Holiday shopping in Solvang has its rewards

 

Solvang has been designated as “One of the Top 10 Quirkiest Places to Spend Christmas” by VirtualTourist.com – one of the largest online travel communities in the world.

VirtualTourist.com has more than 1.5 million travel reviews and 3 million photos showing more than 25,000 destinations worldwide. Its reviews and content are considered unbiased, and user-generated and includes hotels, attractions, and local customs. Data is posted by VirtualTourist’s more than 960,000 registered members from over 220 countries and territories.

 

Along that line, visitors spending the holidays in the Santa Ynez Valley will find more than 150 unique shops in Solvang, known as Santa Barbara County’s “Danish Capital of America.” For those who like to shop, the city’s businesses offer antiques and collectibles, handcrafted Danish imports, arts and crafts, and home interior furnishings.

 

A sampling of the list includes the Solvang Antique Center, which offers more than 65 specialized galleries with hard-to-find collector’s items such as European carved furniture, estate jewelry, music boxes, grandfather clocks and 19th century American tools, scales and timepieces.

 

Offering a large selection of Hans Christian Andersen titles, the Book Loft sells the legendary storyteller’s fairytales, biographies, and books about the author’s amazing skills in paper cuttings. Mobiles of Andersen’s favorite subjects – harlequins, balloons and ballerinas – hang from the ceiling and scenes from prominent fairytales are the theme for greeting cards, sticker postcards and T-shirts.

Solvang’s 40-year-old Jule Hus, on Mission Drive, sells thousands of glass-blown decorative ornaments from Germany, Italy, Poland and the Czech Republic all year around. It also offers Annalee felt dolls from New Hampshire, Austrian and German nutcrackers and carved wooden nativity sets.

 

With more than 5,000 square feet devoted to its gift emporium, Rasmussen’s specializes in Scandinavian and European imports, including Illardo porcelain figurines from Spain, Danish kitchenware, Aebleskiver pans, and Floral Danica, which are flowers dipped in 24-karat gold.

The Royal Copenhagen Shop displays a collection of Royal Copenhagen-patterned dinnerware and Danish Christmas plates.

 

The Home Collection features Polish pottery, Tiffany lamps and Simply Amish furniture. 

The Mole Hole on Mission Drive has unusual collectibles, including Christopher Radko hand-blown Christmas ornaments, New England’s “We Forest Folk” miniature porcelain mice, Giuseppe Armani’s figurines, and a new “Pamper Me” boutique.

Thumbelina Needlework has Eva Rosenstand landscape and floral cross-stitch kits, imported needlepoint canvases and five counted cross-stitch designs of Hans Christian Andersen fairytales.

Gerda’s Iron Art Gift Shop on uptown Copenhagen Drive carries a selection of imported lace curtains and tablecloths plus wrought-iron items made in the Danish tradition.

 

From carry-on luggage to leather jackets, First Street Leather also sells Brighton wallets, purses and briefcases, as well as Paula Lishman Knitted Furs.

Solvang Shoe Store has been selling shoes for more than 40 years. Its most popular line, Dansko, features cork soled clogs in blue and white. Other brands are the rubber soled “Sonja,” and “Professional” leather clogs. At the entrance is an oversized red clog, a traditional photo op for generations.

Elna’s of Solvang creates and ships handmade Danish costumes and hand-knit children’s sweaters.

Family Coat of Arms links visitors to their heritage and family name history with 8” by 10” four-color coats of arms print outs and 11” by 14” family name histories. They also have hand-sewn embroideries and hand-painted bronze plaques depicting the family coat of arms.

Home to thousands of custom knives, Nordic Knives has cutlery to fit every profession from hunting to fishing to kitchen and sewing. This shop also has collectibles such as Franklin Mints cars, Budweiser Clydesdale figurines and imported beer mugs.

 

Shoppe of 1000 Quilts on Mission Drive is home to a large selection of hand-made quilts.  Sister store, Quilts Galore and More, as well as Noddington Place on Copenhagen Drive also have quilts, place mats, table runners, vests, quilted bears, collectible Victorian dolls and other decorative items, including antique quilts.

Ingeborg Larsen, who opened her tiny chocolate shop in 1961, was the first to bring traditional Danish chocolate recipes to Solvang. Today, more than 70 different treats invite chocolate lovers inside. 

More than 40 kinds of locally-grown stuffed, pitted and gourmet olives and eight different kinds of olive oils line the shelves of the Olive House on Mission Drive. Other gourmet items to ship home or overseas include tomato chutney, crushed garlic and spicy wine marinade sauce. 

House of Honeywood offers not only handcrafted premium local wines but also features 30 different fruit and sweet wines, specialty foods and gifts.

 

Hundreds of intricately cut mobiles, Danish dolls and hand-painted ceramic self-watering cachepots can be found at Gaveaesken, which means “Gift Box” in English.

Another favorite shop for visitors is the Old Mission Gift Shop at the Old Mission Santa Inés. This Catholic gift store sells a full line of crucifixes, St. Christopher medals and California history books. Rosaries range in price from 39 cents to $600.

Solvang Toyland is the oldest toy store in Solvang and offers gifts and souvenirs for kids of any age, including Madam Alexander dolls, Matchbox cars, Legos, games, puzzles, die-cast model cars and planes, and finger skateboards.

 

For more details, travel information or a free copy of the official “Solvang & the Santa Ynez Valley Visitors Guide,” visitors can contact the Solvang Conference & Visitors Bureau at (800) 468-6765 or (805) 688-6144. Visitor information is also available at the Visitor Information Center, 1639 Copenhagen, or online at www.SolvangUSA.com or by e-mail at info@SolvangUSA.com.