Great little shop with fun and unique gifts. We were able to customize a sweatshirt with our tiny…read moreOne Pine Lake on it! Great customer service too!

Not sure what more you could ask for in an antique/thrift store other than more more more…read more Wandering in, I found it well-appointed, neat, and tidy with a wide selection. Especially standing out were collections of smalls. Check out my post at tundrabites.com

First of all, there's very little "Surplus" here, as during my recent visit, the merchandise looked…read moreall well stocked and new. The person at the counter subsequently informed me that the current owner kept the name when it was purchased from the previous occupant. Nonetheless, I found what I needed quickly, thought the price was reasonable, and was pleased both as I left, and subsequently when I put them to use. What did I buy? Knee high rubber boots. Our Moose Track Adventures canoe trip guide had a pair on that I admired, and since I needed a pair for an upcoming trip to the Peruvian Amazon, that was good enough for me. At the end of the Amazon trip, we were asked whether we wished to donate the boots. I liked the fit, comfort, and versatility of my LaCrosse boots so much that I declined in favor of my next Earthwatch adventure.

An excellent place to go for the basics when you're up north. Every time I'm in Ely, I swing by…read more Prices are generally better than your typical REI, etc. Not exactly what I would call "surplus" since most of the items seem to be new. The space is also pretty small, so it can seem cramped with other people in the store.

I absolutely loved this store while I visited Ely. It is a mix of modern and vintage kitchenware…read more You'll find items from your grandma and mom's kitchen. Plus the most modern kitchen gadgets for today's gourmet chefs. I was blown away by the vintage glassware, cookware and the classic Tupperware Storage. All of it was in mint condition. All the Tupperware had their lids - lol. If you're into entertaining with vintage items, this is the place to shop. You will find stemware, serving dishes and cookware, as well. In addition to the vintage, the modern items were the same caliber as a Williams-Sonoma store, but with a privately owned flare. I enjoyed looking at all the little kitchen gadgets that fill my drawers back home. I also got overwhelmed looking at all of the whimsical cocktail napkins and tea towels. Both of those items are my weakness and I caved in a bought a couple of each. The owner was working the sales floor and was charming. The rest of the staff was equally friendly and helpful.

Five stars isn't enough for this crew. We fish with Craig at Lake Vermilion Fishing Guides just…read moreabout every year, and our Boundary Waters trips into Basswood are the ones we talk about all winter. From the first phone call he asks the right questions about what you want out of the day, then builds the whole trip around it. Getting into the BWCA on your own takes real planning, but Craig handles all of it, and once you're out there you've got world-class fishing with almost nobody around. He reads the water, adjusts constantly, and genuinely cares that everyone on board catches fish. He handles the big fish with real care too, quick photos and healthy releases. This is what a professional guide service should be. We're already planning next year's trip.

I don't have enough great things to say about Steve and Ginny and the rest of the crew at Spirit of…read morethe Wilderness. We were out on Knife Lake on Tuesday July 14 2026 (the day of the closure and evacuation of the wilderness). I had rented a one way Spot and picked up my permit from Spirit. Unfortunately with the device we had no one could communicate with us, but the crew at Spirit was tracking us and keeping everyone back home aware of our situation. After we got back into Ely, they even offered a bunkhouse for us to stay the night before heading home.

Piragis bookstore was a great place to browse. Quiet, well lit with lots of interesting unknown and…read morealso known titles. Books seemed thoughtfully chosen; a good nature section and kids section. Will return!

Was in town, shopping for souvenirs. I probably should have purchased the hot sauce they were…read moreselling, but at $6 a bottle, I thought it was overpriced. I would have been thrilled if you could get all 3 bottles for a discount, but that wasn't happening. They have a ton of t shirts for sale here. We picked up one for Ely, MN for about $25. They have a men's side and a women's side. The women's side had a ton of apparel. I found a cute shirt and shorts on sale. The fitting room is right there by the stairwell. I love a good sale. These times were not for Ely, they were just hiking/camping brands of clothing, but that's ok. A lot of the women's stuff was fairly plain. The back of the store has restrooms, art, and camping/fishing supplies. The front of the store has weapons and shoes. In fact, the gal who makes the moccasins was right there in the store, putting them together in real time! It was so cool to see how she was manipulating the leather. We did not take the stairs up to the second level; it appeared to be more of a bookstore up there. Parking is on the street.

Beautiful showroom, attentive assistance, excellent product display, human engineered product fit,…read moreand assured product maintenance materials. Superior product design offers the utmost in comfort under the coldest temperature conditions.

For those of you that live where the weather turns frigid and frost bite is a real danger, these…read moreboots are for you! I've spent extended time outside is temperatures well below freezing and my feet stayed toasty warm in my Mukluk boots. You can order online, but it is well worth your time if you get near Minnesota to venture to the quaint northern town of Ely and get fitted for the perfect pair of boots. I spent a week chaperoning middle schoolers in -20 degree cold in northern Minnesota and my Steger Mukluks saw me through. My eyelashes were frozen, but my feet were warm and comfy in my "Arctic" Mukluk boots. You have perhaps seen "Mukluk" brands at some chain department stores and that's fine, but for true hardcore outdoor boots Steger Mukluk is the place to visit.

permanently closed. sad to see its gone. Was a great little full service shop. Hopefully a new…read moreshop will open elsewhere

Awesome little shop with ski and kick sled rentals! We were visiting Ely, just for the weekend!…read moreAlvin fitted us for skis, on short notice and my husband and I enjoyed cross country skiing for the first time on the Trezona Trail! We had a blast! Appreciated the friendly, genuine and informative customer service. Happy to have found this shop and had a chance to go skiing!!!