13 Michigan Retailers With the Mother’s Day Gift You Didn’t Know Mom Needed

From locally-sourced chocolates to jewelry with Michigan stones, check out these local retailers shipping Mother’s Day gifts nationwide.

MICHIGAN—There’s no one in the world (or Michigan) quite like mom, and we sure do love to let her know. In fact, last year most Americans spent an average of $219 on Mother’s Day, with Millennials spending nearly twice that amount – around $432.

So okay, we spoil our moms. And in Michigan, moms are just as likely to enjoy kayaking and camping as they are chocolate and Netflix. If you’re looking to get your mom a gift that’s as unique as she is, check out these Michigan retailers. They’ve got your perfect Mother’s Day gift covered.

Food Gifts

Grocer’s Daughter Chocolate (Empire)

Those who know the story of the Sleeping Bear Dunes know this Northern Michigan landmark was said to be a mother bear and her two cubs who crossed Lake Michigan. Anishinaabe tribes’ oral traditions have said their Great Spirit turned the mother into the dunes and her cubs into North and South Manitou Islands, where she could watch her children vigilantly. For Mother’s Day, then, a mom who has always kept a watchful eye on you deserves some chocolate straight from the Sleeping Bear Dunes shores.

Grocer’s Daughter Chocolate in the small town of Empire is powered by Michigan women, with Denmark immigrant and founder Mimi Wheeler serving as the eponymous “Grocer’s Daughter.” Their most popular products are handcrafted European-style truffles and honey caramel made with directly sourced Ecuadorian chocolate. 

Mom will love the diverse flavors of chocolate, from traditional–like milk chocolate hazelnut and raspberry–to herbal, like lavender and mint–to unique flavors, like maple syrup, apricot, and pear ginger. Gift boxes may include truffles, bars, bark, drinking chocolate, and chocolate covered snacks. If mom’s a baker, then she’ll love locally-sourced baking ingredients, too, like chocolate discs, cocoa powder, and roasted cacao nibs.

Visit the Grocer’s Daughter Chocolate website to browse. Grocer’s Daughter ships nationwide with local pickup available in Empire.

Bonus: Pair the chocolates with a copy of Kathy-Jo Wargin’s classic book, “The Legend of Sleeping Bear,” which you can buy online or in-person from retailers like McLean & Eakin Booksellers in Petoskey.

Sanders Candy (Clinton Township)

Candy, hot fudge, and cream puffs from Sanders have been Michigan institutions since they first came out of Fred Sanders Schmidt’s’ Detroit kitchen in 1875. Today, Sanders has multiple locations in the Detroit Metro area and distributes nationwide.

Sanders is perhaps most well known for its dessert toppings and sea salt caramels. They also make Michigan’s infamous “bumpy cake,” a devil’s food cake with long buttercream strips on top and covered in fudge icing. Sanders also sells a variety of other chocolates, including peanut butter treats, pecan clusters, and more. Check out their affordable gift boxes for the kind of variety that mom will love.

Visit the Sanders website to browse. They ship nationwide and have four retail locations.

Original Murdick’s Fudge (Mackinac Island)

Mackinac Island fudge is so good, tourists who flock to Mackinac Island for a slab have their own nickname: “fudgies.” Why not give mom a taste of the tourist life?

Fudgies might argue about which confectioner makes the “best” fudge, but it’s hard to beat Murdick’s flavors and shipping options. This Mackinac Island original dates back to the late 1880s, when the Murdick family worked on canvas awnings for the Grand Hotel. Today, the Murdick’s brand keeps the spirit of Michigan alive, with local-crafted flavors like Michigan Maple Walnut and Traverse City Cherry. They also serve timeless saltwater taffy, peanut brittle, English toffee, and caramel corn. Gift boxes of fudge or other candies are available.

Visit the Murdick’s website to browse. Murdick’s ships nationwide and has three retail stores in Northern Michigan.

Cherry Republic (Glen Arbor)

Whether mom loves cherries, Traverse City, or food in general, you’ll find plenty of creative gift options from Cherry Republic.

Cherry Republic’s most popular products are, perhaps not surprisingly, Michigan’s trademark Montmorency Tart Cherries–both in dried from and covered in chocolate. You’ll also find cherry-based products at the shop, like salsas, jams, honey, coffee, barbecue sauce, and hot sauce. In their “Especially for Mom” gift box, there’s a selection of these products plus chocolate-covered cherries and a baking mix for cherry scones.

Visit the Cherry Republic website to browse. Cherry Republic ships nationwide and has six retail locations across Michigan’s Lower Peninsula.

