The Nordstrom way

As a storytelling film producer my dream assignment in Umeå has been telling the story of the entrepreneur and developer Krister Olsson. In Seattle, the dream is putting on film the Nordstrom story. Writing this I am struck with the insight that I am actually  in this moment realizing the Umeå dream. It took me many many years to convince Krister Olsson it would be a wonderful gift to his children and grandchildren to tell his remarkable story, but I actually did it.

The Nordstrom story is also in a way a Swedish story, and that’s one of the reasons why I feel so drawn putting it together. I am reminded about that dream this week when the three Nordstrom brothers at helm, Pete, Erik and Blake, announced they all will be co-presidents of the national retail company based in Seattle.

Pete, Erik and Blake are the fourth generation Nordstrom and their American family tree started with John W Nordstrom, born as Johan Nordström in Alvik, Luleå  (four hours north of Umeå) 1871. He emigrated to America at age 16, mining and logging his way through the country to the Washington west coast. It was hard labour, and it turned out Alaska and the gold rush wasn’t an easy ticket either. John W Nordstrom was persistent though, and after two years in Klondyke he returned to Seattle with 13000 $.

A friend from Alaska, Carl Wallin owned a shoe repair store in Seattle, and in 1901, the two of them opened a downtown shoe store, Wallin & Nordstrom, that’s where the gold money were invested. Well invested too, since it was the start for Nordstrom Incorporated, today a luxury retail empire with 304 stores in 38 states and two in Canada.

What started out as a shoe store developed to stores featuring brand clothing and accessories (Swedes, think NK Stockholm), but even today the Nordstrom shoe department is the part of the store working as a magnet on it’s loyal customers. John W Nordstrom’s approach to business was to provide exceptional service, selection, quality and value. To me, the shoe department is the heart of the Nordstrom store, and I would be surprised if you anywhere in the world can find shoe sales persons more devoted than those in a Nordstrom store.

A Nordstrom store isn’t for anyone though. As quality and selection equals expensive, I find walking through the Nordstrom downtown store more like an exhibit. Beauty to lay my eyes on. But than there is the Half Year Sales. Nordstrom distinguishes themselves with not going cheap every other week, no, only twice a year. And for those occasions people go on pilgrimage, waiting in lines for hours before the doors open in the morning.

When I first came to Seattle in 1993, I actually tried to get in contact with the Nordstrom family, as I found the story so fascinating, wanting to tell it to a Swedish audience, Public Service journalist as I was back then. A friend had a way in, but they responded they never went on camera. That, they had in common with Krister Olsson in Umeå, preferring to stay out of the lime light.

Maybe it’s the Swedish heritage, I am pondering, learning this week about the fourth generation co-leading the company together. It’s very unusual three persons making consensus decisions on that level, but it might be in their genes. John W Nordstrom’s sons Elmer, Everett and Lloyd worked closely together too, as well as the third generation, including Bruce, father of Pete, Erik (notice the Swedish spelling) and Blake. And if there is one word symbolizing Swedes and Sweden, it is consensus.

Back in 1993 I remember there were 54 Nordstrom stores in the U.S. Today 304. Maybe the forth generation isn’t as shy as the generation before. And what do I know, they might already have captured their story on film for the future? But if not… As I told Krister Olsson 11 years ago: you have a story to tell, and I want to do it for you.

For me, a Seattle visit includes allowing myself to purchase a pair of shoes at Nordstrom. Oh, that anticipation approaching the shoe department. Slowly making my way among Prada, Calvin Klein and Stewart Weitzman, being waited on by attentive sales persons who will not rest until I happily walk away with a treasure or two. Or maybe simply have them shipped to my temporary Seattle home. Exceptional service, the heritage of John W Nordstrom.

A new port at the Umeå River!

To watch the developer and the architect on Friday, harbor and express their happiness after years of work was amazing. Ladies and gentlemen, I am giving you Väven!

Ten years ago I produced a film for Balticgruppen, a developing company based in Umeå. Six architects on a parallell assignment were coming up with six different visions for redesigning the Umeå waterfront facing the Umeå River. Bold, brave, beautiful and surprising. The Oslo firm Snöhetta vision was the one advocated before the City, but for reasons later discussed and debated in Umeå the vision never came true. As I documented the whole process on film, being present when it happened and later watching 16 hours of footage, I have a pretty clear opinion about the circumstances, but I will save that one for my memoirs.

Umeå has been divided on the waterfront design subject, as we should. Imagine a city agreeing on a big change! Some were relieved that first vision didn’t come true, some were disappointed. I was among the latter part. Disappointed and sad. So was Balticgruppen, Snöhetta I am sure, and parts of the City Hall.

The idea of redesigning the waterfront turned into a Sleeping Beauty for quite some time, but what the City could agree on was that something needed to be done. For the same reasons as the redesigning of the Seattle waterfront: turning the city towards the water and making something ugly and deserted into a welcoming and beautiful spot for people to relax, meet and have fun. Building a new front porch.

