Prairie Grl Shops Local Part I - Coffee and Candy

Prairie Brother, Mark, set a high standard for tour guides everywhere.  He drove through 5 inches of fresh, lake effect snow, cited historical tidbits, and did local shopping of his own.

 

Last Saturday, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, I enthusiastically shopped and ate local with my brother, Mark, sister-in-law, Heidi, and niece, Molly.  We did not enter a Starbucks.  Nor did we cruise Boston Store's irresistible yellow dot racks.  No Cheesecake Factory for lunch or Barnes & Noble for a book break.  I can safely say none of those cookie cutter, corporate stores were missed.

Don't you just love Mark's handwriting?  If you guessed he is an engineer, you are correct.

Mark was the tour guide and had us on a tight schedule.  We started off with coffee and bakery at The Amaranth Bakery & Cafe (3329 W. Lisbon Avenue).  

Get outta of the snow Wisconsinites and cozy up in Amaranth with  a cuppa coffee.
 Isn't my niece beautiful?  Next year she will be taller than her Aunt Eydie. 

 

The coffee was delicious and I had the BEST oatmeal cranberry cookie ever.  There was a gorgeous array of breads to buy.  Amaranth makes their bread by hand, typically with flours grown in Iowa, Minnesota, and the Dakotas  (Woot!  Woot!  Laura Ingalls Wilder approved). They also use all fair-trade organic sugar and wholesome sweeteners. No YUCKO corn substitutes or fructose corn syrups will be found in any of Amaranth's bakery.  I did a little holiday shopping myself and bought cardamon bread and chamomile/lavender tea. 

Heidi and I are caffeinated and ready to shop!  




Next stop is Kehr's Candy Shop  (3533 West Lisbon Ave).  Since 1930, Kehr's has been selling the best hand-dipped chocolate available.  Walking into Kehr's is like walking back in time because not much has changed since the 1930s. 

Kehr's  will ship anywhere in the United States.  Do NOT miss their exquisite Fairy Food.  I bought a stack of adorable boxes of 4 chocolates.  Most of my co-workers love fine chocolate but exist most of the year on cast off Halloween candy.  (NOTE:  Remember Kehr's when Valentine's Day rolls around.)

Prairie Grl Shops Local Part 2, will include an Edgar Allen Poe lunch box (a gift for beloved Prairie Sherry), a delicious burger, mini art, and glorious antiques.  Time is a ticking toward Christmas Day - get out there and shop local.

Prairie Eydie