Solveig Anderson

Solveig Anderson can tell you how to get to Sesame Street. She’s squeezed the Pillsbury Doughboy’s tummy. And she knows The Rock isn’t always the rough and tough wrestler his moniker proclaims. And now, as the national account manager for fixture and display producer M. Lavine Design Workshop (Waite Park, Minn.), she’s learning more.

The Minneapolis native earned her degree in theater and arts and launched a freelance career with the aid of a project that came through the Children’s Theatre Co., along with various gigs designing walk-around costumes and stuffed toys for Dayton Hudson, Pillsbury and Target.

Later, she served her first design hitch at M. Lavine, but left after eight years to eventually become project manager at VEE Corp., the Minneapolis-based live promotions and event marketing company with clients like Sesame Street Live, the NBA and Disney. “It was an extremely exciting atmosphere, we even did a project with World Wrestling Entertainment,” Anderson says. “I made myself watch a few matches beforehand so I wouldn’t be too freaked out, but Hulk Hogan and The Rock were really just normal nice guys – kittens.”

Now she’s back at M. Lavine. But for Anderson, whose Norwegian first name means “sunny way or path of the sun,” the fixture production industry offers just as much of a challenge as live events do. “We still operate under showtime deadlines — in many ways, it’s very similar work.”

How did you get started in this business?

I was chatting one evening in the public library about finding work in the design field and a friend said Marcia Lavine was doing some fun stuff. I was there for two years before I really figured out how it all worked and that we were part of this huge industry – people actually got degrees to do this kind of thing.

What made you decide to leave show business and return to M. Lavine?

I had always enjoyed the diversity of the work and knew the possibilities were endless. Plus, I heard that the company had been sold and I liked Jackie Bach, the new owner, the first time I met her.

What defines a “good” client to work with?

Someone who understands the process. Someone who has worked in more than one of the angles in the buyer/seller/maker relationship has more realistic expectations and timelines.

Who has inspired you professionally?

Anita Mills, a design professor at St. Cloud State University, taught me design tenacity and, ultimately, she opened my eyes to see the world in a way that I’m never bored. I use those skills every day.

Is there a particular store design that stands out in your mind?

Barney’s. I often think about the holiday windows back in the early 90s when they did Sophia Loren in macaroni noodles – burned a little place in my heart.

What’s one thing you’ve learned during your career that you’ll never forget?

If you make a mistake, smile and make it look intentional.

What was your first not-so-glamorous job?

My sister and I hoed beets one summer for 50 cents a row, because we thought we’d get great suntans. The sun was so intense, by the end of the season we were laying down beneath the waist-high beet leaves to hide from the rays. It taught us a great lesson on hard work and skills and how money is made.

What’s your definition of beauty?

A professor in school asked us to bring in definitions of beauty every Monday morning. The one that continues to surface for me was “something that makes you pang with pleasure.”

Life in Minnesota – more than just snow?

Absolutely. There’s the full range of seasons and all the arts. We have some of the best choral musicians in the country.

Favorite place to shop?

Around here, T.J. Maxx. You never know what you’ll find.

What’s your favorite trend in the industry?

Color in men’s fashion and incredible shoe designs.

What would you do on a three-day weekend?

Play outside. Work in the yard. Kayak. Cross-country ski.

The one thing I cannot live without is…

Good coffee.

Photos: Joe Gall, St. Cloud, Minn.