The Big Lake is an approachable art gallery and gift shop located in the beautiful harbor town of Grand Marais, Minnesota. The store provides a beautifully curated and fun shopping experience to complement your North shore adventures with artists and products that reflect the culture, values, allure, and lifestyle of the North Shore.
About The Big Lake
The Big Lake is the quaint little artsy store located on 1st Ave in downtown Grand Marais. It opened in May of 2018 with the goal of being an affordable shop for art and handcrafted items. Here, you can find jewelry, pottery, ceramics, and even a line of beautiful greeting cards.
Artists and Offerings
Owner Abby Tofte wanted to create a store for young families. In other words, a young person or couple could come in and afford a piece for their home. Or, perhaps, decorate a nursery or child’s room. Many of the pieces have a child/infant theme to them, like Shawna Gilmore’s “Giants in a Strange Land” series. There’s also children’s books and clothing. This makes The Big Lake the place to visit for a unique, custom gift for your next baby shower.
The adults are not left out, however. The Big Lake also carries pottery by Hannah Palma Ceramics in Grand Marais. Hannah’s mugs are quickly becoming synonymous with sipping coffee on the Lake Superior. There’s also several lines of jewelry, including Seventh & Stone from Two Harbors, MN. A variety of artwork, screenprints, candles, and other handmade works round out the beautiful variety of products offered.
Abby does enjoy featuring some local and regional artists in the store. However, there are already several places in Grand Marais where you can find such works. So instead, Abby stocks The Big Lake with pieces that create the feeling of The Big Lake (as in, Lake Superior) and the feeling people get when visiting this area. This means featuring artists like Minnesotan Adam Turman whose pieces capture the feel of Minnesota and Wisconsin life, and also Jahna Vashti, an artist from Oregon whose whimsical forest scenes will be familiar to Minnesotans. From realistic artwork to more whimsical pieces, you are sure to find what you are looking for at The Big Lake.
Be sure to stop by during your next trip to Grand Marais.
