Eagan Woman Turns Passion for Shopping into Encore Career

Walk into Lil Bit of Everything and you'll quickly see that the boutique lives up to its name.

The store, which is tucked into an Apple Valley strip mall on Galaxie Avenue, is packed to the gills. During even the most cursory browse of the store you can find a shabby chic baby blue dinner table, a spangled three-tier cake stand, plenty of bling and handbags galore. Pop your head into the smaller rooms, and you'll find children's gifts and clothes, a "man cave" and even a few gifts for the wine snob in your life.

Lil Bit is a the brain child and treasure trove of owner Karla Fedor, an Eagan woman who began a second career in retail after working at Lockheed Martin for 30 years. In her former life, Fedor was a contract negotiator for Lockheed. In September 2012 she was laid off as a part of the company's downsizing efforts in Minnesota.

Fedor had a plan long before the pink slip came, however. The concept for Lil Bit developed as a result of a chance meeting at a garage sale Fedor put up at her home. Two ladies who owned a little shop on Galaxie called Jewelry Heaven came to the sale. The women struck up a conversation with Fedor, who told them that she would be laid off soon. Before long, began consigning with them. 

A few months later, the two women decided to sell the business and retire. When they offered the store to Fedor, she had but one answer: Absolutely.

She purchased the store in March of 2012. The previous owners stayed on during the transition, working until the end of January. At that point, Fedor took over completely. These days, she does it all—the books, the buying, the displays and the register. 

Fedor says that the shop is a lot of work, but the rewards are great and the job comes with less stress than her old position at Lockheed.

"My dream, my passion was to own my own store some day. I figured, after losing the job I'd had for 30 years, that I would go for my passion," Fedor said. "And here I am."