PDD Gift Guide 2010

One way to feel good about taking part in the hyper consumerism of the holiday season is to shop locally. That’s why your pals at Perfect Duluth Day have again compiled a gallery of gifts produced by the hands and brains of your friends and neighbors. Click on the pics for details about each item.

Just like the 2009 guide, the fabulous showcase below is by no means comprehensive. List your own suggestions in the comments.
 

loll-birdhouseLoll Birdhouse
Loll Designs has been making durable, stylish furniture from recycled milk jugs. This year they introduced some innovative birdhouse designs. Available at lolldesigns.com.

lake-superior-magazine-hot-for-the-holidaysLake Superior Magazine
Experience the great inland sea through Lake Superior Magazine. The award-winning bimonthly is published in Duluth, but focuses on the entire Lake Superior region — Michigan, Minnesota, Ontario and Wisconsin. Stop by the magazine’s retail store in Downtown Duluth to check out other gift items, or shop online at lakesuperior.com.

yoga-north-classes-duluthYoga North Classes
Help someone you know get in shape, relax and feel better. Yoga North has classes in Hatha, Power and Kundalini yoga for all abilities. More information at yoganorthduluth.com.

damage-glovesDamage Gloves
These Duluth-themed snowboarding gloves, featuring the artwork of Superior’s Patrick Sharrow, were specially made for Damage Boardshop by Celtek as part of a “Shop Here, Support Local” program. Available at Damage Boardshop in Duluth’s West End and at damageboardshop.com.

holiday-hostess-gift-setHoliday Hostess Gift Set
Get ready to cocktail party like it’s 1965. Apron Elegance and designer Rachel Hart have paired a “Mad Men-era” sexy hostess apron with a matching ruffled dog collar to create a gift that pays playful homage to the 1960s, when holiday aprons were the rage. Hart’s interpretations were made using metallic woven fabrics framed with loose ruffles and topped with bling-bling buttons. Add the outrageous gold lame ruffled dog collar and this party favor is designed for “maximum domestic divatude.”

happy-space-positive-wearHappy Space Positive Wear
Duluth’s Shane Bauer created Happy Face Positive Wear as a reaction to seeing shirts at a department store with the words “Bite Me” printed on them. He wanted to start a line of apparel to promote more positive messages, like, “count your blessings.”
His company, Laughingstock Design, opened a Happy Space retail store in the Fitger’s Brewery Complex earlier this year to showcase a growing variety of stylish shirts promoting positive messages. Available online at laughingstockdesign.biz.

duluth-childrens-museum-logo-squareDuluth Children’s Museum Membership
What do you get a kid who’s already got a bajillion toys? Duluth Children’s Museum Memberships provide a year of free admission to all museums and exhibits in the Depot and support the Children’s Museum as it gets ready to move to a new space at Clyde Park. More info at duluthchildrensmuseum.org.

picture-duluthPicture Duluth
Duluth photographer Dennis O’Hara has put together a stunning collection of images for his first book. See Duluth’s parks, landmarks and historic buildings and homes through the lens of one of the area’s greatest talents. Available at most local bookstores and at x-communication.org. A hardcover edition of the book is offered exclusively through the X-Communication website.

alakef-coffee-gift-boxesAlakef Coffee Gift Boxes
Anyone who’s walked or biked past 14th Avenue East and Superior Street knows that Duluth has some tasty beans roasting every day. Alakef offers an assortment of gift boxes showcasing its fresh-roasted, specialty-grade coffees and other items like tea sachets and chocolate-covered espresso beans. Available at alakef.com.

laptop-daypackLaptop Daypack
Duluth Tent & Awning Co. has been making Duluth Packs for well over 100 years, and its reputation for quality craftsmanship is second to none. The Laptop Daypack is designed as a book bag durable enough for a wilderness adventure. The front pocket in the medium and large sizes feature slip pockets for pens/pencils, a calculator, cell phone, or iPod. Made in Duluth and guaranteed for life! Available at the Duluth Pack store in Canal Park and at duluthpack.com.

sneaky-sheep-chrismonroeSneaky Sheep
Duluth cartoonist Chris Monroe’s third book for kids, Sneaky Sheep, stars Blossom and Rocky, two sneaky and not very bright sheep who keep trying to get away from the rest of the flock in spite of the dangers they encounter. Monroe’s previous books for kids include Monkey with a Tool Belt (2007) and Monkey with a Tool Belt and the Noisy Problem (2009). All were published by Carolrhoda Picture Books and are available at most local bookstores.

musicality-lessons-duluthMusicality Lessons
Give the give of music … or noise for those with younger kids. Downtown Duluth’s Musicality offers beginner, intermediate and advanced lessons on a wide variety of instruments for all ages. Details at musicalitybiz.com.

