Shopping in North Saint Paul

For more than 30 years, County Cycles has been outfitting riders of all ages with bikes of all types. It provides customers with a wide range of gear and cycling accessories from parts and helmets to road and mountain bikes from brands such as Trek, Bianchi, and Felt. Its technicians are trained to work with bikes of all major brands, and can lubricate cables, adjust seats, and fix busted tires so that bikes can ride on their own instead of being pulled by horses.

Family patriarch Nordy Rockler opened the doors of his first store in 1954 to supply his fellow craftsmen with knowledge, friendly advice, and a large selection of tools for at-home woodworking projects. Now, the chain of retail outlets brims with more than 20,000 tools and specialized woodworking equipment. Next to a steely rainbow of hinges, casters, and screws, a supply of lumber and exotic hardwoods provides planks for building tree houses or just leaving around as a warning to uncooperative trees. The tenor buzz of power tools operated by newly knowledgeable guests drifts from educational sessions on operating equipment and woodworking.

Stocking shelves with new and recycled duds since 1971, Ragstock fortifies wardrobes with a storefront brimming with new and recycled men's and women's clothing and accessories. In addition to mainstream garments, stores sling eclectic outfit accouterments such as neon suspenders ($9.99) and thick-rimmed spectacles ($4.99+) that allow shoppers to evoke the air of literature professors without blithely quoting Joyce.

At MartinPatrick3, you'll find a well-edited assortment of sophisticated giftable wares, from travel and leisure bags ($245–$940) to sleek wine decanters ($65). A set of faux-croc pencils ($30) near your bed or an absinthe spoon ($10) in the kitchen are instant conversation starters. When demurely displayed on a sink, the nickel-plated Charcoal shave set ($265) distracts washroom visitors from the jellybeans in the bottom of the soap dish. MartinPatrick3 also carries a variety of sartorial standouts, including the Tokyo Bay basic watch ($75) and hedgehog cuff links ($145). The helpful staff can help you navigate the shop’s extensive stock to find the ideal item for anyone, be it an uncle with everything, a sartorially schooled little brother, or a modern man on the run from the U.S. men's gymnastics team.

Buying souvenirs can get in the way of enjoying your journey, so O’Day Cache's owner handpicks the finest Asian accessories and French milled soaps for your gift-giving needs. Every year, this savvy proprietor sets off on Asia-trekking journeys, spending more than two months overseas annually to stock the Minneapolis Cache with impressive finds and self-designed jewelry, searching hidden-away enclaves and booby-trapped temples for elegant porcelain dinnerware and more. Shoppers can browse an eclectic collection of products that includes antiques, bath and body products, vases, and women’s accessories. Bring good luck with single-cast bronze money sheep covered in Chinese coins ($45), tote your lunch in a multi-tiered tiffin box used for carrying lunch ($40), or pick up a chicken paddle toy for your niece ($4.25). Ranging from everyday practicalities to museum-quality conversation pieces, O’Day Cache’s collection provides an opportunity to peruse in person, instead of venturing halfway around the room to eBay the intriguing imports.

Look + See's eyewear studio is as swanky as any art gallery, with pale-green walls lined with mirrors and sculpture-esq wooden shelves displaying glasses. Their stock of fashionable frames from around the world was smelted in the factories of top designers. Frames from OGI run between $100-$269, Vera Wang rims cost $150-$280, and Gotti’s chic eyeball offsetters are $315-$558.