Strapped with student loan debt, 22-year-old Kelsey Hanson didn't have the money to replace her sewing machine after it went on the fritz while making Christmas gifts. But she did have an abundance of leather and an eye for style. With leather in hand and a few prototypes tested on a baby in the family, Minnemocs were born. "My mom is into estate sales and found me a giant piece of cowhide," Hanson said of her chosen materials. "And my dad is a motorcycle enthusiast. He has brought me around the country to many different motorcycle events where leather is a fashion staple." Each pair is hand-stitched to size with leather and fur. They are available for $39 at Teeny Bee Boutique in St. Paul, Lavender Thymes in Hudson, Wis., and online at www.minnemocs.com. Hanson, of St. Paul, hopes the tiny shoes have a big payoff so that she can complete her double major at the University of St. Thomas.
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AIMEE BLANCHETTE, Star Tribune
Family members and a lawyer say they have been blocked from access to the bedside of Bonfilia Sanchez Dominguez, while her husband was detained and shipped to Texas within 24 hours.
