Carrying on the tradition of welcoming all to the store are (L-R) Nancy Cihlar, Emily Cihlar and Cheryl Hovde. They are standing in the room that once held sewing equipment for Heavy Duty Sewing, which is still offered at Great Gifts.
The lovely gift shop that was once just a tiny corner of the Heavy Duty Sewing workshop has become a must-stop spot for many North Shore visitors.
Those visitors have seen many changes over the years, starting with the separation from Heavy Duty Sewing in 1998. Both businesses have thrived and Heavy Duty Design was purchased in 2010 by Terri Rannetsberger of Silver Bay who still provides the unique line of canvas and nylon bags for Great Gifts.
The store has come full circle in a way. When it became a gift shop it was sandwiched between Clearview General Store and a realty office. When the realtors moved out in 2008, Great Gifts Owner Nancy Cihlar took the opportunity to expand the gift shop into that area. And in that space, an entire wall is dedicated to Heavy Duty Sewing offerings— messenger bags, laundry bags, handy organizers and a number of items that were created based on customer requests.
What is really fun, said Cihlar when the News-Herald visited the store recently, is that the expansion brings her store back into the area once used to make Heavy Duty Sewing merchandise. “This used to be filled with sewing machines,” she said, adding, “And now we have room there for a dressing room!”
Above: Great Gifts has fine jewelry from Superior Jems, created by Jeremy Saethre and Emily Cihlar. Left: The store has some wonderful, practical and whimsical clothing such as these nautical-themed jackets from Lake Girl.
Now, in addition to the amazing selection of bags, there are many new product lines—all carefully selected to match the Great Gifts philosophy of caring for the planet, the community and one another. For more than a decade, Cihlar has offered clothing from Earth Creations, an eco-friendly company based in the United States that uses sustainable fibers like hemp and organically grown cotton, as well as natural clay or low-impact dyes. She enjoys working with smaller companies such as Hand Done T-shirts of Ely and Lake Shirts, which offers the very popular Lake Girl line of casual clothing. She also appreciates the caring attitudes of the people at Bemidji Woolen Mills. All of these vendors, said Cihlar, “are great to work with.”
She recently added a line of footwear from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Manitobah Mukluks is an aboriginal owned company whose mission is to preserve traditional art. The combination of natural sheepskin material and intricate beading with more modern Vibram soles creates beautiful, but functional winter foot wear.
As it always has, Great Gifts features the work of many local artists—cards (and coloring pages) by Anna Hess and former Lutsen resident Terri Nelson deNatale; fused glass pieces by Nancy Seaton; handmade soaps by Linda Morris and Hanna Senty; and intricate carved trees and owls by Al Sunde. The store also has maple syrup from both Caribou Cream and Wild Country Maple Syrup of Lutsen, because, as Cihlar said with a smile, “Food is a great gift!”
Another great gift is a stunning necklace, bracelet or earrings created by Superior Jems—the jewelry company formed by Emily Cihlar and Jeremy Saethre. The couple combined their names for the company name and their skills to create a line of jewelry with natural basalt, thomsonite and agate set in sterling silver or simple leather bands.
When she is not making jewelry, Emily works in the store with her mother. Both of the women applaud their “great staff”—Manager Cheryl Hovde, Joan Lilja and Deborah Rebischke. Nancy said, “The people I work with are absolutely stellar. They are part of the reason people love coming to Great Gifts.”
And, she added, her customers are pretty great too. Nancy Cihlar said it has been a rich experience, seeing the same people visiting year after year and becoming friends. She encourages those friends—and those who haven’t visited Great Gifts yet—to stop by. Throughout the store’s 30th year, Great Gifts will be holding a drawing on the 30th of each month. Customers could win a gift certificate to purchase a great gift!
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