Looking to shop local this holiday season? Take your gift list to these Wausau area stores.
WAUSAU − With Black Friday and Small Business Saturday right around the corner, we asked readers where their favorite places were to shop in the Wausau area for holiday gifts. They suggested a few favorites that have made our annual holiday gift guide before, as well as several new small businesses to the community.
So as you are continuing to check off those friends and family members on your holiday gift-giving list, consider a stop at one of these local businesses.
Magnolia Soap and Bath Co.
Magnolia Soap and Bath Co. opened in June and they are ready for their first holiday season in downtown Wausau.
For the holidays, the store at 320 N. Third St. offers a variety of prepackaged gift bundles that include everything from candles, room sprays and bath bombs to car freshies, sugar scrubs and lotions.
The store's overall top seller is its hand-ground laundry soap, said Brian Fox, who owns the store along with his wife, Julie. Other popular items include bars of soap, sugar scrubs, bath bombs, shave soap (which replaces shave cream), shampoo and conditioner bars, soy candles and a "really cool" kids line of products, Fox said.
In addition to the more than 100 scents they traditionally offer in their products, they also are featuring seasonal scents that include Christmas on the Farm, Candy Cane Lane and Gingerbread.
Another hot seller for the holiday season is Magnolia's Advent soap boxes that feature seven days of surprises including bath bombs, laundry samples, lotion bars and more.
Fox said he can't share what the specials will be, but Magnolia will have Black Friday and Small Business Saturday deals as well as a 12 Days of Christmas sale starting Dec. 13.
Fox said all of the products sold at Magnolia are plant based, chemical free and handcrafted in the store.
Janke Book Store
If you have an avid reader on your list, or someone who just loves all things Wausau or Wisconsin, a stop at Janke Book Store at 505 N. Third St. is a must.
The store has been a staple in downtown Wausau since 1919 and offers something for everyone on your list. In addition to books, the store features over 1,000 jigsaw puzzles, lots of specialty games "you won't find in larger retailers," a large assortment of stuffed toys and even handcrafted pens by local woodturner Pat Peckham, said co-owner Jane Janke Johnson.
"Anything local is a top seller for the holidays," Johnson said.
Johnson also noted a few specific items that have been flying off the shelves as the holiday approaches:
"Wisconsin Field to Fork: Farm-Fresh Recipes from the Dairy State" by Lori Fredrich features recipes by Cattail Organics and Red Door Family Farm, both from Athens, and from Chef Nate Bychinski of Red Eye Brewing Co. in Wausau along with many other organic farmers from across the state.
Books from northern Wisconsin author Victoria Houston, whose mysteries take place in the Rhinelander, Tomahawk and Wausau areas, are also a local favorite.
“The ABCs of Wausau” by Cheryl Wolken is a picture book that highlights attractions around the Wausau area for each letter of the alphabet. For example, the letter J features JoJo’s Jungle all-inclusive playground and Janke Book Store, Johnson said.
The new “Ice Age National Scenic Trail Official Guidebook” that the store just got in is "selling really, really well," Johnson said. And the new plat books for 2024 for Marathon and Lincoln counties are "selling extremely well."
If you are looking for a bargain or something more one-of-a-kind, Johnson said the store's entire basement now features used books, and there are more than 20,000 to choose from.
The Pickle Jar Grinds & Finds
If you are looking for something for that coffee lover in your life, The Pickle Jar Grinds & Finds at 4308 N. Sixth St., on Wausau's northside, is definitely a great place to start. They offer gift baskets with mugs, whole roasted coffee beans in bags, reusable coffee filters and all the tools a coffee connoisseur might need. They also offer a wide range of pastries, including a "huge gluten-free offering," said owner Alicia Gjertson. And, of course, they offer gift cards customizable to any denomination.
But did you know they also offer a retail gift shop with handcrafted items created by local artisans who sell on consignment? Gjertson said she's holding off on stocking the holiday items until Black Friday and Small Business Saturday, but she said the shop will have everything from Christmas ornaments to outdoor holiday signs and door wreaths to tabletop arrangements.
"The holiday season is our busiest season, it's right up there with pumpkin spice season," she said.
The shop also includes artisan jewelry, embroidered towels, handcrafted woodworking items, and there's dog treats too.
"You name it, we have it," Gjertson said. "We are a gift shop, basically."
Gjertson said to watch for Small Business Saturday specials.
Wausome! Online Store
If you are looking for a gift for someone that literally screams "WAUSAU," check out the Wausome! Online Store.
The online store offers everything from apparel to hats to tote bags to things for the home. There's even neoprene wine totes that hold anywhere from one to six bottles of wine.
Cheryl Wolken, Wausau area marketing specialist through the Community Foundation of North Central Wisconsin, said the tote bags have been a top seller along with the baseball caps, and now that the weather is cooler, she expects the stocking hats to be very popular.
The online store has been open for about five months and came to fruition as part of the rebrand and new logo created for Wausau's Wausome! marketing campaign.
Wolken said proceeds from online sales support her position to promote the Wausau community.
