Jennifer S.
Yelp
I finally visited this shop yesterday and, indeed, found fine foods galore! They had upbeat, jazzy holiday tunes playing and there were plenty friendly staff members around to answer questions. I felt like I was gently being taken care of whenever one of the staff asked whether I was still doing okay as I browsed through the entire store, and then returned to re-visit certain sections of the store.
The fine chocolates they offer range from confections to premium chocolate bars from makers around this country, to gorgeously decorated single truffles displayed in a well-lit glass case to various sized decorator tins of fine Parisian chocolates/truffles (Louis-Sherry, anyone?). They also offer various brands of single-serve chocolate confections, such as the local brand, B.T. McElrath. You'll also find various cocoa powders, hot cocoa mixes (along with Chicago-made, with no corn syrup, marshmallows in various flavors), chocolate chips, and chocolate frosting and chocolate cake mixes.
They sell Hammond's brand fruit flavored hard candies and peppermints, and different flavored gummies in nice packaging. They sell a variety of individual greeting cards and some boxed/packaged holiday ones. You'll see various baking ware pieces, cooking & baking ingredients (Are you in the market for some "vanilla powder" to use in your own homemade hot cocoa mix? Be forewarned, it's not cheap, although I'm sure it'll be an amazing addition to your mix). They've got those multi-colored paper liners for baking cupcakes. They sell the Burlap and Barrel spices and seasonings - a jar of Ras el Hanout, anyone? If you're not familiar with it, just buy some and experiment with it! It's a wonderful mixture of flavors to enhance so many different things. They sell native hand-harvested wild rice in 1# packages as well as the cultivated stuff. Cookbooks. Some hand-made ceramics. Incense to burn, including sage bundles. Beeswax candles.
There are various crackers and cookies available, as well as Whole Grain Milling Company brand of tortilla chips, and specialty potato chips. They sell both popping corns and some gourmet popped corns, including a popcorn-nut confection by that fine Parisian chocolatier, Louis-Sherry. You can buy various nuts and "honey spoons". There are Jakeenos pizzas and Mucci's Veggie Lasagna in their freezer as well as ground beef, bison and chicken, and pre-made individual pie crusts from Vikings & Goddesses Pie Company (the same maker of the single slices of pies available in their cooler). In their refrigerator, they offer a variety of cheeses, half gallons of fresh-squeezed orange and grapefruit juices, a few pre-made soups, veggie potpies to bring home and bake, glass bottled milk/cream, large tubs of plain Bellwether Farms yogurt, amongst other things. They also sell some fresh produce - chestnuts for roasting on an open fire, anyone? They also sell dog and cat treats, natural body soaps, lotions and salves, natural laundry soaps along with those wool dryer balls, and natural soaps to (I presume) fill your own containers and make your own cleaning products.
Given the smaller space of the store, you'll need to be cool with sharing the space available, and also be courteous in yielding to others' presence and passing by. Aside from that, just go - enjoy yourself!