First of all, there's very little "Surplus" here, as during my recent visit, the merchandise looked…read moreall well stocked and new. The person at the counter subsequently informed me that the current owner kept the name when it was purchased from the previous occupant. Nonetheless, I found what I needed quickly, thought the price was reasonable, and was pleased both as I left, and subsequently when I put them to use. What did I buy? Knee high rubber boots. Our Moose Track Adventures canoe trip guide had a pair on that I admired, and since I needed a pair for an upcoming trip to the Peruvian Amazon, that was good enough for me. At the end of the Amazon trip, we were asked whether we wished to donate the boots. I liked the fit, comfort, and versatility of my LaCrosse boots so much that I declined in favor of my next Earthwatch adventure.

An excellent place to go for the basics when you're up north. Every time I'm in Ely, I swing by…read more Prices are generally better than your typical REI, etc. Not exactly what I would call "surplus" since most of the items seem to be new. The space is also pretty small, so it can seem cramped with other people in the store.

This is a great store for quality men's and women's outdoor shoes, boots and clothing. I've found…read moregreat shirts for my husband and winter boots for me. I also bought kuhl pants that I love! The people who work there are nice and helpful!

From the owner: The J D Mills Clothing Store carries quality apparel and accessories for men and women.read more

Five stars isn't enough for this crew. We fish with Craig at Lake Vermilion Fishing Guides just…read moreabout every year, and our Boundary Waters trips into Basswood are the ones we talk about all winter. From the first phone call he asks the right questions about what you want out of the day, then builds the whole trip around it. Getting into the BWCA on your own takes real planning, but Craig handles all of it, and once you're out there you've got world-class fishing with almost nobody around. He reads the water, adjusts constantly, and genuinely cares that everyone on board catches fish. He handles the big fish with real care too, quick photos and healthy releases. This is what a professional guide service should be. We're already planning next year's trip.

I don't have enough great things to say about Steve and Ginny and the rest of the crew at Spirit of…read morethe Wilderness. We were out on Knife Lake on Tuesday July 14 2026 (the day of the closure and evacuation of the wilderness). I had rented a one way Spot and picked up my permit from Spirit. Unfortunately with the device we had no one could communicate with us, but the crew at Spirit was tracking us and keeping everyone back home aware of our situation. After we got back into Ely, they even offered a bunkhouse for us to stay the night before heading home.

Piragis bookstore was a great place to browse. Quiet, well lit with lots of interesting unknown and…read morealso known titles. Books seemed thoughtfully chosen; a good nature section and kids section. Will return!

Was in town, shopping for souvenirs. I probably should have purchased the hot sauce they were…read moreselling, but at $6 a bottle, I thought it was overpriced. I would have been thrilled if you could get all 3 bottles for a discount, but that wasn't happening. They have a ton of t shirts for sale here. We picked up one for Ely, MN for about $25. They have a men's side and a women's side. The women's side had a ton of apparel. I found a cute shirt and shorts on sale. The fitting room is right there by the stairwell. I love a good sale. These times were not for Ely, they were just hiking/camping brands of clothing, but that's ok. A lot of the women's stuff was fairly plain. The back of the store has restrooms, art, and camping/fishing supplies. The front of the store has weapons and shoes. In fact, the gal who makes the moccasins was right there in the store, putting them together in real time! It was so cool to see how she was manipulating the leather. We did not take the stairs up to the second level; it appeared to be more of a bookstore up there. Parking is on the street.

This is place is a dream. Top notch fantastic. Something for all pocketbooks. Check out my post…read moreat tundrabites.com

Fabulous boutique art gallery. This gallery supports 25 local artist who live within a 30 mile…read moreradius. It is staffed by one of the artist, so if you stop by you'll be able to meet one of these talented local artist. I was attracted to the jewelry and pottery. The beauty of the hand-crafted jewelry was amazing. The attention in detail, blew my mind. The pottery was so beautiful, I had to buy a piece for my master en-suite. The photography and paintings were mostly nature themed, which is not my personal taste, but they were something to behold. If you want a painting or photo of wild animals, they have something for you. The artist working the gallery the day we visited was delightful. She was so energetic and thrilled to talk about the artist we liked. If you're in Ely, take and make the time to stroll through this gallery and experience the amazing talent of these Boundary Waters artist.

Best shop on the Ely main drag. Right when you walk in you feel like you are in a cozy cabin, right…read moredown to the wood wick scents of the north and stone hearth. Mostly Moose has something for everyone. From cute north woods cabin decor to jewelry and scarves. But the friendly owner is what really completes this shop, she is very friendly, knowledgable and not at all pushy! You cannot miss this shop when you come to beautiful Ely!

From the owner: Your Online & Brick and Mortar Gift Shop Featuring Unique Northwoods Gifts,…read more Collectibles and Novelties for any occasion in Ely, MN.

I'm in town for the week , trying to find somewhere open in this winter tundra for gifts…read more Jackpot,found this adorable shop! Mmmm the lovely smell as you walk in. Lots of Ely stuff here. Saunas are a big thing up here, they have a whole section dedicated to sauna stuff. Lots of essential oils! Jewelry,kitchen stuff,garden deco. And lots more! The girl working here was very friendly and helpful. You need to stop in here!

We found this gift shop exploring around the city of Ely. It had lots of unique items and Ely…read moregifts we could not find at any of the other Ely shops. It has a section dedicated to soaps and sauna stuff. It became our favorite gift shop in Ely.

High quality crafted boots of all sizes and styles! They will keep your feet toasty warm!…read more Susan Eastman

Beautiful showroom, attentive assistance, excellent product display, human engineered product fit,…read moreand assured product maintenance materials. Superior product design offers the utmost in comfort under the coldest temperature conditions.

Jim has been fantastic to work with. He took time out of his Saturday to look at our situation for…read moreinternet options, then completed the installation in a timely manner. Extremely professional and friendly too. I highly recommend Voltz.

I walked into volts with my son a couple months ago to switch over phones on my Verizon account …read more She was unable to help me but demanded I pay a fee of $20. I told her nicely that I was sorry but I'm not going to pay her money when she was unable to help me . She screamed at me in front of my son and told me I'm never allowed back in the store . I reported this to the Verizon corporation . They also informed me she should not be charging people 20 dollars either . I was so sad I actually cried because of how she treated me . It's unacceptable and was very upsetting considering I pay a lot of money for my bill every month . Nobody should be treated that way . I also work at a business in town and my employer hired them to fix a computer. She told the employer that if she comes to fix the computer I need to sit in the back room. Highly unprofessional and in human to say where I can stand or be in my place of work because she chooses to dislike. She continued to talk horrible about me to my other employees. All over $20 dollars they tried to take from me. I highly highly recommend Wolfland computers and hobby across the street. He's a wonderful person and does a high quality job.