Call Center Company in Fargo, ND

FARGO, N.D.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Von Maur Department Stores opened its newest location at West Acres Mall in Fargo on Saturday, April 5, 2025. The 90,000-square-foot store is the Company’s first in North Dakota and its 39th overall.

Von Maur, recognized as America’s Best Department Store by Newsweek for three consecutive years, is known for its exceptional selection of brand-name and specialty apparel, shoes, accessories, and gifts. The store offers products from top brands including L.L.Bean, Bobbi Brown, Rhone, UNRL, Peter Millar, TravisMathew, Hammitt, Varley, Marc Jacobs, Free People, Madewell and Liverpool Los Angeles, among many others. Recognized for its superior customer service, Von Maur features an interest-free charge card, a robust rewards program, and complimentary services such as gift wrapping and shipping.

“We are thrilled to officially open our doors and welcome Fargo shoppers to the first Von Maur in North Dakota,” said Jim von Maur, president and fourth-generation leader of Von Maur Department Stores. “Sharing similar Midwestern roots, we appreciate the sense of community and culture that defines Fargo and trust that our wide selection of premium brands and exceptional service will appeal to shoppers across the region.”

During the grand opening, shoppers were greeted in signature Von Maur style with red roses, chocolates and giveaways. The grand opening also featured special offerings from brands including autographed handbags from Patricia Nash, CEO and founder of Patricia Nash Designs, and a new TLC kit with any full price Hammitt handbag from Tony Drockton, CEO of Hammitt, along with various contests and children’s activities.

Conveniently accessible from Interstate 29 and Interstate 94 in the heart of Fargo, Von Maur is an anchor tenant at West Acres Mall, adding to the enticing mix of retailers already on display at the city’s long-established retail and entertainment hub. This is the Company’s second investment at West Acres Mall. In 2018, Von Maur opened its popular Dry Goods store, a youthful, feminine, contemporary women’s apparel and accessories retailer.

The store opening continues the family-owned Company’s national growth strategy. This past fall, Von Maur opened its first location in Pennsylvania at South Hills Village in Pittsburgh. The Company is also undergoing a multi-phased, $100 million renovation of its existing stores over the next several years.

Once fully staffed, Von Maur’s West Acres Mall store will employ about 100 full-time and part-time associates, offering above-market wages, excellent benefits and a positive, professional work environment.

About Von Maur

Von Maur Department Stores was founded in 1872 in downtown Davenport, Iowa. In addition to its retail stores, the company operates a 120,000 square foot E-Commerce facility that drives its successful online business. For more information on Von Maur and its exceptional shopping experience both in store and online, please visit www.vonmaur.com and follow on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X/Twitter.

Having enjoyed the Coen brothers’ dark comedy film “Fargo,” as well as the award-winning FX series of the same name, I thought I knew North Dakota’s largest city: quaint and provincial, with residents stumbling through ubiquitous snowdrifts most of the year and peppering their conversations with “you betchas” and “geezes” galore.

Instead, as I wandered about Fargo’s downtown, I found a savvy nexus of sophistication and creativity. The vibe is warm and welcoming as the main street bustles with myriad coffee shops and cafes. The city bubbles with energy, entrepreneurship and a profound maker movement.

Here are some of the diverse goings-on in Fargo that are sure to delight even the most discerning traveler.

Street art

Public art is the pulse of downtown Fargo. Strolling about, you’ll find nearly two dozen vibrant murals that offer insights into the history and culture of the city and the state, as well as sculptures and other artwork. Much of the art blankets the walls of alleyways and building facades. Download Visit Fargo’s art mural map or pick up a hard copy at the visitor’s center, then set off on your self-guided tour.

You’ll gape at the towering image of erstwhile Fargo resident Bob Dylan on the former Bison Hotel. Elsewhere, a giant likeness of Duke Ellington is displayed near where he and his band performed in 1940. Many creations are a nod to the North Dakota landscape, including clusters of wheat and a colorful native prairie.

