Ronning is spinning a new story

It spins. It whirls. And you can now find it in Custer.
Whriligigs of Custer has made its way here thanks to Andrea Ronning.
“I always said I would sell whirligigs in the Black Hills when I retired,” said Ronning, who moved back to the area five years ago  after a 15-year hiatus.
Although not quite retired, Ronning was encouraged to start this business venture by her then-boyfriend, Rick.
She bought the building that houses her real estate firm Aspen + Pine, and began the process of converting the east end of the building into a workshop area. Her boyfriend urged her to take on the extra work, despite her booming real estate career, and the long, hard weeks serving clients’ needs. Ronning ordered 70 boxes, eager to sell.
As soon as she hit the ground, her boyfriend hit the pavement, deciding  he was leaving. Here was the guy who was supposed to help her, and instead he left her.
She ended up buying him out of the business and partnered with her employee Jenny Slagle, who will receive a percentage of the profits when all is said and done.
“I couldn’t have done it without her,” Ronning  said.
Ronning is no stranger to retail. She had a big floral and gift shop in Colorado and whirligigs were one of the more popular items she sold. But according to Ronning, “no one in the Black Hills is doing anything like them.”
This summer she’s having the spinners as a pop-up business. If it works well she will put it online and do it again next year.
The whirligigs hold up really well to wind in the Custer area, although people are advised to bring them in during hail or winter weather. They’re ordered from a quality company that puts craftsmanship first.
Ronning has several different price points for the whirligigs.
There are various types of whirligigs from metal benches to wind chimes to fun, whimsical fabric ones. Ronning carries exquisite made in South Dakota iron  planters that are three to six feet  tall.
“They look gorgeous in any landscape,” she said.
She has had them in her yard for years and leaves them out year-round.
With the changing economy and the rise in interest rates Ronning has a little bit more time to devote to her pop-up shop.
While she was used to working 60-hour weeks she is now down to regular hours, making her time selling whirligigs a blessing.
“They’re fun, they make me smile,” she said.
Ronning notes they make other people smile and oftentimes sees people stop across the street to videotape the ones she has on display. With increased foot traffic, Ronning is upgrading parking in the back of the building.
Custer businesses, too, have embraced the trend.  The Frontier Bar has one of the biggest Ronning sells.
“We have a spinner for every business in town,” she said.
 Much of her support has come from local friends who have posted to social media after they place the items in their yard.
The impact of the whirligigs is both wide and far. Ronning tells the story of a woman who took one to her mother for Mother’s Day. It was a heart wind chime and the mother gushed how much she loved it and how it was just her taste.
“You can provide something that can provide so much joy to someone,” says Ronning about the whirligigs.
Ronning loves helping people, and one of her biggest  strengths is her tenacity, as evidenced by continuing with this endeavor despite the setback of losing her business partner. She’s the same in her real estate deals.
“I’ve done it all,” she says, from cleaning houses, taking people to the hospital and even moving them.
“I will do whatever they need,” she said, describing herself as a “mama bear” who takes setbacks in stride and gets things done.