Somewhere along the line the City and Balticgruppen started looking at an option for a main attraction on the 9 block stretch between Gamla bron (the Old Bridge) and Kyrkbron (the Church Bridge), called Staden mellan broarna (the City Between the Bridges). To make a long story very short they agreed on a building for cultural arts and invited Snöhetta as the architect along with the local White office.

Through the ten years passing since the six visions being like a love story between the City, Balticgruppen and the leading architect firms within the Nordic countries, there has been a lot of grief and frustration, even feelings of hopelessness. Therefor, the opening of the building for cultural arts Väven this weekend is an amazing milestone some of us, at times, never thought we would reach.

Väven (The Weave), where various forms of cultural expression will be woven together, harbors a new city library, the Women’s history museum, a black box, two movie theaters and much more, coffee shops, restaurant, a conference floor and two hotels within the Väven block.

The black and white glass exterior of Väven is inspired by the graphics of the birch stem, an Umeå signature. So, if you like the new building you say it’s woven into Umeå. If you utterly dislike it, your opinion is that the building looks like a cruise ship, is totally out of proportion and ruins the familiar Umeå character.

Myself, I have loved every minute of watching an ugly parking lot, an eye sore, facing the Umeå river change into a bold and beautiful building. Then, of course, I am emotionally attached to the project since my documentary ten years ago. And the fact that I am now producing a different film, where Väven is one of the main characters, makes me very grateful.

At 1PM Friday, Väven was officially opened. The vision which the Balticgruppen developer and owner Krister Olsson and Kjetil Thorsen, founding partner of Snöhetta had been carrying for years was now for real. During the weekend the people of Umeå has taken possession of the two men’s dreams, drawings, renderings, models and fantasy about a weave of arts and people at the shore of the Umeå River. The way it was a weave of people and cultures when the river was deep and the very same place was a vibrant ship port.

For me to watch the two men meet and happily hug in the middle of the Friday crowd, only minutes after the doors opened in the building they created, was a big moment. Through my films I have been allowed being an eye on the inside of this ten year process. I can’t say how grateful I am being there the historic day of the opening.

Post an insanely intense pre-summer

My skin is warm from the sun which finally made it’s summer entrance this weekend. The balcony door is open letting the smell from newly harvested fields in, my land leaseholder Sören came with his green tractor last night making the season mark: pre-summer is over. The wind has fallen and the evening is quite and calm.

This is what I need now. Sun, warmth and peace.

For a month now I have been pushing myself way over what is possibly possible for me. The choir festival needed one week of script writing and meetings to become the success we were aiming for. The festival week was followed by a pre production week for a film shoot the week after. And in the middle of that a family reunion. Gosh. It’s been insanely intense.

I am producing a documentary about thee developer of Umeå. His name is Krister Olsson and he is the Paul Allen of my Swedish hometown. We started shooting in October and now was the summer shoot. During the winter I haven’t been able to be there in person at all times because of my back, but I had pictured me up and running before the summer. There was a plan B, I could do it via Skype as I have had at times during the winter, but as this shoot was mainly interviews plan B wasn’t one I didn’t want to put in action if I could avoid it.

And I didn’t. Although I wasn’t at all up and running the way I pictured and hoped for. Not at all. My back was protesting loudly as the week started and continued all through. But surrounded with good people I managed to do what I needed and wanted.

Audrey is the one helping me out of bed in the mornings and giving me breakfast. On her way back in to Umeå she dropped me off at the noon locations where cameraman Tomas and sound guy Johannes met up. A lot of film crew work is carrying things. Camera, lights, cables, batteries, microphones, computers, reflecting screens, stands, tripods, sand bags, etc, etc, etc. In this case it also involved carrying me.

Not literary but close to. Tomas and Johannes carried my backpack and my bag. And a special chair that worked for me sitting in during the interviews. As well as a cute pillow knitted by my friend Mimmi, perfect to support my lower back while seated. They also gave me their hands helping me up and down from that chair and in and out of the car where I was half lying when changing locations. Do I need to say Tomas and Johannes is my dream team?

Since we started shooting this film biography the weather gods haven’t been good to us. Heavy overcast, rain and fog. When shooting you don’t want bright sunshine, you want a slight overcast giving you a soft and even light. But a too even light (as in heavy clouds, fog or rain) doesn’t give you any nuances and shades, and makes everything look grey and dull. And of course the equipment doesn’t like rain.

So, for this summer shoot not only did I picture myself up and running but Umeå showing off it’s very best summer face. What happened? Well, Audrey and I left my place at the end of the road the first morning in perfect weather conditions arriving in downtown Umeå 15 minutes later, rain poring down. The improvising that followed continued all week as the prognoses were never to trust and our carefully picked and planned interview locations had to be crossed out one after another.

But hey, that’s the conditions for a documentarian, we are not working in a controlled environment! And we had a good week. We had a great week. I was present for the interviews and completely safe handing over the B-roll work to Tomas and Johannes. Do I need to stress they are my dream team?

