Golden Valley's Patina: An Alternative to Holiday Mall Shopping

When it comes to finding the perfect holiday gift, most people who live in Golden Valley have to get in the car and drive to another city's mall or shopping center.  The folks at Patina are hoping to change that habit.

The Minneapolis-based retailer y last Saturday. The store had a "soft opening" and as of Thursday, still didn't have its permanent sign out front.

"We're brand new, but people were knocking on the door and on the windows as we were moving in," store manager Kelly Waterman said. "There has been a lot of excitement."

Known for carrying the uber wacky to the seriously sophisticated, Patina is making quite a name for itself in the Twin Cities. After a two-alarm fire destroyed the south Minneapolis location in February 2010, the company came roaring back with plenty of whimsy and humor.

"Everyone is obsessed with bacon, so we've got bacon everything," Waterman said. "We've got bacon wallets and bacon dental floss."

The bacon products are right next to the display of Saturday Night Live magnets and just a few feet away from the upscale jewelry display case.

"You can come to buy something for yourself, but just about everybody leaves with a gift for someone else," Waterman said. "We've got whimsical gifts for kids and adults, we've got sentimental and special gifts, and we've even got a "dude" section. And yes, it's called the "dude" section."

Over the past few weeks, employees have been painting over what's left of the old Hollywood Video that moved out when the company filed for bankruptcy earlier this year.

Now, as workers put up massive Christmas displays, any concern about the economic downturn seems to be gone. Nearly a third of the company's profits come from holiday sales, and Patina is confident Golden Valley shoppers will find their latest, and nearly the biggest, location to be an alternative to crowded shopping malls.

"Something we're hearing a lot is that our store brings even more character to the area," Waterman said. "If you knew you could get coffee or go to a cute restaurant, and then walk over here and get all of your Christmas shopping done in one place, I'd think you'd be pretty tempted."

Patina is open from 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.