A millennial boomerangs home to Glen Arbor fashion

By Stephanie Purifoy
Sun contributor

Laurenn Rudd began working at Cottonseed Apparel in Glen Arbor when she was 16, and the Lake Ann native never thought the job would introduce her to what would become her passion—business and fashion. Rudd, now 28, only knew that she enjoyed the work. Like much of the Cottonseed’s staff, she returned every summer through high school and college. After finishing her Business Management degree at Hope College, Rudd knew her heart lay in the fashion industry.

“I don’t really care about designers, I just think clothing is a way to express yourself,” says Rudd. “It’s not just about fashion, it’s also about helping people express themselves and feel good about themselves.”

Rudd followed her passion and embraced the travel bug that had bit her during a semester abroad in England, she decided to take a leap and move to the suburbs of New York City.

“I just wanted to get away and try things out,” says Rudd, “I wanted to experience something else.” After struggling for the first year and working briefly at a shoe store, she found her footing at Anthropologie, a retailer giant that sells everything from clothing to home décor. While working there, she made friends and began to feel more comfortable in the once foreign, urban setting.

But after two years, Rudd recognized that it was time for her to return to her true “home” of northern Michigan. “It was hard to leave once I got settled,” she admits, “but I’m glad I did the two years out there and I’m glad I came home. I wanted to be back with my family.”

Rudd’s original plan was to transfer to Anthropologie in Grand Rapids but since the store had no openings, she ended up moving back to Benzie County. Rudd soon learned that she could return to work at the Cottonseed, one of her first jobs as a teenager. At the end of her first autumn back in Glen Arbor in 2015, the Oberschultes offered her a full-time position which was too good to pass.

“Even though it’s a small store, it’s really a big business,” says Rudd. “It’s a huge space and a huge amount of inventory. The season is so short you’re honestly opening a brand-new store every year.”

“My experience out east and working in a corporate company really increased all my skills.”

Back in northern Michigan, Rudd had to adapt to more than different work environments. The seasonally sleepy towns of Glen Arbor and Lake Ann lack the constant pulse of the New York area where Rudd spent two years.

“Everyone’s moving quickly and everybody wants to climb the ladder; it’s hard to connect,” she compared New York to Michigan. “Here I think it’s different. I think people are happier because they love being here and they do more of what they love.”

Another major difference between New York and northern Michigan is the demographics. Whereas the median age in White Plains, NY, is 38 and 61.4 percent of the population is under the age of 45, the average age in Glen Arbor is 63, making this township the oldest in Leelanau County. Rudd admits that being part of northern Michigan’s millennial generation can be a struggle.

“You really just have to go to Traverse City,” she says. “There are tons of people, you just need to put yourself out there.”

Rudd recognizes the gap that separates older generations from Leelanau’s millennials and young professionals, but clarifies that everyone in town, regardless of age, shares one thing in common.

“It’s this whole idea about moving away and appreciating where you come from,” she says. “Just because we’re young doesn’t mean we don’t appreciate this area. I loved it here.”

Despite being in the generational minority, Rudd found community at her workplace.

“All the women who work at the Cottonseed I feel really close with. So, I feel like they’re all my friends too.”

Rudd now works fulltime at the Cottonseed in the spring, summer and fall. During the winter she travels to spend time with friends and visits her boyfriend, Seth Ankerson, who is currently in the Marines and stationed in Hawaii.

“Cottonseed is such a unique place. I think a lot of (co-owner) Diana (Oberschulte),” whom she cites as being a major inspiration and role model. “She has created an awesome work environment. She’s incredibly smart, businesswise, but she’s also a good person and so nice and nurturing toward everyone. That transcends to the customers and the staff and it’s just a happy place to be.

“It’s a beautiful place to work. You’re a block away from Lake Michigan, you have a bunch of beautiful things around you and there’s always something to do.”