Bumps & Bruises with Small Beginnings
About 8 years ago, Albert & Ida Co became a thought. I wanted to do something fun and creative with selling product (plus have a cool name!) More importantly, I wanted to include my family heritage in it. Sitting around the dinner table one night, my kids, my niece, my parents and I started throwing out ideas of whose names to use and why. I have a lot of fun relatives and close family on both sides, but I kept feeling drawn to Albert and Ida Dahl, my great grandparents. My great grandpa died before I was born, but my dad was very close to him. He would tell me stories about this man, and I loved hearing about how my grandpa was in my dad’s life, mentoring, guiding and supporting him as he grew up. My dad wasn’t a super emotional guy, and I only saw him cry once- at his dad’s funeral. But he would almost choke up and get really quiet when he talked about losing his Grandpa Albert. He made a great impact on my dad, and it really made me wish I had gotten a chance to meet him.
I did know great Grandma Ida somewhat. I was only about 6 years old when she passed, but I can remember seeing her at family gatherings when we visited my grandparents. She was such a little thing- her hands, her eyeglasses, even her voice seemed tiny. But she was a fun lady, and I was a bit fascinated with her even at a young age.
Albert and Ida lived through the depression. To say they went through hard times during that era would be obvious. But apparently, there were some family issues with Albert’s brother as well. He and Albert owned a farm together; Albert and Ida lived on it and got behind in the loan payments. The brother, rather than working with his family, went to the bank and took the farm for himself. Now, I always try to remember that there are two sides to every story and I don’t know the brother’s side. But, that was a devastating blow to my great grandparents. I don’t know what they did after that, but I do know that my Grandpa Dahl (their son) struggled in many areas over the years. Sometimes, people go through challenging circumstances and can just recover swimmingly. Others get knocked down and don’t ever seem to be able to get back up. Hearing about these hard times and painful family relationships has made me work hard to overcome the challenges that life brings. And given the family history, my hope is to change our lineage from broken relationships and heartache, to peace and healthy connections. We are far from perfect, but I am so glad that we as a family have largely created that dynamic.
My dad passed away in 2020 from cancer, but I know he would be so happy to know that we went ahead and used his grandparents names for the business. It is a way to honor them and share with the world that good things can come from hard times and small beginnings. One thing for sure, Albert and Ida were hardworking, honest people that were committed to their family. We want those values to be at the center of Albert & Ida Co, from the very beginning and continue for years to come!