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NU Shopping opener begins with 42nd GnomeMade Market

By Clay Schuldt 5 min read

NEW ULM - The Minnesota firearm deer hunt opener starts Saturday, but in New Ulm, the shopping opener started Friday.

Hundreds of holiday shoppers attended the 42nd GnomeMade Market, spread across the community at over 20 locations.

One of the craft market’s most popular stops is the Lind House at 622 Center Street. Every year the Lind House hosts the “Lindbacken Artisans.”

Becky Peters has sold craft items at the Lind House during the GnomeMade market for 25 years. She said it is a lot of work preparing for the market, but once it starts, it is really enjoyable.

Deb Raschke started selling handmade quilts, purses and bags at the Lind House four year and said it a really fun event.

"This is a great group of ladies to work with," she said.

Alisa Ring, a regular attendees of the GnomeMade Market, brought her three-month-old daughter Ember Ring to the Lind House. For a time, Ember served as the Lind House's hat model. Several artisans let Ember try on their homemade caps. Ember did not seem to mind the extra attention.

Longtime GnomeMade shopper Patsy Ryberg was admiring the assortment of tiny Christmas trees at the Lind House.

"I like the little Christmas trees," She said. "I collect them, so it is fun to add extra trees."

Ryberg said she liked the GnomeMade market for its variety.

"I am always amazed at the variety of crafts and the different ideas the vendors come up with each year," she said. "It is fun going into the different homes and seeing the amazing things on display."

The historic Wanda Gag House was another unique stop at the craft market. Visitors were able to tour the childhood home of artist Wanda Gag while shopping for holiday crafts.

Wanda Gag House board member LuAnn Lindmeyer showed off a collection of knitted ornaments items based off the books of Wanda Gag.

Lindmeyer said the sale of the ornaments will help cover the cost of new roof for the Gag house. The ornaments were displayed alongside original drawings done by Wanda Gag.

For years, the New Ulm Armory building served as a stop on the GnomeMade Market, but in the last year the Minnesota National Guard vacated the armory building and moved to a new location on the north end of town. The craft vendors moved with the National Guard and set up shop in the new building on Palmer Avenue.

Bridget Kirsh, a craft vendor with SuzieQ's Stitchin, said some of the crafters were worried that relocating to the new armory, away from the center of town could deter shoppers, but the opposite proved to be true.

"The shoppers were stoked to have a chance to see the new armory," she said.

The most popular item at SuzieQ's Stitchin booth was an oven mitt shaped like a chicken. Sue Kirsch and Bridget Kirsh said they had oven mitts representing nearly every farm animal, but it was the chicken most people gravitated toward.

"It is something to cluck about," Bridget Kirsh said.

One of the most popular home stops on the GnomeMade Market is the Sugar Shanty on S. Highland Avenue, run by Lori and Tyler Zollner outside of their garage.

In addition to craft items, the Sugar Shanty is known for producing maple syrup and Lori Zollner said the syrup remains the top seller alongside their honey.

Zollner said they recently expanded the size of their garage and were able to bring on additional vendors this years including freeze dried candies, pretzels and Alyssa Sernett's new Milford Grains booth.

Sernett is new to the GnomeMade Market. She only moved to town this last year, but was offered a spot at the Sugar Shanty this year. Her specialty is fresh milled flour and baking mixes.

Sernett said the products are milled herself at home, which keeps the nutrients in the grain.

She said her most popular items were the gluten free, or non-celiac sensitivity, products.

A group of three Madelia friends, Jan Christensen, Candace Fenske and Jyal Thompson, gather together at the Sugar Shanty Friday afternoon. Every year the three friends travel to New Ulm to take part in the GnomeMade Market. Some of them even return each day of the market.

Thompson said one of the reasons they keeping coming back is the quality of craft items.

"There are so many talented craft people here we had to keep coming," Christensen said. "Now it’s part of a tradition and we can never miss it."

For the last few years, the three have made a point to visit the Sugar Shanty on the first day of the market, but they also visit Turner Hall for the hand-crafted mittens and the Lind House for smaller quirky items.

The GnomeMade Market continues Saturday and Sunday in New Ulm, with some new locations opening, including the Women's Expo and Craft Fair, which runs 9 am to 2 p.m. in Jefferson Elementary.

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