Broadway Square

Smack in the middle of downtown, this urban space buzzes with community spirit year-round, hosting a roster of educational, cultural and fun outdoor activities. Sunday mornings, lay out your yoga mat on the Broadway Square lawn for a class. Some evenings you can bring a chair or blanket and enjoy a concert with local musicians or watch a feature-length movie on a giant screen.

On Saturdays from mid-July through late October, crowds throng the outdoor Red River Market, browsing the dozens of vendors and food trucks that focus on locally sourced products. For example, the jalapeno cheddar sourdough and honey oat bran with cranberries sold by Breadsmith come straight from their hearth stone oven.

At Timber to Table, their white oak with black walnut charcuterie boards are especially tempting. A handful of times, from spring through fall, the Night Bazaar entertains families with tarot card readings, face painting and roving roller-skating performers, while trucks sell an array of dishes, from Vietnamese spring rolls to waffles.

Drekker Brewing and Brewhalla

Just beyond downtown stands a 19th century former railroad warehouse and repair facility that’s home to the innovative Drekker Brewing Company. Known for its experimental small batch brews, Drekker produces a rotating roster of beers such as a New England-style IPA with an intense hops flavor, and a smoothie sour with a rich mango aroma. The fruited sours with unusual flavors like raspberry cheesecake are especially distinctive.

The brewery also holds interest for architecture and design buffs. Many of the interior details were repurposed from the original building, with tables fashioned from salvaged wood and skylights made from train exhaust smoke hoods. Once you pull yourself away from the taproom, the sensory experience continues next door at Brewhalla, Drekker’s expansion that’s home to a market and a hotel.

On the ground floor of this soaring, four-story, sun-laden space, you can people-watch, sip a cappuccino, nosh on raw oysters paired with a glass of wine and browse the shops for gourmet pet treats or cowboy hat-shaped planters.

And if you can’t get enough of Brewhalla’s novelty, you can stay overnight at its hotel located on the top two floors. Each of the 40 spartan, industrial-style rooms displays a large psychedelic mural inspired by one of Drekker’s craft beer labels. Adding to the authenticity: You’ll likely hear trains rushing by, given the property’s proximity to an active rail line.

Unglued

Set within Brewhalla, Unglued is a hub for exciting handmade creations by more than 200 regional makers. This is a craft gift shop like no other, with items that appeal to kids and adults. Shelves and walls are chockablock with the unexpected, such as hair claws shaped like martini olives, gummy candy resembling chicken feet, bearded gnome cat hats and Froot Loops-scented candles.

Sign up for one of their two-hour workshops and, once you’re settled into the second-floor Craftorium, you’ll be given the tools and instructions to wield your own magic. At a needle-felting class, for example, you might produce a cute frog, and after a stained-glass workshop, you might walk away with vivid mushroom plant stakes for your garden.

Unglued holds a summer weekend adult sleepaway camp on a lakefront expanse one hour from Fargo, where you can participate in activities such as watercolor painting, wood turning and screen printing. Of course, it includes sunning, swimming and s’mores. At Brewhalla, kids can take a four-day youth summer camp where they learn skills like using Japanese shibori techniques to indigo dye T-shirts.

Carmine and Hayworth

Owner Courtney Schur has imbued Carmine and Hayworth, her well-curated clothing and gift shop, with a cool, hip vibe. Naming this store for a lively shade of red and the 1940s Hollywood star Rita Hayworth, Schur stocks mostly vintage or vintage-inspired items from the 20th century. But because her inventory is so eclectic, upbeat and sometimes quirky, funky or irreverent, your shopping experience will never be boring. Think snarky body products like the Hot Grandma soap, a “My Vag” coloring book, bourbon tobacco candles and absinthe-scented soap.

