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Some own their own business while others are retired.
They’ve come to Ely from the Twin Cities, Texas and points in between, and have taken up residence in town or deep in the woods.
Yet all of the new residents who spoke recently at the Grand Ely Lodge share a common affinity for the Ely area.
Once again, the “Meet New Elyites” program, held intermittently as part of the weekly Tuesday Group luncheons, opened a window into the lives and interests of many who have recently made Ely their home.
Lindsey Dare gave up a corporate job in the Twin Cities and an apartment in St. Paul to head north, joining her sister Abby, who has a more lengthy connection to Ely.
“Abby’s amazing community of friends have treated me like I’ve been here for 20 years,“ said Dare.
Dare is a personal trainer at Ely’s Functional Fitness, which is located in The Hub facility on Miners Drive. She also started her own travel agency that caters to sports teams but can be used by anyone.
Since moving to Ely, Dare has taken an active role in the Ely Film Festival and has found a home and her niche in the community.
“I’m really glad I live here,” said Dare. “I think this town is pretty special.”
A retired emergency room nurse from Minneapolis, Carelie Coombe-Bandt is now the owner of the Ely Speed Wash.
She had visited Ely during the summers and admitted “I had no intention of moving up here,” but that changed when the opportunity presented itself.
Coombe-Bandt took an interest in purchasing the laundromat and after “a little push” from friends she said, “I put my house on the market.”
Not long afterward, Coombe-Bandt was an Ely business owner.
“I bought the Ely Speed Wash and am so happy to hit the refresh button on my life.”
Coombe-Bandt is becoming acclimated to Ely and said “There are a few more groups I’d like to check out and perhaps join and participate in.”
Gillian Fitzgerald grew up in the state of Virginia, spent time working at the Boy Scout base outside of Ely and once worked in New Mexico in a town with less than 20 people.
“It was very isolating, no cell service, the closest gas station was 45 minutes away and the nearest grocery store was an hour and a half away,” said Fitzgerald. “I had nothing but my yoga mats and my journal.”
She conceded “There are other places that can captivate my heart,” but Fitzgerald has a love for the Ely area and the Boundary Waters.
Reading from a statement, Fitzgerald said “I felt something come back to life in me, a feeling of certainty of who I am and being in a place I should be. I feel roots here now.”
In Ely, Fitzgerald works for Save the Boundary Waters as its northern outreach coordinator, and her previous experience includes trail guiding for the U.S. Forest Service, including doing trail work with children.
She has a deep interest in yoga, and told the group “Nothing makes me happier than being at home with a book and my cat and a cup of tea.”
Donna Floyd, who also goes by DJ, was born and raised in Fort Worth, TX, and lived and worked in the state but “I got tired of the heat.”
Floyd and her business partner vacationed in Duluth two years ago when they stumbled upon Ely.
“We were at the aquarium, and some friends said ‘go check out this little town called Ely.’” Floyd quickly became enamored with the community and started house hunting in Ely last May.
“We didn’t find anything and I went back to Texas really depressed,” she said.
Not long after, she “pulled up a realtor site, made a list of three, got virtual tours and bought the first one we looked at.”
Floyd is retired from a financial firm and in August made Ely her permanent home.
“That weekend we took our first class at the Folk School,” she said.
She has become part of the Thursday Makers’ Mornings at the Folk School and is scheduled to teach classes there in June, one on making cards from tissue paper and the other a “class on creativity for the non-creative.”
More than a decade ago, Kate Tovsen took her first trip to Ely.
“I fell in love with canoeing, the Boundary Waters and Ely in that moment,” she said.
Her husband Jared made his first Ely visit - a hunting trip - two years later, but it would be a few years before the two would meet via an online dating app.
“We were both very intentional that we were both do-it-yourself enthusiasts, outdoor enthusiasts, we matched,” said Tovsen.
They shared a passion for Ely and found what Kate termed “a very niche Ely property” a few years ago.
“We lost out on that property,” said Kate. “But in that time period, I had gone full hog on Ely. I was doing my due diligence. I had phone calls with many people who lived here. I was like all in on Ely.”
After some “dreaming and scheming,” the couple eventually found the house they live in now, far up the Fernberg and a reclamation project of sorts.
The couple moved to Ely last summer and are in the midst of renovating what was billed as a three-season cabin, a 1970s trailer sold as is.
“If anyone is familiar with Moose Lake area history, with Knife Lake Pete, we would love to learn more about the history,” said Kate.
As the renovation continues, Kate said “It has been an adventure living in essentially a moving home,” with her husband and two children.
Kate, who grew up in Colorado, runs her own media consulting business while Jared is “into hunting, fishing, anything outdoors.”
Rene Arguijo is a “semi-retired hair stylist” who was born in Michigan but considers San Antonio, TX, his home.
He lived in Houston for over 30 years and that’s where he met his wife, an attorney who hails from Minnesota.
The couple moved back to Minnesota to help care for Arguijo’s mother-in-law, living initially in St. Paul.
They soon became enamored with Ely after Arguijo’s wife said “she always wanted to live up north.”
Arguijo, who has also worked as a chiropractor and teacher has quickly become immersed in Ely’s arts community.
“I hadn’t done theater since college but I ended up doing Elf,” he said.
He has since won a role in another local arts production - Matilda which is set for eight performances in late-March and early-April.
“I have more lines this time,” he said.
The couple bought a home on Sheridan Street and Arguijo also has become part of Ely’s Community Choir.
“It has been a great experience coming here,” he said.
