Are you planning a trip to Minnesota anytime soon? Making your way through Stillwater as you cross through into the land of 10,000 lakes? 

If so, you're in for a treat. Stillwater is home to some of the best shopping and deep-dive thrifting in the country. The thing is, you have to know where to look. It's often the case that the best shopping in town is off of the beaten path. We're going to run trough a few of the best Stillwater, MN shopping ideas today, giving you the gems that you wouldn't find if you were just passing through. 

​trove.Marketplace is one of the biggest collectives of local artisans, crafters, and collectors in Stillwater. Hosting anywhere from 30-40 vendors at any time, trove is a goldmine for Stillwater thrifting. 

When it comes to Stillwater thrifting, trove.Marketplace is likely the place you'll find the most variety and quality. You'll also find bath products, seasonings, artwork, vintage collectibles, repurposed clothing, jewelry, and furniture. It's the kind of place you could peruse for six hours if you had the time. 

Here's a video tour of our shop (note that items change on a weekly basis so don't get your hopes up if you see something great in the video!)
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Downtown Stillwater is famously great for antiquing. You don't go down to visit a single shop, though, as it's more of an opportunity stroll through the various shops on Main Street. A walk down the main drag of downtown Stillwater gives you dozens of excellent shopping options. 

You could visit the Antique Mall, get a bite to eat, then dip into one of the locally-owned businesses peppered along the heart of downtown. Take a look at some of the boutiques available to you within walking distance of wherever you park in Downtown Stillwater. 
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If you're not familiar with downtown Stillwater, then you might not be aware of Hudson. Hudson, WI is just a five minute drive across the St. Croix River when you're in Stillwater. 

It's a good idea to take a look at both sides of the river when you're on a shopping spree. You'll find a lot of the same sort of shops in Hudson, only with an entirely new variety of things to pick from. Locally-owned and operated businesses are the lifeblood of both Stillwater and Hudson, so you'll encounter all kinds of stores with a lot of heart. 

If you need a place to start, take a look at this Yelp review of the best places to shop in Hudson. 
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If you're hard-pressed for good shipping in our town, drop us a line! We're here to fill you in on what we have going on in-store as well as any shopping secrets we've picked up over the years. 

Remember, we scour the city for the best thrifted and repurposed deals. We know what you're looking for. Stop by trove.Marketplace to start your journey or contact us to get any ideas!

It's easy to get wrapped up in the marketing hullabaloo of Valentine's season. We get advertisements every which way telling us to drop thousands of dollars on things our partners don't really want. 

The truth is, you have to do some digging for the right Valentine's Day gift. You can't just run out to the store, spend a thousand dollars and expect to end up with a meaningful gift. It's important that you really think through your gift, make it personal, and take some time to craft it in a way that makes it even more special. 

Let's explore some ideas on how to go about the gift-giving process on Valentine's Day. We won't look at particular gifts so much as how you can approach giving a great present. We'll give you some gift ideas along the way, too. 

Your first mistake is  doing last-minute shopping. 

When you scramble for a gift on February 13th, you sell yourself short. Your odds of finding something truly meaningful are slim-to-none. That's when you end up with a box of chocolates, a Hallmark card, and a little stuffed animal from Walgreens.

*Don't get us wrong, there's nothing wrong with those gifts.

There's nothing wrong about showing up at someone's house with the picturesque trio of Valentine's day items described above. There are about ten million other options to explore, though. Plus, if you've followed that gifting pattern every year for the last ten years, odds are that the person you're with doesn't want another box of chocolates. 

They're thinking about Valentine's Day, too. Whether they know it or not, they're probably giving you some small clues as to what they want or need this year. That's why it's so good to start thinking early. Make notes of things related to wants or needs that your partner tells you about. They might comment on a billboard every time you drive by or make repeat comments about something they saw online that they think is neat. 

Repeat comments are always something to make a note of when it comes to gift-giving. 
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We're not all great detectives when it comes to reading our partners'  wants or needs. Sometimes, you just have to fly by the seat of your pants and follow your gut with your gifts. The tricky thing is, we always do that last-minute and end up falling short of a great gift. 

So, if you're someone that needs to go out and shop in-store to find the right things, make sure you head out a couple of times. *Trove is a great place to make multiple trips because we restock every week!

(Sorry about the shameless plug)

Try some of the following things and see if they help with your gift selections:

• Spend one hour a day for three days shopping before you buy anything 
• Take a short drive to shops in neighboring downs
• Hit all of the local thrift stores 
• Browse online to get in-store ideas
• Bring one of your partner's friends along for inspiration and moral support

There are plenty of ways to free yourself up and explore all of your options before you make a purchase. You don't even have to spend that much money. What matters most is that you buy something that shows how much you love and understand the person you're with. 

If buying little knick knacks and chocolates isn't your thing, there's always the option of planning an activity. We're chock-full of fun activities in Minnesota, even if  it does happen to be 40-below. 

1. Make a dinner reservation. Click this link to look at a few of the best date restaurants in Minnesota.
2. Go Ice Skating  
3. Turn Your Apartment/House into a five-star restaurant (instructions here)
4. Book an AirBnb somewhere nice. It's always exciting to go somewhere rural enough to be secluded yet close enough that you don't have to spend the whole day driving. Fisher Cat Creek in Osseo is a great option for couples who are looking to have a secluded, off-grid weekend away from civilization. You can find more information and make reservations here. 

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Hard as we may try, there will always be a time that we run out of time and need to scramble for a gift. When that happens to you, and it will, try to avoid rushing to Walgreens or Walmart for something simple and mass-produced. 

Swing by trove.Marketplace and see if we can help you find something that your partner will really love. We've got everything under the sun for every type of person. So, no matter who your partner is or what they like, there will be something in our shop that they would find meaningful. Our staff is always eager to help true love flourish any way we can. 

Explore our site for more information on trove.Marketplace, who we are, and what we do.