Among her treasures are a rare World War II-era brass bow brooch, an antique Victorian-Edwardian style, early 1900s hand-painted fan and a 1920s-inspired beaded shawl with sequins aplenty. One of her most notable Hollywood pieces is a dramatic violet-hued, 1970s peignoir set owned and worn by Elizabeth Taylor. Favoring items made by female designers, especially if they’re local, Schur is all about offering her customers an experience, rather than having them simply buy something and leave.

Jasper Hotel

Both this sun-drenched 125-room, pet-friendly hotel and its stylish restaurant, Rosewild, reflect the aesthetics of the city’s Scandinavian roots, while referencing Fargo’s history, landscape and the spirit of Jasper B. Chapin, the former 19th century mayor and hotelier. Soaring columns in the Jasper Hotel lobby reference grain silos. And Rosewild’s suspended wood beams symbolize railroad ties because Fargo’s growth was intimately linked to the railways.

The works of regional artists and artisans are incorporated into the hotel’s decor, including a space dedicated to an artist in residence. In the guest rooms, needlepoint pillows honor Chapin’s wife, Emma, a prolific crafter, while the wallpaper patterns are mostly prairie themed, featuring images like bison or prairie roses, the state flower.

The hotel’s green and amber color palette is a nod to the prairie as well. With a wood-burning hearth evoking a sense of nostalgia and expansive windows looking out at Broadway Square, Rosewild is a comfortable space where you’ll enjoy rustic, Midwest cuisine such as pork cheeks with lingonberries and twice-baked sweet potatoes accompanied by pickled walnuts. Relying on locally sourced ingredients as much as possible, the menu changes seasonally.

Hotel Donaldson

An artistic aesthetic predominates at the Hotel Donaldson, a property that originally dates to the late 1800s. The hotel boasts 17 contemporary guest rooms, each featuring the works of a different regional artist. You’ll find a binder in your room that provides background information on the artist and their work.

For example, Room 1 showcases the whimsical paintings of Ali LaRock. In Room 5 are Susan Haas Morrisey’s figurative mixed media and sculptures that convey a complex array of emotions. Room 15 displays the delicate and iridescent glass blown objects created by Jon Offutt.

Each evening, guests socialize in the lobby at the hotel’s complimentary wine and cheese hour that is accompanied by, among other things, toasted rosemary focaccia and sometimes an artisanal three-cheese bread. Another place to gather for drinks and nibbles is the Sky Prairie Lounge, which, from its outdoor perch on the fourth-floor rooftop, offers stellar views of the understated but artistic downtown.

Jeanine Barone is a freelancer.

Originally Published: April 9, 2025 at 5:00 AM CDT

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CASS COUNTY, N.D. (Valley News Live) - North Dakota Health and Human Services (HHS) is reporting two measles cases in Cass County, bringing the state’s total to 11 cases in 2025

According to the HHS, both individuals were unvaccinated and acquired measles through international travel. One individual is hospitalized. The two cases in Cass County are not related to cases in Williams County.

Members of the public who were present at the following Cass County locations during specific dates and times may have been exposed.

Exposure locations:

Essentia Health – The Lights West Fargo Clinic (3150 Sheyenne St., Ste. 240, West Fargo, ND) on May 7 between 2:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. The east entrance to the clinic is shared with the Bar Down Sports Bar and Restaurant.

Essentia Health Walk-in Care – 52nd Avenue (4110 51st Ave. S, Fargo, ND) on May 9 between 5:30 p.m. and 6 p.m.

HHS, in coordination with Essentia Health, is identifying individuals who may have been exposed. Exposed individuals who were vaccinated don’t need to quarantine but should still monitor for symptoms for 21 days after exposure. Individuals who have not received a dose of the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine should quarantine (stay home) and monitor for symptoms for 21 days.

“The MMR vaccine is 93% effective after one dose and 97% effective after two doses,” said Molly Howell, HHS immunization director. “People who are vaccinated and exposed to measles are not likely to develop the disease. MMR vaccination is critical to preventing the spread of measles in the community. Anyone who is eligible and has not yet been vaccinated is encouraged to contact a trusted health care provider about MMR vaccination.”

