 | | Einerlei's interior is a visual feast, a complex warren holding a surprising variety of well-chosen items: clothing, kitchenware and tableware, garden supplies and flowers, and cards, The rear gardens are open for visitors, and the Pet Photo Contest is an ongoing feature. | This restful, pretty shop, part gifts and clothing, part kitchen store, part greenhouse and garden store, has grown into a handsome, rambling series of indoor and outdoor spaces. Good design and natural themes are the rule. Here are cards and stationery (often on recycled paper); a growing selection of handmade jewelry by regional artists; candles; a kitchen shop with many cookbooks; a Christmas room; and a florist's room with garden accents. Regional items are everywhere, from thimbleberry jam to T-shirts and sweatshirts to nature and history books to hand-thrown pots and prints and photographs by area artists. A selection of regional foods, books, and gifts is shown online at the Einerlei web site, einerlei.com. All merchandise is available mail-order.
There's comfortable, easy-care eco-friendly natural-fiber clothing for men and women—organically grown cotton and some hemp, and more scarves. In summer it's fun to look through the pet photo contest submissions.
Customers are welcome to sit and relax on the rear deck. It overlooks the geometrically planned rear garden and sales area for organically grown herbs, flowering perennials, and scented geraniums.
The greenhouse is disguised as a summerhouse. Beautiful perennial and wildflower display gardens are in the back and front.
There's so much on the first level, it's easy to miss the upstairs tabletop, bath, sauna, and home accessory areas. The second floor also has a cozy corner for browsing in books about women's concerns, from child-rearing to menopause.
Nancy and Bill Leonard started Einerlei in 1975 after quitting their jobs in Indiana (he was a civil engineer, she taught special ed) and spending a year exploring the Middle West and Canada. (—May, 2008)
Look for the green awnings on the west side of U.S. 41 in the center of Chassell. (906) 523-4612. Open year-round. May-Dec: Mon-Sat 9-6, Sun 11-5. Jan-April: Mon-Sat 10-5, closed Sunday. Wheelchair access: first floor, gardens.
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