How sweet it is
By Betsy Ryan
Farmer Staff Writer
There is a thread that runs through almost everyone in the Bakken. Whether your grandparents came to western North Dakota as homesteaders or you moved here a year ago for a job in oil, you have it.
You have a little grit. You have some adventure, you’re not afraid to work hard, and you don’t whine about it.
Crystal Helde is no different. She moved to the Bakken from Powers Lake, N.D., in 2011 with her teenage daughter. She’s worked in the oil field until just recently, when she decided to try something new.
“Nothing is a guarantee. People get laid off in the oil field, businesses fail, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad idea to try,” says Helde.
She has always made candy from home. Raising five children, it was her way of keeping them happy and doing something she loved at the same time. Her recipes haven’t changed much over the years but her imagination has helped her think up new combinations.
When ’Hus What Knots & Antiques opened their doors for people to sell on consignment or rent space to sell goods, Helde originally just wanted to sell her homemade woodworking crafts.
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