Sunset Country Store
Sunset Country Store at 164631 Marathon County Z, about 8 miles northeast of Wausau, has lots of one-of-a-kind gifts to help with your holiday lists.
One reader specifically noted the locally made crafts and maple syrup products as their reason to shop there.
Susan Clark, who owns the store with her husband Scott, said one corner of the shop is entirely dedicated to locally made, one-of-a-kind craft items. It features everything from refurbished flannel shirts, quilts, mittens and hats to bowl koozies, totes made from seed bags, jewelry and more. There are a variety of holiday craft items as well.
Another section includes vintage and antique items with Depression glass, lamps, pictures, knickknacks, planters and vases.
If you are looking for something fun for the 21+ crowd on your list, the store offers a variety of fun alcohol-related items. Clark said she puts together gift bundles with some of those items for the holidays as well.
And for the foodies on your gift list, Sunset Country Store is a convenience store offering all your grocery needs from snacks to cheeses to beer. They even sell a variety of flavors and sizes of maple syrup "made right in our backyard" in decorative bottles and local honey, Clark said.
During the holidays you can find fresh flower arrangements to help decorate for the season too.
Mullin's Cheese and Nueske's
And speaking of foodies, no gift list can be complete without shops dedicated to meat and cheese. I mean, this is Wisconsin, after all. Readers recommended both Mullin's Cheese Retail Store, 203843 Marathon County DB in Mosinee, and Nueske's Company Store, 1390 E. Grand Ave. in Wittenberg, about 30 miles southeast of Wausau, as must-stop shops to complete your holiday gift-giving.
Mullin's offers a variety of premade gift boxes during the holidays that include everything from cheeses and meats to specialty items like jams, syrups, relishes, cheese spreads, candy, crackers, fudge, salsa, chips and apparel.
"Almost everything is made in Wisconsin," said store manager Cassie Meyer, noting that many of the items are made right here in central Wisconsin.
In addition to the gift boxes, meats and cheeses are popular sellers during the holiday season as well as cutting boards and cheese slicers.
"Right before Thanksgiving we are busy," Meyer said. "But then closer to the holiday and the week before Christmas we are nonstop."
Meyer said customers can place orders for pickup at the retail store, but they do not ship meat and cheese products.
The one item they do ship is their flavored and unflavored whey protein. They will be offering a discount wheel on their website store.mullinswhey.com for their whey protein products from Black Friday through Cyber Monday, Meyer said.
Whether you are looking to elevate your charcuterie boards, find "the most succulent, tender ham you will ever taste" for your holiday feast or you are looking to gift the ultimate holiday combo of Nueske's meats and local cheeses in a holiday party box, stop by Nueske's Company Store or order online at www.nueskes.com.
To guarantee those tasty treats and gifts arrive in time for Christmas, orders must be placed by Dec. 17, according to Nueske's Facebook page.
You can find everything from bone-in and boneless hams, Applewood Smoked Bacon, smoked bratwursts, pork, bratwurst, snack sticks and more. Some of the gift box options include the Meat Lovers variety with seven of Nueske's most popular smoked meats or the Sausage and Cheese Party Box with snack sticks, summer sausage, cheeses, cheese spreads, pretzels, crackers and more.
Right next door to the Company Store, you can also find the Schoolhouse Market, which features locally made candles and soaps along with clothing, bakeware and treats from many Wisconsin vendors.
Don't miss out on these past favorites
While they didn't get a shoutout this year, we would be remiss to not mention some of the shops that our readers recommended for last year's holiday gift list. They feature everything from unique handmade gifts and crafts to chocolates to home items and more.
You'll definitely want to check these stores out as well to help cross items off your holiday lists:
Aspen Oak & Co., a Mosinee-based business that sells wax melts and warmers, is a perfect store to check out for anyone in your life who loves to fill their home with delicious scents. The shop has popular holiday scents, like gingerbread and peppermint bark, as well as scents that are perfect year-round. They offer holiday bundles too. Visit them online at aspenoakco.com.
The Chocolate Shop, 532 S. Third Ave. in Wausau, has chocolate imported from Europe, custom chocolate truffles and more. You can buy holiday boxes complete with different holiday characters, including a snowman and a reindeer. You can also mix and match candy in the store to create the perfect holiday gift for everyone on your list.
Evolutions in Design, 626 N. Third St. in Wausau, offers home decor, including artwork, lamps, plants, holiday decorations and more.
JN Creations, 608 Washington St. in Wausau, carries a wide variety of items, including custom artwork, jewelry, self-care products for men and women, apparel, art supplies and Wisconsin-made jams, sauces and maple syrup.
The Needle Workshop/The Quilting Workshop, 312 S. First Ave. in Wausau, has everything you need to make household essentials, such as towels, hot pads, decorations, pillows and more. For the sewers in your life, you can find all of the supplies they need, from stacks of material to scissors and thread nippers.
Editor Jamie Rokus can be reach at jrokus@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter at @Jamie_Rokus.
This article originally appeared on Stevens Point Journal: Shop local this holiday season at these Wausau area stores
