Our shop is a little off the beaten path, but its unique and varied inventory is worth the extra distance! The merchandise has come a long way to Topeka!
Scandinavian Imports — which won best specialty import shop in November's Kansas Best 150 — has a wide range of price points and items. Claire Friedman, the owner of this specialty shop, would like to share some background on how she came up with the idea nearly 40 years ago! Claire used to work for the state. During one of their excursions to Emporia, she stopped in Lindsborg, Kansas to have a meal at a restaurant. There was an adjoining shop to the restaurant, and she was captivated by their merchandise. Eventually, Claire had to quit working for the state because of health issues. She decided she needed to do something and had fallen in love with Lindsborg. The shop and its inventory captured her imagination. Claire opened Scandinavian Imports in October of 1975 in a 700 square foot location. In the past four decades the shop has gone through many changes including a move right around the corner for more space. The shop specializes in everything from Austrian crystals to Russian nesting dolls, German collectibles and, of course, Scandinavian items. The shop also has jewelry, Porcelain bisque night lights, small wind-up toys, kinetics, kaleidoscopes, and magnetic sculptures. Dover coloring books, activity books, and the like are a large part of the current inventory. Also some of our wonderful holiday fare are German nutcrackers, “smoking men” (incense burners), and spectacular Pyramids, that rotate when the candles are burning. It is also the opinion of our customers that we have some of the best cards in Topeka! “Our cards are a really strong suit for us,” says Claire. Food includes Glogg, Pepparkakor (ginger thins), Lefse, and Lingonberry Jam - some of our customer’s favorite treats! The shop features Swedish Dala horses, “the most common Swedish good luck symbol." In fact, there is a Dala horse on the door of the business and a large Dala Horse hanging outside the shop, to make it easier to find. Claire and her employees are quick to invite customers to sample a cookie or help find the perfect greeting card. “I really like being around people,” Claire says. “I like helping them.” Some of the faces you'll see around the shop are Elaina, Topeka High School student and band leader; Sally, the shop's morning worker and current longest-term employee; and Emilio, the shop's "stray off the streets." Sometimes Deidre also works at the shop, and her daughter, Kenya, can be found helping customers or stocking shelves. Claire says she's planning on dying in here. “I don’t want to give it up. I love it.”
