.S. Army. And now we're raising children who know September 11 only as history — a realization that makes this anniversary feel especially significant.

It is our responsibility to make sure they understand that September 11 isn't simply a date in a textbook.

It's the nearly 3,000 lives that were lost.

It's the families who said goodbye that morning without knowing it would be the last time.

It's the firefighters, police officers, first responders and ordinary people who ran toward danger to help complete strangers.

It's the service members and their families whose lives would be changed in the years that followed.

And it's remembering how, in the midst of unimaginable tragedy, Americans came together.

A quarter-century has passed.

Those two kids sitting in classrooms that morning are adults now, telling the next generation what that day meant.

Today, we remember those we lost.

We honor those who served.

We tell their stories.

And 25 years later, we still promise: Never Forget. 🇺🇸

9.11.01 — 9.11.26

09/10/2026

🎉 WE’RE FINALISTS! 🎉

We are incredibly excited to announce that Northern Lights Toys has been selected as a finalist for Small Business of the Year at the 2026 Chamber Awards! 🏆❤️

What started in our garage in 2020 has grown into something we never could have imagined. Over the last six years, we’ve watched Create-A-Lure go from an idea to products carried by retailers across the country, attended some pretty incredible events, met thousands of families, and built a small team that helps us keep this crazy operation moving.

Through all of that growth, we are still incredibly proud to call our little corner of Minnesota home.

Being recognized as a finalist for Small Business of the Year is an incredible honor, and one that wouldn’t be possible without our amazing employees, customers, retail partners, family, friends, and community who continue to support this small, veteran-owned business.

Thank you for buying our products, sharing our posts, telling your friends about us, stopping by our booths, supporting our retailers, and cheering us on through every new adventure.

From a garage in 2020 to a 2026 Small Business of the Year FINALIST…

Not bad for a little toy company with a crazy idea about letting kids paint their own fishing lures. 🎣❤️

We can’t wait to celebrate with all of the other incredible finalists at the 2026 Chamber Awards! 🏆

Thank you for being part of our story.

🏆 We're proud to announce the finalists for our 2026 Chamber Awards!
After careful review by a committee of Chamber members, these businesses emerged as leaders among this year's nominees, demonstrating exceptional impact, leadership, and success.
Congratulations to our finalists:

LARGE BUSINESS
⭐Minnco Credit Union
⭐Security Bank & Trust
⭐Verizon
MID-SIZE BUSINESS
⭐City Center Market
⭐East Central Veterinarians
⭐New Pathways
SMALL BUSINESS
⭐Holman Insurance Agency
⭐Little Wilderness
⭐Northern Lights Toys
SOLOPRENEUR
⭐Nelson Funeral Planning
⭐Ohana Chiropractic and Wellness
⭐Pretty Little Signs
EMERGING BUSINESS
⭐Northern Lights Event Rental
⭐Ohana Chiropractic and Wellness
⭐Sota Girls
COMMUNITY IMPACT
⭐Minnco Credit Union
⭐New Pathways
⭐Tusen Tack Community Programs

Being named a finalist represents meaningful recognition from fellow business leaders and is an achievement worth celebrating.

We look forward to honoring these outstanding businesses at our North 65 Chamber Awards Gala on October 29! Details at: https://www.north65chamber.com/chamber-awards/

09/10/2026

🎣 THE STATE FAIR IS OVER… SO BACK TO WORK WE GO! 😂

After 12 straight days at the State Fair, you’d think we’d ease ourselves back into normal warehouse life.

Absolutely not. That would be far too reasonable. 😅

While we were off living in our little 12x10 booth, talking fishing and surviving fair food, 54,000 LURES were delivered to the warehouse.

Yep. FIFTY. FOUR. THOUSAND. 🤯

And first on the post-fair agenda?

✨ Mix. Every. Single. One. ✨

Right now they’re separated by color and style in approximately 847 bags scattered across the floor. Soon, they’ll all be mixed together and ready for the next step in becoming Create-A-Lure kits!

So while the State Fair chaos may officially be behind us…

Apparently we just traded it for 54,000 tiny pieces of fishing-lure chaos. 😂🎣

Back to work, Create-A-Lure style! 💪

54,000 lures. One warehouse. Let the mixing begin.

09/08/2026

🎡 AND THAT’S A WRAP ON OUR FIRST MINNESOTA STATE FAIR! 🎡

Twelve days. Countless conversations. A whole lot of fair food. A few parking adventures. 😅 And more incredible memories than we ever expected.

When we walked into the Grandstand 12 days ago as first-year vendors, we really didn’t know exactly what to expect. What we found was an incredible experience.

We met families discovering Create-A-Lure for the first time, customers who came specifically to tell us how much they already love it, and kids who proudly showed us pictures of the lures they painted and the fish they caught with them. 🎨🎣 We swapped fishing stories, made new friends, learned from other vendors, and got to experience the State Fair from an entirely different perspective.

There were long days, tired feet, family members recruited into booth duty, questionable amounts of fair food, and plenty of laughs along the way. 😂

But the biggest takeaway from these 12 days is simply gratitude.

To everyone who stopped by our booth, purchased a kit, shared a story, brought friends back to see us, offered advice, helped us along the way, or simply stopped to say hello— thank you. ❤️

Our first year at the State Fair is officially in the books, and we couldn’t be happier with how it went.