Copyright 2025 KVLY. All rights reserved.

FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) - A Fargo daycare license has been placed on a hold, following a Child Protective Services (CPS) investigation. CPS was first contacted after a concerned parent used a recording device on the workers of Nee Nee’s Loving Care Nursery.

Kiara Davis, a single mom, previously sent her two children to Nee Nee’s, a family-run, residential home daycare.

Within a month, she said her kids’ at-home behaviors changed.

“My daughter has always slept in her own bed since she was days-old. It’s never been a problem. All of a sudden, she started saying skeletons were in the room. She’s now afraid to sleep alone because of the situation going on there,” the mom said.

Kiara placed a recording device in her child’s jacket, and captured audio of the daycare workers. In the 16-hour long recording obtained by Valley News Live, employees can be heard yelling, giving harsh directions, and saying swear words.

“After I started listening to it, it hurt me so bad. I wanted to shut it off, but I needed to know what was going on,” Kiara said.

The recording was given to CPS, who paid Nee Nee’s Daycare a surprise visit on Monday, April 21, explaining they’ve launched an investigation.

The daycare owner, Keiniece Williams, responded to the allegations and denied any wrongdoings. “You can’t show me a recording where there’s cursing with the kids, you cannot tell me that,” Williams said.

The owner stated she’s been hit with multiple CPS reports since the daycare opened in 2022.

“Every other month, it’s a CPS report... I’ve seen a total of probably six different ones... they’re all false accusations, I’m now feeling like a target,” she added.

According to Williams, all CPS cases against her have been closed, and they’ve yet to face any disciplinary action. Right now, she said her daycare license is on a 14-day hold, pending the investigation.

A message was sent out to all parents detailing some of the recordings:

“I just feel harassed by CPS. When they come in here, it’s just so biased and it’s not fair, it’s not right,” Keiniece said. She’s preparing for legal action in opposition of the recording incident.

Kiara’s children have since been pulled from Nee Nee’s Daycare.

“I want to make sure my son doesn’t have to experience any of that ever again,” said Kiara.

Valley News Live has reached out to CPS twice for more information, but we have yet to hear back.

Copyright 2025 KVLY. All rights reserved.

FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) - A former Fargo businessman has been sentenced after leading a cocaine distribution enterprise in the Fargo-Moorhead area for nearly four years.

According to the United States Department of Justice, 52-year-old Barrett Clair Prody of Fort Lauderdale, Florida was sentenced to 190 months, or, about 16 years behind federal prison bars. His sentence will be followed by five years of supervised release. He will also need to pay a $300 special assessment fee.

According to the DOJ, the cocaine enterprise distributed as much as 25 kilograms of cocaine. A financial investigation showed he collected hundreds of thousands of dollars in drug proceeds. Money, he laundered ostensibly through legitimate business accounts. The DOJ says that money was used to pay for a condo in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and to rent an apartment in Medellin, Colombia. It was also used to stash more than $100,000 in an investment account.

After his April 2024 arrest, Prody had attempted to direct a third party to transfer his condo and investment account ownership in an effort to avoid forfeiture.

In a news release, Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Kopp said: “Barrett Prody’s greed fueled a yearslong cocaine enterprise that profited off addiction and human suffering. Today’s sentence ensures accountability for his crimes.”

Meanwhile, Drug Enforcement Administration Omaha Division Acting Special Agent in Charge Rafael Mattei said: “Barrett Prody pushed a substantial amount of cocaine into Fargo and Moorhead, with little concern for the lives impacted and families destroyed by this poisonous product. Traffickers like Prody see only personal gain, not individual human lives or the life-altering consequences that can come from drug use.”

Prody was once the owner of JT Cigarro’s cigar bar which closed down in 2015.

Copyright 2025 KVLY. All rights reserved.