bead-warp-silverware-duluthBead Warp Silverware
In addition to designing jewelry, Tami LaPole Edmunds creates paintings, mosaic wall art, furniture and even beaded serving ware. Check it all out — as well as the work of her husband, potter Dan Edmunds — at their Art in the Alley shop, located in the alley of the historic Trade and Commerce Building in Superior. Peruse items online at artinthealley.com.

roadcrafter-motorcycle-suitRoadcrafter Motorcycle Suit
Duluth’s friendly West End is home to Aerostitch, makers of quality motorcycle jackets, suits, clothing and other gear. The one-piece Roadcrafter is meticulously tailored to minimize wind flutter and drag at higher speeds. Features include strategically placed external pockets, hip pads and back pad, underarm and back vents, side zippers for access to street pants, and a variety of adjustable tabs and zippers. Available at aerostich.com.

paul-bunyon-jac-shirt-2010Paul Bunyon Jac Shirt
For 90 years Bemidji Woolen Mills has been making clothing, sweaters and blankets. (It is the official supplier of matching gig-wear for Duluth band Tangier 57, by the way.) The Paul Bunyon Jac Shirt is designed to hold up against the wind and moisture of a Minnesota winter. Available at bemidjiwoolenmills.com.

21 Comments

Jeff Ruprecht

about 13 years ago



Those are all amazing gift ideas above. I would recommend my fruit-crate-styled art available in framed and unframed versions. If you have been to GB Schneider and Co. restaurant in West Duluth you may have seen my West Duluth depictions on their walls. Check out my Duluth Crate Co. website.

Paul Lundgren

about 13 years ago

 

Two good sampler CDs of local bands that were released in 2010 -- Beaner's One Week Live, Volume VIII and The ARMC Presents the Twin Ports.

 

And two of my favorite releases this year -- The Moon is Down's Excellent Adventure and the Boomchucks' self-titled debut.

Sun Dog

about 13 years ago





Don't forget the Everyday Duluth Calendar 2011. Unique scenes a Duluthian might see on an ordinary day.

Sun Dog

about 13 years ago

The Everyday Duluth Calendar was professionally printed in Duluth with union labor.

The paper is Forest Stewardship Council approved and fits easily into a 9 by 12 envelope, which is a standard size, so you can mail it to your loved ones who miss Duluth.

Where to purchase said Calendar:
Get it Local Gift Fair, Saturday, Dec. 4 
Get Great Stuff Gift Fair, Tuesday, Dec. 7
Neighbor Made Art & Gift Fair, Saturday, Dec. 11

Duluth Stores:
   1. Winslow's Hallmark in the Plaza Shopping Center on E. Superior Street
   2. Northern Lights Books and Gifts
   3. I Love Duluth
   4. Grandma's Restaurant
   5. Duluth Aquarium
   6. The Chocolate Ship
   7. Fitger's Bookstore  Last time I checked they were all out.
   8. Green Mercantile
   9. Lizzard's Arty Gallery and Framing Shop
  10. Duluth Grill
  11. Airport gift Shop
  12. St. Luke's Hospital gift shop
  13. St. Mary's gift shop
  14. Miller Dwan gift shop
  15. Moxie Hollow
  16. Adeline's Salon Inc.
  17. Sara's Table/Chester Creek Cafe
  18. London Road Car Wash
  19. Pam's Hallmark, Miller Hill Mall
  20. Calendar Club Kiosk, Miller Hill Mall
  21. The Inn on Lake Superior

zra

about 13 years ago

Alakef has also revamped most of its coffee gift boxes to include some options and selections and new packaging.

Sun Dog

about 13 years ago

I am sipping Alakef's anniversary blend right now!

Paul Lundgren

about 13 years ago

A few new books:

  

News to Me -- former Duluth News Tribune reporter and editor Laurie Hertzel's memoir.

Henry! You're Late Again! -- children's book written by Mary Evanson Bleckwehl and illustrated by Perfect Duluth Day's own Brian Barber.

The Assassination of Hole in the Day -- biography of Chief Bugonaghezhisk, or Hole in the Day the Younger, by Anton Treuer, professor of Ojibwe at Bemidji State University.

Paul Lundgren

about 13 years ago

Three more 2010 books:

   

Forgotten Duluthians -- biographical sketches by David Ouse of 39 Duluthians.

New sixth edition of the Guide to the Superior Hiking Trail -- updated maps and information about the over 277-mile footpath from Duluth to the Canadian border.

The Spowl Ribbon -- highfalutin literature from yours truly. (It's technically still a new book for two more months!)

brian

about 13 years ago



A Christmas by the Lake Volume IV is a compilation CD of 22 holiday songs recorded by local musicians. It's available at Super One Foods locations and Pam's Hallmark in the Miller Hill Mill. Profits benefit the Northern Lights Foundation, a local nonprofit organization that helps families of children with life-threatening illnesses.

