[ Shoppes at BLU Water Creek ]Story by Alexis Swenson Photography by Dan Francis Photography
"Hi, nice to meet you. Welcome to Dash & White." When owner, Kelsey Rasco put these words on her new storefront in all caps, she sincerely meant it. She has always wanted to open her own store, and on September 13, Rasco did just that. Envisioning a space where she could empower people to entertain, feel at home, and fall madly in love with their surroundings, she created Dash & White. As the latest arrival to The Shoppes at Blu Water Creek in South Fargo, Dash & White features an eclectic mix of Mid-Century modern furnishings, Smeg appliances, art from Ecce Gallery, handmade throws and pillows, and an array of kitchen and entertaining accessories. Inside Rasco's friendly doors, is everything you need to create a welcoming home. Forever Fargo Originally from Hutchinson, Minn., Rasco has called a few different cities home in her lifetime. She’s spent time in Fargo, along with Bend, Oregon and has experience in art galleries, restructuring businesses and IT sales. She was initially reluctant to call Fargo home, but as every Fargoan knows, there really is just something about Fargo that grabs hold of the heart and doesn’t let go. Two years after moving back, Rasco has planted her roots and is happy to be here with her husband, Shawn Shackle, step sons, Ben and Jackson, and their 9-month-old daughter, Rhyan. “This place is home; it is everything I need. The people here are so authentic and wonderful. In creating the store, I was able to connect with some really wonderful people in the F-M area. When I was scared and when the roads were dark, I would meet the next person and they would guide me to the next step and then I would meet the next person. Nothing in this entire process was hard in the fact that it’s too good to be true, or it’s not meant to be. The whole process flowed really beautifully,” said Rasco. Invest in What You Love “My mission is to put goodness in the universe - I opened the doors to Dash & White for that exact reason. My whole MO is to rewrite the definition of materialistic behavior because there’s so many negative words and opinions on materialistic buying behavior. I want people to know that it’s okay to fall deeply in love with a throw blanket and to have a favorite cocktail glass or wine glass. It’s okay to treat yourself and feel loved,” said Rasco. “When you come to my store, I want you to feel empowered to host, have people in your home and entertain. Also, I really wanted to find a nice, middle ground price point for everything including pillows, art, stools and furniture,” explained Rasco. Mid-Century Modern Mode Mid-Century modern style is defined by clean lines, walnut wood, and gentle curves - much of which is represented in the media consoles, tables and artwork at Dash & White. Rasco is proud to carry Moes Home Collection as the store’s primary furniture line. “Mid-Century modern is beautiful and timeless. For those who are uncertain about the style, who might be wondering if it’s a fad right now - it truly isn’t; it never left the market. It’s a timeless era that rolls with all the different fads. I wanted to have that little nest of Mid-Century modern availability here in Fargo,” said Rasco. “Mid-Century modern is beautiful and timeless. For those who are uncertain about the style, who might be wondering if it’s a fad right now - it truly isn’t; it never left the market."
Revolving Gallery Boutique Drawing upon her experience working with art galleries, Rasco was driven to include various paintings and wall art to help complete a Mid-Century modern styled room. In an effort to appeal to all budgets, Rasco offers beautiful oils on canvases along with large-scale reproductions. Guests to the store will find a revolving collection from Ecce Gallery - this month featuring the Watergrass work by artist, Stephen Poling of Minneapolis, and Fargo's Amber Fletschock with a piece entitled, Garden. Cheers to Happy Hosting With rose gold finishes and finer drinkware options, the products at Dash & White make hosting effortless, chic and, dare we say, completely delightful. A collection of faceted champagne flutes, wine glasses, cocktail glasses, Moscow Mule mugs, and cocktail shakers combined with syrups, bitters, and cocktail mix books ensures easy entertaining. "I want to empower myself and other people who have guests over to make those great drinks and be a mixologist themselves,” said Rasco. Sweetly Smeg "Smeg is an Italian appliance company and is, hands down, the most important brand that I have here. They’re mostly known for their 50s inspired appliances, but they do have a full line available. Not only are the products adorable, they’re really well made,” said Rasco. As the only Smeg retailer in the region, Rasco is able order in classic colors including black, chrome, and cream in addition to bolder pink, light blue, mint, and red tones. Grateful Gifting Dash & White features a homewares selection perfect for your home or for gifting to others. Rasco thoughtfully brought in pure and natural items including No Tox Life vegan dishwashing blocks, beeswax wraps, and coconut wax blends from the Basik Candle Co. line. Keeping in line with earth friendly pieces, expertly designed throws from Seek & Swoon, a family operated company based in Portland, Oregon, are made with recycled cotton yarn with color and pattern inspiration from Croatia, Paris, and Barcelona. Other great gifting options include Golden Arrow cheese markers, Foodie Dice, sake sets, red wine gummies, Selenite crystals, handmade macrame wall hangings, and sugar cubes for adding to drinks. Dash & White also offers pillows from 521 Handmade owned by local artist Melissa Steedsman. The pillows featured in the store are outside of Steedsman’s typical style, but Rasco was persistent (in the kindest way, she assured us) in her pursuit of supporting Steedsman’s locally created work. “Her lovely, handmade pillows are down-filled with great patterns, and they’re all over my store - I’m so happy she agreed to create these,” said Rasco. Poppin’ the Champagne “The item that I’m totally obsessed with is the Viski champagne saber. Throughout all my years of working downtown, I’ve always had people come in exhausted from trying to find a gift for the person that has everything. I’ve finally found it. It’s a champagne saber,” said Rasco. When used correctly, the saber makes it possible to dazzle guests by popping the champagne top off the bottle. “It’s a science. You have to practice, practice, practice,” said Rasco. Homegrown & Heartfelt Service From genuine conversation, meaningful encouragement, and quality products, Rasco cites great customer service as one of the most important values of Dash & White. “That’s exactly why I don’t have my logo on my back wall because I want people to just step into my home, because this is my home. My family helped create this. My kids were here doing the demolition and when I was painting. So, it’s a whole home here. It’s the message of ‘Hi, nice to meet you,’ that means the most to me,” said Rasco. “This is all heart. Every single piece in here I have stressed about, dreamt about, ordered, and then I’ve stressed some more. At the end of the day, I want to have customers say, ‘Oh my gosh, I had the greatest conversation in Dash & White. I bought the coolest mug or the coolest glasses.’ I want people to go home, enjoy what they have, and feel happy in their heart that they splurged on something they love,” said Rasco. Love Dash & White's Look?
For more information, contact: Dash & White
 
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