My boyfriend and I spent the Labor Day weekend sailing on the great Lake Superior.  We took lessons several years ago and keep going back to the company we took lessons with in Bayfield, WI.  For those interested in sailing, Lake Superior, or northern Wisconsin in general, the company is called Superior Charters and it operates out of Port Superior Marina just south of Bayfield.  It was a fantastic weekend with mostly great weather and a decent amount of wind.  I could go on and on about the sailing part of the adventure, but my intention for this post is to highlight the numerous cute little Norwegian (Scandinavian to be sure, but for our purposes, we´ll call them Norwegian) shops.

Before we departed Bayfield to head south to our homes in southern MN, we had to stop at 2 of our favorite places-

1) Coffee Roaster-for an amazing maple syrup enfused iced coffee drink called ´Cold Fusion´

2) Eckels- an art boutique specializing in pottery

 

On the main drag of Bayfield there is a store called ´Johannes.´  We had never actually stopped there and I wanted to look for a gift for my mother because she kindly watches my dog any time I am out of town, which is quite a lot these days.  My mom loves Norwegian stores.  We used to have one in Northfield called ´Fire Venner´ or ´Four Friends.´  There is a great one in Minneapolis called ´ Ingebretsen´s´which also has fish, meats and cheeses in addition to home and giftware.  In Hastings, MN there is Scandinavian Marketplace.  Scandinavian Gift Shop is located in Alexandria, MN.  In Rochester, the Nordic Shop.  The Scandinavian and British Isles Shop in White Bear Lake, MN and Exelsior, MN.  Iversen´s Imports in St. Louis Park, MN.  The list goes on.  Feel free to browse the websites below to see what kinds of products these cute little Norwegian shops offer.

Browse Ingebretsen´s here.

Browse Johannes here.

Browse Scandinavian Marketplace here.

Browse Scandinavian Gift Shop here.

Browse the Nordic Shop here.

You will find many similar products in all of these stores.  Among them are the following:

-crystal, porcelain, and blown glass (i.e. Kosta Boda, Porsgrund)

-dinnerware and stemware, cheese slicers (i.e. Ittala, Fortress)

-trivets and tiles, trays, napkin holders, napkins, placemats and table runners (Ekelund Linen)

-jewelry (troll beads, charms, amber and other stones, pewter, wood, sølje, Sterling Silver, Skagen watches)

-candles and candleholders (Orrefors and Danish Wrought)

-blankets, throws, and rugs ( i.e. Roros)

-shoes and clothing (Danish Dansko clogs, Vrikke sweaters, Dale, Oleana)

-needlework and knitting supplies

-calendars and stationary

-books, film and music

-Christmas decor

-flags

It is interesting to go into these shops after one has spent a significant amount of time in Norway.  I say this because many of the articles sold in these shops would be hard to find in a modern Norwegian home.  These stores are definitely Scandinavian or Norwegian American.  Much of the products are more closely related to Norway many years ago.  I still love these stores, though, because they are a great example of Norwegian American heritage here in the United States.

Next time you pass a Norwegian shop, stop in and have a look around and then share with us what you found!