If you’ve ever looked for a gift in Saint Paul, you’ve likely stepped into one of the Bibelot shops—and quite possibly found the perfect present.
Roxanne “Roxy” Freese opened the first Bibelot on Como Avenue in 1966. “I was a mother of three young children, and I needed to support them,” she says. “So I started [Bibelot], and it was just one small little room.”
While the shop was born out of necessity, it also reflected a lifelong passion of Freese’s, says general manager and team member for 19 years, Janet Haugan, who notes that Freese’s inspiration came from museum gift shops. “When I was growing up, my parents traveled,” Freese says. “So I was able to visit many wonderful museum shops,” like the one at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The St. Anthony Park neighborhood responded so well to Freese’s little shop that she was able to expand over and upstairs in the original building. That expansion and the support of customers made it possible for Bibelot to continue to grow: The Grand Avenue store was added in 1987, Linden Hills in 1995 and Northeast Minneapolis in 2002, moves that Freese says came in part from “the energy and wonderful interaction” that the staff at Bibelot experienced from customers.
The timing was right for each expansion, says lead buyer Peggy Merrill, who’s been with Bibelot for 29 years. “The right spots were opening up at the times we were wanting to expand, in [the right] neighborhoods,” she says. And as a business that finds neighborhood involvement extremely important, picking the right spot was key.
“Roxy’s been a very strong supporter of the neighborhoods that we are in, as well as the cities,” Haugan says.
Bibelot has become a home, not only for those who work there, but for customers, as well. “I’ve worked in retail for years and questioned what I’m doing by providing people with more stuff,” Haugan says. But working at Bibelot, “You are really bringing joy to people you are helping.” Some of the customers they are helping come in every day, Merrill concurs.
What started as a simple gift shop has turned into a family with Freese, at age 82, still the active matriarch. “Someone said to me just recently, ‘Do you have any idea over the years how much joy you’ve brought to people?’” Freese says, “which I thought was just wonderful … a blessing of being in business.”
Bibelot’s Top Made-in-Minnesota Gifts
Bibelot brings joy to customers and gift givers at all times of year, so this spring, pop inside to find the perfect made-in-Minnesota presents for all your spring celebration needs (pictured above).
- Mark Herman prints: For the graduate with plans to move out of state for a job or more schooling, these works of art will remind them of home, depicting iconic locales in Minnesota, from the Mill City Museum to Split Rock Lighthouse. $3.95-$36.
- Boards by Joel: Newlyweds and new homeowners will love these trivets and coasters made from hardwood trees native to Minnesota and harvested locally. $4.50-$14.95.
- 16 oz. Society shirts: Perfect for your local college grad and beer connoisseur, the 16 oz. Society is a company dedicated to celebrating craft breweries in local markets. $26.95.
- Golden Fig spices: Great for anyone on your list who loves to cook, or just starting their culinary experience, these unique blends are bottled in small batches on a weekly basis. $7.95.
- SunLeaf Naturals products: Soaps, candles, lotions and more that are perfect for an environmentally conscious mom or grandmother, as products are packaged in recyclable materials and made with natural ingredients. $6.50-$31.50.
- Wood from the Hood: Made from recycled, reclaimed wood, these items, including handmade cribbage boards, can be traced back to the zip code where the lumber was taken from. $9.90-$60.
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The Bibelot Shops
2276 Como Ave., 651.646.5651.
1082 Grand Ave., 651.222.0321.
