About

Yooper Casual started as a shop that was once known as Country Charm.  Once I started designing more and labeling my designs with the Yooper Casual name, it was decided that the Yooper Casual name fit our shop better than the Country Charm name.  We’re located in the quaint city of Marquette Michigan located along the shores of beautiful Lake Superior.  

It’s a family ran business that opened in 2004.  Grandma Sharon, daughter Taylor, son Tyler and myself (mom to Taylor and Tyler & daughter to Sharon) work in the shop daily. Marquette is a  beautiful area that portrays the four seasons well!

My mom (Sharon)  had just retired from a bank in 2003 in the Houghton area.  I was currently working at the time at a bank in Marquette.  On one of my daily walks through downtown Marquette, I came across an empty storefront.  Out of curiousity  I stepped inside and noticed the beautiful hardwood floors and how they creaked when you walked on them.  The high cathedral ceiling made the space open and airy.  There were nooks and crannys everywhere.  I could picture this space being a beautiful space for a gift shop!  What was I thinking, I’ve never worked retail, I never owned a business, I didn’t know the first thing about starting one, but this place drew me in as soon as I walked through the door.  I left and immediately called my mom telling her about my crazy idea about opening a gift shop.  She agreed with me, she thought I was crazy too.

That was March of 2004, skip forward to the present, I somehow talked the whole family into taking part in my crazy idea of running a gift shop and we love it.  We have so many good times, but there have also been struggles.  The economy plays a large part in our sales so we have good years and then we have average years.  All in all, the leap of faith has been worth it and I can’t tell you how many great people we have met along the way!

Within the past few years I started my own product lines that I create myself.  We wanted to offer unique products in our shop, so I ventured into jewelry making.  I love working with all the elements of designing different pieces developing differents looks, patterns, textures and syle.  Then in addition to my jewelry pieces I jumped into apparel design, where I create designs for the tshirts and sweatshirts in the shop and finally I added custom mugs and signs to the product mix.  I love doing it all, and as long as our customers keep coming back, I’ll keep creating!

It makes us feel good to be able to help someone out in selecting a special gift for a new baby, a parents or sibling birthday, or that special anniversary.  We love that we can help!

The “Yoopers” of Upper Michigan, including myself, take great pride in our somewhat remote part of the world. If you’ve never visited Upper Michigan, it’s unique, like no other place on Earth.

We show that pride in the jewelry and clothing we wear, the bumper stickers we place on our cars and the signs we put in our yards! I love the area I live in and would like to share a small piece of where I live with you.

Thank you for taking an interest in our story.

We hope you enjoy your shopping experience!

Hugs,

Kellie