Good Things is a gem and always a must-stop for me when I'm bopping around White Bear Lake! Every…read moretime I pop in, I find something new--whether it's cookbooks, cards, puzzles, kitchen gadgets, jewelry, clothing....you name it. The selection here feels endless in the best way. Allow yourself some time because the store is pretty big. I especially love coming here when I need a gift or something Minnesota-based as they always have unique, MN-feeling items that hit the mark. It's the kind of boutique where you can happily wander and browse for A WHILE. I haven't had much interaction with staff beyond checkout, and I've noticed they don't typically come out onto the floor--at least not during my last couple of Thursday visits during Marketfest. That said, checkout has always been smooth. Highly recommend if you're in the area and love a good browse through a thoughtfully selected mix of finds! Also, highly suggest joining the rewards program and checking out the clearance section while you're here... there could be some great deals tucked away!

We stopped in to the Good Things store while visiting White Bear Lake on Monday morning. This is an…read moreamazing store! I would definitely call this a "must see" boutique. There are 3 parts to this store and you owe it to yourself to experience them all! I started in the style area, which is the clothing part of the store. This is an upscale women's apparel store, with habitat, Liverpool, Johnny Was, and many other upscale brands. All of it is beautifully curated and displayed. You will have fun browsing the racks. The sales associates were super helpful and knew exactly how to interact with people--making customers feel welcome, but not pressured to buy. Downstairs, there is an amazing sales area. Don't miss this gem! Bargains galore and beautiful things! I'm sure it changes regularly. Then stop at the cafe and have a coffee, pastry, or freshly baked cookie. All the treats look and smell delicious. The staff was very sweet and service was prompt. After that, continue shopping at the Good Things gift shop. This is a top notch gift shop the likes of which I rarely see. It is brimming with themed displays for almost every interest or occasion. If you can't find a gift here, you may never find it! Seriously. You can wander in this shop for an entire morning and still not see everything. I hope you stop by Good Things. It's a fabulous shop. Locally owned. Go there for your next gift.

I went to the reopened Gardenhouse on Friday, February 14th, 2020…read moreI was so pleased to see Charlie, the owner again. With her background in Interior Decorating, and natural flare with flowers and art, I left feeling ready to decorate my home. I bought sweet pink carnation bouquets for my 4 Daughters and a fun DIY project to do with my Granddaughters (decorating heart shaped boxes with doilies and stickers) a lovely print for my wall and some chocolate hearts to share. I recommend Gardenhouse for a comfortable place to select beautiful items for your home or as gifts, prices are great and detail to what you want or need is extraordinary. I also look forward to Spring at the Gardenhouse as garden is its first name and Charlie knows so much about planting and soil, she is my GO-TO person!!

Simply put, this is a great store, filled with apparel, gifts, kids stuff, and home items in a…read moreterrific setting. Excellent customer service, great layout. Loved this place, as the humorous items were awesome. Bought a great card, and a wonderful pair of socks that celebrated Prince. Pricing is good, and the setting is excellent.

I really like stores like this because they offer a wide variety of items. Kind of like Patina /…read moreGeneral store vibes. The store was packed with novelty items, clothes, kids stuff, decor and more. Some parts of the store felt more crowded than other parts. The prices of many items were a bit high but I'm sure it's on par the clientele of the area. They do have a rewards program that's free to sign up for. We stopped in during Grand Old Days but parking is street, and this area is usually busy.

Lovely shop devoted to all things decor in the house. It also has some stationary and notecards…read moreand the cutest earrings you ever saw (bought a pair). The shop attendee was extremely helpful and I had the best little conversation with her. I've also bought recipe cards and lavender spray. Super modern and classic designed items here...

Looking for any type of candy? This is your place! They have nostalgic candy, unique gifts (non…read morecandy), funny stuff, etc. This is a newer candy shop addition to the downtown Stillwater area and it did not disappoint! They have EVERYTHING. They even have sugar free candy or international candy from outside the US. Check them out! They also have my favs...chocolate covered gummy bears!

A fun candy shop with e eeything you can think of! Almost like walking into a candy wonderland…read more They even have a train that goes around the store! From bubble gum to chocolate, they have a candy for everyone. If pop is yout thing, they also have a huge variety of regular- insane flavors. You can even fill your own box of candy. There was a large selection of unique gifts and themed items. The store is so fun and cute. I highly recommend you stop in next time you are strolling Main st.

Duke Albert is a gem full of gems on Central. I'm so glad I realized that it was NOT a barber and…read morepopped in for some unique shopping. Walking in, I loved the decor which included neon lights and a big State Fair chalk mural (this is a belated review from the summer. RIP, summer). Duke Albert offers an assortment home goods, bath and beauty items, gift, trinquets, and even some vintage clothing from local artists and beyond. I ended up getting a plant hanger, enamel pin, and colorful skirt. Other tempting items of interest: local hand soap, cool candles with metal skeleton cores, silly cheese kit that they found in France, an antique stucco stamp, vintage games and posters. The owners (I assume) were really cool too, providing lots of info and even insight on where they found some of the unique treasures. I'll for sure stop in here periodically when I want something for friends but mostly myself.