Sun Dog

about 13 years ago



The Dance Boots might be a gift for someone who wants to learn more about how native children and families were affected by federal education policy.

It is written by local person, Linda LeGarde Grover, a professor of American Indian Studies at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. 

I haven't read it yet, but it contains short stories, which is often are good gifts. Here is what was written in a Tweed email:

Grover's winning collection of interconnected short stories slips back and forth in time to give an account of the lives an extended family. In the process she illustrates the wide-reaching consequences of the federal policy of removing children from their families to be educated in off-reservation boarding schools.

laurie

about 13 years ago

Thanks for the mention of my book, which, I agree, would make a great gift for anyone who loves Duluth.

These are all excellent suggestions -- at least 10 people on my list will get that cool Duluth calendar. 

I'd also suggest any Kenspeckle Letterpress prints, too. Here's one at random:



You can find many more at Sivertson Gallery (Canal Park and Grand Marais) and also on kenspeckleletterpress.com.

R2D2

about 13 years ago

I know I am going to give family and friends some great gifts this year, which they'll love, if they love Duluth. I'm thinking these make especially fine gifts for snowbirds and others who've left Duluth, but haven't gotten it out of them.

News to Me: Adventures of an Accidental Journalist by Laurie Hertzel. It's a fascinating first-person account of what it was like to live in Duluth in the 1980s, with the stories behind the news story. I can't say enough good things about this book. 

Picture Duluth, a coffee table, full-color, illustrated book with some amazing photos. It's spendy for the hardcover edition, $35, but well worth it.  I already bought a copy as a gift, but I may just keep it for myself! This is one of the finest coffee table books about Duluth's charms I've ever seen.

And, the third gift, is something I first saw mentioned here on PDD: the wall calendar, Everyday Duluth 2011. What a lovely idea! I only wish the calendar's photos were even larger!

ann klefstad

about 13 years ago



I have new images in the Walk on Water series on my website.

E-mail or call me at address/phone on the website. I'll frame em and deliver em.

Tony D.

about 13 years ago

R2:

Picture Duluth is also available as a $20 softcover, available at area book and gift stores and www.x-communication.org. Glad you like the book. Dennis O'Hara is a wonderful photographer.

Paul Lundgren

about 13 years ago



Camp Miller has a Winter Camp for kids age 7-15 that runs Dec. 26-28. Give the gift of sledding, building huts, cross-country skiing, ice fishing, etc. It's $175 per kid. Call the camp office at 722-4745, ext. 181, for details.

johnm

about 13 years ago



Buy them a piece of historic Duluth at North Shore Architectural Antiques.

Kiki

about 13 years ago



How about giving the gift of health and wellness?

Love Life Yoga & Wellness

akjuneau

about 13 years ago



If you're a fan of the News Tribune Attic or Duluth history in general - or if you know someone who is - take a look at the DNT's 2011 historical photo calendar. It includes sharp, full-page prints of 14 photos from the News Tribune archives, of Duluth from the 1950s through the 1980s. They're great shots.

The calendar is $7 at the DNT offices downtown, or at the paper's mall kiosk near Barnes & Noble. It's $10 by mail; you can order here:

DNT historical photo calendar

Paul Lundgren

about 13 years ago



Duluth cartoonist Chris Monroe has designed a "Welcome to Duluth" T-shirt for local musician James Moors. (He has a song called "Welcome to Duluth.") For a limited time you can get the new James Moors CD Skyline with your choice of T-shirt for $25.

You can buy them online at jamesmoors.bigcartel.com, or I'm sure James will have them when he performs at the Red Mug in Superior on Friday, Dec. 17, at 8 p.m. (Maybe you'll get more size and color options buying online, but you'll save on the shipping by buying in person.)

Paul Lundgren

about 13 years ago

 

The Automaton Records Media Conglomerate has issued a limited-edition "Rising Sun" hoodie just in time for the holidays. 

It features a two-color front, yellow lotus flower hood print, 9 bands printed on the left sleeve, the Automaton Records Media Conglomerate printed on the right sleeve, and the back reads "Handmade audio releases | Duluth | Minnesota."

This is a limited edition is nearly sold out, but a handful are available for $25 by e-mailing thearmc @ gmail.com.

brian

about 13 years ago



Looking for a last minute gift for a proud Hillside or former Hillside resident? Love the Hillsider Newspaper? Give a Hillsider T-shirt as a gift. S, M, L and XL are $15. XXL is $16.50. To purchase a T-shirt, phone 218-728-1031 or 218-591-5277 or e-mail hillsider @ sundogpress.com. (It is also a fundraiser for The Hillsider.) (They accept Paypal too. E-mail an order and they will send you an invoice.)

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