Business finds a temporary home at Northbridge Mall

Published 10:00 pm Wednesday, October 31, 2018

BRICELYN — Bricelyn’s Brush Creek Boutique and Floral Shop has popped up in Albert Lea this season.

Linda Gullickson, the shop’s owner, decided to try something new this year. In addition to taking her one-of-a-kind handmade items to traveling craft shows throughout the region, she has opened a pop-up shop at Northbridge Mall, which will be open through Dec. 15.

The store will be run by Gullickson and Kelly Meislahn, who has worked with Gullickson for the last four years.

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“Every week it’s going to change,” Meislahn said of the store’s stock, which consists of home and seasonal decor. “Fall’s over in a week, so we’re going to pull fall and put more Christmas.”

“The thing to remember is that these items are one-of-a-kind so when they’re gone, they’re gone,” she said. “We try to replenish with something similar, but it’s never going to be identical. It’s not a cookie cutter shop. (The boutique) is a very unique place.”

More Christmas decor will fill the Brush Creek Boutique and Floral Shop pop-up shop at Northbridge Mall as the season approaches. – Kelly Wassenberg/Albert Lea Tribune

Some of the most popular items include steel Christmas trees, evergreen planters and standing word or name boards, which can be personalized.

“There’s always going to be something different,” Meislahn said, noting Gullickson is continuously coming up with new ideas for projects.

Gullickson specializes in repurposing, so the only thing new about the pieces is typically the nails, screws, staples and wire that hold them together. 

“Anything you see that we’ve handmade, most of it is upcycled,” Meislahn said. “Meaning we have taken something that most people would have thrown in the trash and made something amazing out of it.”

Meislahn will be at the pop-up location from about 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays for the next few weeks while Gullickson finishes up with her craft shows. She’s also available to open up the store by appointment, which the pair also do at the boutique in Bricelyn.

For updates on hours of the pop-up store, as well as how to sign up for make-your-own birch basket and porch pot classes — which will take place in Albert Lea — visit the Brush Creek Boutique Facebook page. To make an appointment to shop outside of business hours, call 507-653-4483.