I've been eye balling this store for awhile when I come down to the co-op. Omg! I can't believe I…read moredidn't come in here sooner!! What a cool freakin' find!!! Opening the door, the cozy scent of light incense and Palo Santo wafted into my nose. I knew right then it was going to be something a out of the norm. The dimly lid store had a cool, clean, modern mix with bohemian, zen kind of vibe. The kind of store I could personally hang out in for a good hour (or two) just for the smells and all the awesome random finds!! (If only the kids weren't with me today...) While it isn't really a kid geared store- I found something for just about every age group. It's a mix of (extremely clean & crisp) vintage trinkets and clothes, gorgeous more natural lines of personal care, a few beautiful cannabis based things, just funky randomness, classic & modern art, air plants in stellar wall hanging containers, jewelry, (did i mention cool vintage things that were immaculately cleaned??!) well made things I'd like for my next house...it just had a bit of a whole lot of really neat stuff. I'm definitely coming back- again & again. Probably every time I need to find a gift of something a little more unique for some of my cool friends that prefer unique random finds.

My daughter had a great 8th birthday party at Ta-Da Daa in Southdale. Leena make sure everything…read morewas set up for the kids, including the table full of treats, snacks, and juice boxes. All I did was show up with a cake and the birthday girl. Each kid picked out a project, their choice of endless charms, and color of glue. Staff helped along the way too. The party was a fun and unique change from all the other bouncing and same parties, and no gift bags required since the kids all went home with their projects wrapped up in nice boxes.

My friend and I were wandering the Southdale Center Mall when we happened across this little place…read more Considering most of that mall is upscale, hoidy-toidy, way-beyond-our-price range clothing and jewelry shops, we were pretty excited to take a peek. The store feels a little sparse/empty, like there's room for plenty more merchandise to add, which was a bit odd. The front half of the store is admittedly mostly foreign/bootleg blind boxes of plastic toys that no one should be buying like Labubus, but this kind of wasteful crap is trending right now, unfortunately. Amusingly, they also were selling little outfits for your keychain critters, so at least you could dress them up differently if you didn't get the one you wanted. XP The back half of the store is better. It's a crafting area! For parties or just drop-ins. The employee helpfully gave us a small tour and invited us to ask any questions if we had any. They have several tables and chairs set up for you to work at if you choose to do a craft. You can choose from canvas totes, pencil cases, luggage tags, makeup bags, etc. to iron on patches (there are lots of fun designs to choose from, big and small, as well as lettering) at reasonable prices of 1 for $3 or 3 for $5 for small, and 1 for $5 or 3 for $10 for large. Or you can utilize their "cream glue" craft with tons of available colors and piping heads to change the look of the glue (think like decorating icing on a cake) and tons of cute charm designs + "sprinkles" to adhere to a variety of items such as phone case, jewelry box, hair brush or mirror, photo frames, hair clips, or ornaments. They had some sample items out to help give you inspiration if needed. Aprons are provided, and there's a drying area for your creation to sit while it firms up too. My friend and I didn't opt to do a crafting experience this time, but we may come back in the future. It certainly looked like a fun way to spend an afternoon!

This is quite a toy store. It's very pack in the main store area and there is a back area full of…read moretoys. I was a little overwhelmed with all the stuff to look at and decide on for birthday gifts. I had read that they had Needoh Ice cube but was disappointed that they didn't have them available. Parking available on the street. Prices are ok.

The name doesn't do this place justice - I'm not sure there's a pinwheel in the store haha. This…read moreshould be called the magical emporium of toys and games galore! When you walk in, you'll be assaulted with floor to ceiling displays of toys in the best way possible. I could see how it could be overwhelming for some, but I loved it. Felt so magical. I stopped in while in the area to get some ideas for holiday gifts and ended up getting my auntie gift duties done here. It's a very large space spanning three different areas, with the areas categorized by theme/age. You'll find everything from plushies to puzzles and everything in between here. Truly so many options for all ages (even those harder to shop for tween/early teen ages). I found some adorable play kitchen items for my 1yo niece, and some sweet dinosaur and car toys for my 3yo nephew here. I also love that I could browse, try things out, test quality, etc here unlike shopping online. I even found something for myself here! I was introduced to the magic of NeeDoh and had to get one. Now I already want to go back and test out some others to get. Service was very friendly - I asked for some recommendations for my niece's age, and one team member walked me through options. During checkout, another was very kind. Prices were reasonable, and I'd much rather spend my money locally than on Amazon this holiday season. Highly recommend swinging in to check this place out for holiday shopping season - shop local!