I should start with telling you I love Target. It’s one of my happy places I like to visit on a regular basis. It seems as though I forget to look beyond the red bullseye. That can leads me to missing out on the opportunities of getting a gift for a loved one that can’t be found in the big box stores. This Christmas I am stretching my limits and buying special gifts for my family from some of Minnesota’s most unique places to buy Christmas gifts. Here are a few locations I am visiting.
The Woods is a store known for displaying many handmade Minnesota gifts, as well as, great cabin and outdoor themed decor for your home. If you are looking for unique stocking stuffers this is a wonderful location to shop. I wish I could have the friendly camping bear in my yard to greet people at the door! Located in Maple Grove sitting peacefully on top of a hill looking down at Highway 94.
Pleasant Hills Saddle Shop is a great store to shop for your horse loving family member or friend. You can purchase all your horseback riding supplies and fashionable cowboy styles right there. The chances of running into a real life cowboy while visiting Pleasant Hills Saddle Shop are pretty high! Located next to Cablea’s in Rogers, Minnesota.
Don’t let the name fool you, there is nothing general about this store! The General Store is loaded with two stories of fun unique products for all ages. My favorite part of the store is the kitchen supplies and decor section. You can spend a whole afternoon browsing around each area of the store and afterwards have a healthy little lunch in the General Store cafe. Located off Highway 7 in Minnetonka.
It is winter time and most of us will lock ourselves up in our homes until the snow begins to melt away, however there are a few out there who claim the season has no change in their desire to be outdoors. For me it depends on the wind and how close to 72° it is. However, I am currently waiting for my new set of wheels, which should be very soon. My Yuba bicycle and all the bike gear I have on my Christmas wish list can be found at Calhoun Cycle. It’s a pretty chic place to get bikes for the whole family. If you have a couple hipsters on your shopping list this spot is for you. Located just blocks from Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis.
Do you have a man who loves to homebrew or someone who has everything and you can’t find anything new to give to them? Northern Brewer is a homebrewing beer and wine store that has everything you need to start or build on your homebrewing setup. The staff is very knowledgeable and helpful to those who walk in without an idea of what they would need to get started or what to purchase someone who already brews at home. Classes are available which I think would be a cool gift to give, too. Located off 35W and Lyndale in Minneapolis.
Merry Gift Shopping To You
& Merry Christmas, too!
I hope you have a chance to visit one if not all these places to buy a Christmas gift. If I were to get something from any one of these I would be very merry!
Looking for Minnesota winter inspiration? Check out our Minnesota winter guide for activity ideas, winter apparel suggestion, and endless ways to enjoy the snow!
Kelly
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Hi! My name is Kelly and I run Life In Minnesota with my husband, Ryan.
My vision for LIM is that it shares engaging stories of unique Minnesotans and that it’s considered a wonderful resource that helps make every life in MN more awesome!
I can be reached at [email protected]
#LoveWhereYouLive #LifeInMN
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Wednesday 10th of December 2014
This should be titled life in the Twin Cities. It was sort of amazing to me that there were no spots listed that we're not in the Twin Cities area.
Kelly
Wednesday 10th of December 2014
Hi Cheryl,
Thank you for your comment. I understanding how you look at this article and think it should be named Life In The Twin Cities. I want to explain why that name would not be best overall. It is very important to me to be able to tell my readers what I think about places I promote or items I am reviewing from experiencing these things first hand. I don't want to give a name of a store, in this case, if I have not actually been there myself. I do live in the Twin Cities, so in most cases I will be traveling around the metro. In the summer my family and I travel all over Minnesota and will be writing about those adventures as they happen. If there is a store you felt should be listed here, please feel free to give your option in the comments. I would love to have readers share from their experiences, as well. Thank you again for bringing this to light. I do hope you continue to follow. Have a great rest of your day!
Katy
Tuesday 9th of December 2014
The General Store and The Woods are two of my favorite places to shop for family and out of towners :). Great list!
Kelly
Tuesday 9th of December 2014
Thanks Katy!
Katie
Tuesday 9th of December 2014
The General Store is my favorite shopping spot!! If you have someone that's hard to shop for, you can probably find them something at the General Store!
Kelly
Tuesday 9th of December 2014
Everything they have is so much fun and the kids loved the old fashion rock candy!