Dorothy once said“ there’ s no place like home.”
She has obviously never been to the House of Scandinavia.
Dorothy once said“ there’ s no place like home.”
She has obviously never been to the House of Scandinavia.
Harold and Jean Watkins stand outside the House of Scandinavia their first year as owners. The couple hailed from Minnesota before moving to Rapid City in 1974. They bought the House of Scandinavia, now run by their daughters, in 1984.
L ocated right outside of Rapid City on 16A headed
south, The House of Scandinavia is a home away from home for all things Denmark, Norway, Sweden and
Finland.
The distinctive red and white cottage-style building captures your eye as you pull up. As you walk in you are drawn to the warmth of the woods, felts and wools. And then you meet the sisters who own the store, Carmen Graves and JoAnn Strommen, sisters and second generation owners of the shop. Both women’ s eyes and smiles reflect a sincere geniality for all their customers, both new and old. And that warmth deepens.
The House of Scandinavia was the vision of a Swedish couple, Harvey and Elaine Hultquist, of Minneapolis, Minn., who opened the shop in 1952.
Harvey was a wood carver and the couple sold both Scandinavian items and his carvings in their shop. Carmen explains her mom and aunt, who were full Swedes, visited the shop in the 1970s.
“ When they came in my aunt had gone to school with Harvey. And mom had gone to school with his younger brother. They had no idea. They didn’ t know who owned the shop. They just came over because it was a Scandinavian shop,” Carmen said.
Carmen also remembers coming over to the shop as a child before her parents, Harold and Jean Watkins, bought it in 1984. They were both close to retirement age. Jean worked at the shop seven days a week for 20 years and many customers frequented the shop to visit with her.
Carmen and JoAnn began working in the shop one day a week when they were younger and eventually took over the shop about a decade ago. They still get inquiries about their mom.“ Forever when we started working here people would walk in and say,‘ where’ s the little lady, the older lady that’ s
This postcard shows the original House of Scandinavia shop, circa 1960s or 1970s. Woodcarver Harvey Hultquist built the shop in 1952. He and his wife, Elaine, lived seasonally in part of the building and had the store in the other. Photos courtesy of Carmen Graves
usually here, where’ s the elderly lady, where’ s your mom, where’ s your mom.’ It was constant,” Carmen says with a fond smile and tears building in her eyes.
Both daughters carry on the traditions of not only what they sell, but the relationships their parents created with their loyal customers.
“ We have great customers. We have customers from the area who come in all the time. They just stop in to say‘ hey what’ s going on, what do you have new’ look around a little bit,” Carmen says. The shop also has returning tourist customers.“ This is a stop they make every time they come. Which is wonderful to hear,” Carmen says. JoAnn shares about a couple who had a cabin in the Hills, flying in each year and renting a car.“ On the way to their cabin they would stop here every time and they’ d stop at the little frosty thing( Dairy Twist) by Hill City,” before heading to their cabin to turn the power on. myblackshillscountry. com Down Country Roads
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