Landing on my couch Friday afternoon body and soul completely exhausted I was close to crying. I have been working so hard keeping myself and my body together not only for this last week but for this last month. Now it was over. I did it. I made it. With a lot of help from kind hands around me I made it. Now I could let go. I hadn’t been aware of that kind of need. But there is was.

I am happy and very grateful that I could attend at everything marked in my calendar this last month. And I am proud about a well done job achieved. I only wish I didn’t have to suffer the way I do. I wish it wasn’t such a fight for me. I am wishing I was allowed to simply enjoy what I am doing and trust it to be that way. Not to be dreading it.

My mother’s lupins are shining in the evening sun. The honeysuckle under my grandfather’s apple tree is slowly withering, it was gorgeous this year. Yesterday I spent the afternoon lying on my folding sun bed at my neighbors Jenny and Hannes’ engagement garden party, surrounded by happy people in their thirties. Josephine just visited with her horses Daisy and Bella munching the rich white clover from my too tall lawn. I made it through the insanely intense pre-summer, summer has finally arrived here at the end of the road. And I love it.

Persistence X 2 = film

In Seattle there is Paul Allen. In Umeå, Krister Olsson.

As a storyteller and documentarian I have some dream projects. One is telling the story of John W Nordstrom, a Swedish shoemaker who emigrated from Nederluleå starting a shoe store in Seattle 1901. When I first came to Seattle 20 years ago there were 54 Nordstrom stores (which in modern days is an upscale fashion retailer) in the U.S. Today the number is 252 stores. Nordstrom is still widely known for their shoe department and their customer service, the head quarter is still in Seattle and oh how I would love to tell that story!

In Umeå, the dream story is the one about Krister Olsson.

Krister Olsson is the Paul Allen of Umeå. The main developer. The person who pictures the opportunities in a piece of land. Who has the visions, the economical resources and the persistence to follow them through.

They are also the persons who sometimes make politicians and public uncomfortable. The Swedish and American cultures are quite different when it comes to being successful, wealthy and powerful. Those three words are the American Dream in a short story. Sweden, as a basically homogeneous country where we are all descending from farmers with a couple of cows, some acres of land and at best a horse, is in general skeptical towards people who are making noticeable peaks on the national culture codex scale.

Therefore, it is interesting and a bit surprising noticing how the discussions and reactions to Paul Allen,Vulcan and Krister Olsson, Balticgruppen are very similar. Although Seattle is a fairly big American city and Umeå a smaller Swedish one. It seems like there is something about the size of the place and the dimensions of the developers’ acting. When the developer’s footprint gets big it turns intimidating. He (there isn’t a lot of female developers) simply takes up too much space, land wise, economically, and strategically. And this makes people worried.

Krister Olsson and his company Balticgruppen is involved in most every developing project happening in Umeå right now. I am crossing the Umeå River entering Umeå from the south side where my village is located. This fall has been the most beautiful I can remember in my grown up life. The birches and maples have been on fire reflecting in the river. And the flat red brick downtown silhouette has been added on with new buildings rising above creating fresh reflections in the wide and streaming river.

Downstream there is the Art Campus (Konstnärligt campus) and the Art Museum (Bildmuséet), boxes in various sizes out of Russian Lark designed by Danish Henning Larsen. In the city center the Winn Hotel blue and white cross-striped floors emerging from out of the Forsete block, and at the waterfront the Norwegian Snöhetta designed building for cultural arts Väven, busy with getting dressed in the black and white glass exterior inspired by the graphic stem of the Umeå birch, the tree synonymous to the red cedar for Seattle. Balticgruppen is the common denominator for the new Umeå skyline.

In 2004-2007 I made a film-documentation for Balticgruppen, covering a different project. Back then we were talking about documenting Krister Olsson’s life as an entrepreneur on film, and even started on it. Since then he has been busy realizing his visions about Umeå, and so the tale about him hasn’t been neither a priority nor focus. I have never given up the hope of telling his story though, and about every other year I have been making the calls, poking around to make sure the idea wouldn’t die, keeping it alive. Waiting for the timing to be right.

It’s been one of those really nasty November days in Umeå today. Foggy, rainy, windy. About freezing point but feeling like 14°F (-10C). I’ve been sitting on the third floor of Väven wrapped in a big long down coat. The building is still very much in progress and there is no heat inside. Camera man Tomas, sound guy Johannes and me all thought we were dressed and covered for the occasion (after all, we have some routine), but being still and focused on a long interview in a cold humongous building is just…very cold.

I think though, the interviewee was even colder, although the atmosphere was warm. Krister Olsson is known for his persistence. Well, I am too. After nine years of keeping the idea alive, this fall I finally got a yes for telling Krister Olsson’s life on film. I’ve been close a couple of times before but something has always come up. The fact that it is now finally happening has kind of been hard to grasp. Today it became real. And I am so thrilled about it.

And quite proud. And humbled. I have been given a great trust. And I will try my very best to do a good job.

So what about the Nordstrom story? Well, it is yet to be told, at least from the Swedish perspective. And Paul Allen? I wouldn’t say no if I got the question. That’ for sure.