We were lucky to catch up with Andrea Knies and Mimi Cirbusova recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Andrea and Mimi thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Is there a historical figure you look up to? Who are they and what lessons or values have you learned from them?
As a woman-owned company, we draw strength and inspiration from the many pioneering female entrepreneurs and community leaders that came before us. Our role as historians means we both get to literally stand in the places they stood, and figuratively stand on their shoulders as we build upon their vision for our community. Though their stories are often misconstrued, forgotten, or purposefully left out, our duties to share these womens’ stories continually inspire us.
Stories like that of Rose Phillips Wilson. Rose took on the role of editor of the Sarasota Times when her husband C.V.S passed away in 1910 and continued to publish the paper until she sold it in 1923. As though being a woman newspaper publisher in that era isn’t impressive enough, Rose used her intellect, skill, and platform to become a force in the suffrage movement and in the creation of Sarasota County. She was the first woman in Sarasota County registered to vote after the passing of the 19th amendment.
We draw tenacity from Carrie Abbe, Sarasota’s first female postmaster, who served for 31 years and retired when she aged out of the civil service examination in 1922. When our fortitude is tested, we lean on the story of Edith Ringling. When the country was in turmoil from the Great Depression, she refused to allow her husband’s legacy to be tarnished. While other banks were going belly-up, Edith used her personal funds to ensure every depositor at the Ringling Bank and Trust received every penny on their dollar before closing the doors for good.
Or the story of Marie Selby, a musician, botanist, and adventurer. She was the first woman to drive cross country in an automobile and won the Express Cruiser Yacht race in 1927. Her legacy lives on through her beloved gardens, which she willed to the community and it has become an incredible place for the living arts.
Compass Rose History Experiences is, at is core, devoted to sharing the “ties that bind”; stories that illuminate where we’ve been, and inspire us to pave new pathways forward.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers?
It started with a set of postcards. Shortly after meeting in 2015, Mimi overheard Andrea talking about Charles Ringling (which she is often known to do). She decided to give Andrea a set of vintage Ringling Brothers postcards for her birthday. A friendship blossomed. Their mutual love of the Sarasota-Manatee area and its rich history inspired them to share their knowledge and passion with the world — not just their friends at happy hour.
Compass Rose History Experiences crafts unique history and storytelling experiences, such as walking tours, presentations, and the “Navigating History” podcast. The ultimate goal of Compass Rose History Experiences is to connect people to the past, thus fostering a shared love of community and a sense of place.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
Our podcast originally began as the “Lovably Local Podcast”, and in the first two seasons we focused on interviews with other historians, preservationists, research librarians, archeaologists, and community leaders. Though the focus was still on local history, those early episodes were focused on bigger picture topics.
As our podcast audience grew, we received a lot of feedback that our listeners most enjoyed the banter between us as hosts, our quirky sense of humor, and our style of history storytelling. We also were gaining confidence in ourselves to embrace the titles of “historians” within our community.
In October of 2021, we rebranded the podcast to “Navigating History” to focus on the magic that makes Compass Rose History Experiences compelling; the two of us. This rebrand gave us more creative freedom to deep-dive into storytelling. Listeners now get to “fall down rabbitholes” with us as we research history mysteries.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
We set ourselves apart from the leap because our mission was about serving locals true and accurate history. In our region, many businesses cater to tourists. Choosing to focus on locals meant we could spend more time and energy communicating the stories behind people, places, and events of our shared past.
Being historians first also means we devote a great deal of time and energy into researching the stories we share. While other companies may integrate the local history into their walking tours or presentations, it may not be their priority to ensure the stories they share can be backed up by primary sources, or even make sense on a timeline. We do a lot of myth-busting in our work. This devotion to accuracy has earned the trust of our local audience, and it has gone a long way to growing a devoted fan base.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.compassrosehistory.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/compassrosehistory/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CompassRoseHistory/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-s3dl6kRD8fDjtNd5ksCdA
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@compassrosehistory