Eager to maintain the spirit of the previous gift shop, Kelsey Kennedy continues to sell some items that were popular in The Attic. The Milkhouse candles pictured above were not only popular, but also in keeping with the Picnic & Pine theme as they have many of the fresh smells one might enjoy while spending time outside.
The Attic, a cute little gift shop that has been closed since late in 2015, is now open again for business under the new name, Picnic & Pine. Kelsey Kennedy, who also owns and runs Birchbark Books and Gifts, purchased the shop, located between the Joynes Ben Franklin parking lot and Crooked Spoon Café, in May 2016 and reopened it about a month later.
Kelsey said she was able to get things going so quickly due to help from her mom, Beth Kennedy, who had previously owned both Birchbark and Beth’s Fudge and Gifts.
“There’s no reason to waste all of that business experience,” Kelsey said with a laugh.
During the month prior to opening, the gift shop’s interior underwent some changes harkening back to the time before it was The Attic. Prior to becoming a gift shop, the building had been the Northern Lights bar. A few of the recent changes include new paint and light fixtures as well as moving the cashier’s counter to where the bar had previously been located.
Above: Beautiful, hand-painted bowls are some of the newer items customers will discover in Picnic & Pine. Left: Kelsey Kennedy, owner of Picnic & Pine.
The gift shop now features many items in keeping with its picnic and pine theme, including cozy blankets, sweatshirts and games. Also, if customers make a purchase at either Birchbark or Beth’s Fudge, they will be given a card that can be exchanged at Picnic & Pine for a small gift that Kelsey called the “Pickle Package for a Picnic Kit.”
The new gift shop also has items that were popular with The Attic’s previous customers. Milkhouse Creamery candles are one such item.
“People have been talking about how much they just love them,” Kelsey explained. “And there are so many fun flavors, like Buds and Berries. Then there are ones that are very Minnesotan, like rhubarb strawberry, or other things that are kind of iconic.
“There’s probably not very many lines that would overlap,” Kelsey added. “But a couple of things people really loved and we wanted to keep that heart going.”
Judging by the stream of customers entering and exiting the shop, Picnic & Pine is off to a good start.
“It’s a labor of love,” Kelsey said. “We really love it and we love our customers. That is actually the funnest part about having such a small shop. At all the other shops, you get to have conversations, but this one is actually a lot of local people. We’ve gotten to have a lot of long conversations and it’s been really enjoyable to have that patronage and support.”
Perfectly illustrating Kelsey’s point, one customer said in passing, “We are so glad you are here.”
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