We learned a LOT. We already have ideas for what we want to do differently and bigger next time…

And yes, after 12 straight days in the Grandstand, we can officially say:

We’re already excited for 2027. 🎡🎣❤️

Thank you for an unforgettable first year, Minnesota State Fair.
Until next year!

09/07/2026

🎡 WE MADE IT. THE FINAL DAY IS HERE!! 🎡

Somehow, 12 days have gone by. At times they flew by… and at other times I’m pretty sure one single afternoon lasted approximately three business days. 😂

But what an experience it has been. ❤️

We’ve had SO many fun conversations, heard some incredible fishing stories, shared plenty of our own, met families who already love Create-A-Lure, and introduced it to families who are about to start making their own fishing memories. 🎣🎨

There’s been fair food. There have been side quests. There have been parking adventures we shall never speak of again. 😂 There’s been heat, humidity, long days, tired feet, family reinforcements, new vendor friends, and more laughs than I could possibly count.

And now… THIS IS IT!

🚨 TODAY is your LAST CHANCE to get Create-A-Lure at the 2026 State Fair! 🚨

Come find us in the Grandstand — Row 7 and take advantage of some LAST CHANCE DEALS! 👀🎣

If you’ve been saying, “I’ll stop by before the fair is over…”

THIS IS ME TELLING YOU THE FAIR IS OVER TODAY. 😂

Come see us one last time!

🎡 DAY 12. LET’S FINISH THIS THING! 🎣❤️

09/06/2026

🎡 SOMEHOW WE SURVIVED DAY 10… TODAY IS DAY 11! 😂

The last 10 days have somehow gone by incredibly fast and painfully slow at the exact same time. I don’t know how that’s scientifically possible, but the State Fair has apparently figured it out. 🤣

Yesterday we called in *reinforcements!* Our daughter, Aurora; my mom; AND a friend joined us as guest sellers in the booth. ❤️

At this point, if you’re related to us, friends with us, or accidentally make eye contact for too long… congratulations, you may be scheduled for a shift.😂

But seriously, having some extra faces in the booth made Day 10 a lot more fun—and we are officially SO CLOSE TO THE FINISH LINE.

🎡 10 DAYS DOWN. 2 TO GO. 🎡

If you’ve been saying, *“I need to stop and see you guys!”*…

THIS IS YOUR WARNING. 😂

Come visit us during the LAST TWO DAYS OF THE FAIR! Find Create-A-Lure in Row 7 on the lower level of the Grandstand. Come say hi, check out the lures, and witness firsthand what 10+ consecutive days at the State Fair does to a person. 🤣🎣

DAY 11… LET’S DO THIS! 🙌

09/05/2026

🎡 DAY 9: COMPLETE! TODAY IS DAY 10! 😳

How are we already at Day 10?! At this point I’m not entirely sure what day it is—I just know where I’m supposed to show up. 😂

Yesterday we had some new faces helping in the booth — aka we recruited more family members into the State Fair chaos. 🤣 It was perfect timing because we had lots of people stopping by to chat!

We also ran into so many people we know personally outside of Create-A-Lure, which is always fun. ❤️

During some downtime last night, we got to chat with the gentlemen from Line Cutterz for a bit and… I’ll admit it…

*They reeled me in.* 🎣😂
I see what you did there, guys. Well played.

It was HOT and STICKY down in the Grandstand, so a huge THANK YOU to everyone who braved it, came down to Row 7, stopped at the booth, and spent some time chatting with us. We truly appreciate every one of you! ❤️🎣

Only 3 days left. 😳🎡

We’re so close I can almost feel the air conditioning. 😂

09/04/2026

🎡 DAY 8: SURVIVED! TODAY IS DAY 9! 😂

Just when we thought we had finally solved the ongoing saga of “Will the unnamed employee successfully make it to the State Fair?”… Mother Nature decided she wanted a turn. ⛈️🤣

Yesterday’s adventure: stuck on the bus for an HOUR because of lightning.⚡️🚌 At this point, getting TO the fair has become its own daily side quest.

Once I finally made it, it was a slower night, which meant I had some time to work on my lures 🎨🎣… and apparently dedicate myself to the important task of trying a LOT of new fair foods. 😂 We also had a great time chatting with customers and getting to know even more of our fellow vendors.

8 days down. Today we take on DAY 9! 🙌

If you’re heading to the fair, come find us in Row 7 on the lower level of the Grandstand! Stop by, say hi, check out Create-A-Lure, and then do yourself a favor: go all the way to the gentleman at the end of our row (actually right next door lol) and try his salsa. 🌶️

Seriously. It’s delicious. Consider this your State Fair side quest. 😂

Only 4 days to go! 🎡

09/03/2026

🎡 DAY 7: SURVIVED! TODAY WE’RE ONTO DAY 8! 😂

Yesterday was a *slightly* shorter fair day for Brian and me because apparently our kids thought THREE different school open houses should take priority over our State Fair residency. 🤣📚 Three kids. Three schools. Because of course.

We still packed plenty into the day! We chatted with more amazing customers, got to know some of our neighboring vendors better, picked up some great advice from other vendors, AND came up with a few new ideas for the holiday season. 👀🎄🎣

There was noticeably less fair-food reviewing yesterday, though.

Apparently at some point during these 12 days we're expected to *actually work.* 😂 Who knew?!

7 days down. Today is DAY 8! 🎡🙌

Only 5 more days of fair chaos, customer stories, vendor shenanigans, questionable food decisions, and whatever side quests I manage to find along the way. 😂