Zingerman’s (Ann Arbor)

Zingerman’s is a legendary culinary destination in Ann Arbor, with Reuben sandwiches beloved by University of Michigan students for nearly 60 years. In that time, the Zingerman’s brand has expanded to include multiple restaurants, event spaces, and a mail-order catalog with a wide variety of things for the mom-types in your life. 

Gift boxes made for Mother’s Day feature products made by women, including everything you’d want on a charcuterie board–think cheeses, salami, preserves, and more. There’s the Mother’s Day Weekender gift box, which includes both sweet and savory edible gifts, such as bread, brownies, scones, coffee cake, peanut brittle, preserves, honey, and more. If mom’s more of a brunch person, the Mother’s Day Brunch Box might be the right call. This gift box comes with four scones, preserves, coffee, and a Jewish sweet bread known as babka. And if mom wants to do the cooking herself, consider picking up the official Zingerman’s Bakehouse cookbook. 

There are plenty of possible gifts at Zingerman’s for every mom and every budget. Visit the Zingerman’s website to browse. Zingerman’s ships fast and nationwide, with free local pick up from their warehouse in Ann Arbor.

American Spoon (Petoskey)

Michiganders are fortunate enough to enjoy a state with a diverse array of locally-grown produce. At American Spoon, you have access to the best orchards and berry farms in Northern Michigan.

American Spoon started as a retailer for morel mushrooms in the 1980s, but has since become a go-to spot for preserves, condiments, drink mixes, and more. The cherry, peach, apricot, raspberry, blueberry, and strawberry preserves are crowd favorites, but also check out their jams, salsas, and mustards. Check out their gift boxes centered around breakfast-lovers, entertainers, and preserves variety packs.

Visit the American Spoon website to browse. American Spoon ships nationwide and has five retail stores across northern Michigan.

Apparel and Beauty Gifts

The Little Flower Soap Co. (Chelsea)

Does mom need a spa day? You’ll find all the best Michigan-made products for a self-care routine at The Little Flower Soap Co. And best of all, all their products are handmade with essential oils and always free of Parabens, phthalates, and sulfates.

Little Flower Soap Co. offers a variety of gift sets with bath and beauty products. For Mother’s Day, they’ve got three ready to go: One is a candle and soap gift set, which includes an essential oil soap, wax candle, and matchbook. Another is a self-care gift box, with a candle, bath bomb, face and body oil, sugar scrub, bath salts, and handmade soap. There’s also the lavender aromatherapy gift box, which includes room spray, soap, candle, and roll-on for aromatherapy through lavender and bergamot. But make sure to check out their full line of soaps, body balms, lip balms, candles, and more.

Visit the Little Flower Soap Co. website to browse.

Stormy Kromer (Ironwood)

Moms who love the great outdoors will appreciate this Midwest apparel original. The Stormy Kromer is a standard “Yooper” style hat that’s quite popular in the Upper Peninsula.

Stormy Kromer hats are custom-fitted wool caps, with a special band designed to keep ears warm through U.P. winters. Stormy Kromer has plenty of other premium textile products, too, that mom will love, like jackets and vests for the great outdoors, bandanas and neckwarmers, and wristlet and crossbody bags.

Visit the Stormy Kromer website to browse. Stormy Kromer ships nationwide and internationally. Check their retail finder for a retailer near you.

Michigan Awesome (Holland)

Michigan Awesome is a retailer on a mission: to celebrate state pride and hometown love, and they do it with so much joy that they might start to remind you of someone special…(it’s your mom).

Score some super cute, campfire-ready fleece apparel, a “Michigangster” mug, and artisan soaps inspired by Michigan’s most beloved places. And check out their line of drinkware, perfect for sipping Michigan-made spirits, wines, and more. Can’t decide? They’ve got ready-to-go gift boxes and gift cards, too.

Visit the Michigan Awesome website to browse. Michigan Awesome ships nationwide, with pick-up available for customers in the Holland area. 

Woosah Outfitters (Grand Rapids)

This Grand Rapids-based art and apparel brand may have a curious name, but you and your mom will both like what it means–“inner peace.” And if your mom’s a Michigander or Michigan-lover, she’ll know the Mitten State is the best place to find woosah.

A woman-led business, Woosah Outfitters has a wide selection of apparel options with designs inspired by nature and nature-lovers. If mom’s more of an art fan, Woosah has a variety of art prints depicting woodblock and woodcut graphics designed by artist Rae Lang. There’s also plenty of traditional gifts, like candles, drinkware, blankets, and more.

Visit the Woosah website to browse. Woosah ships nationwide and offers in-store pickup.

Jewelry Gifts

Stone Treasures by the Lake (Interlochen)

What better way to make a Mother’s Day gift more Michigan than by using Michigan stones? Stone Treasures by the Lake produces jewelry art from artist Jacqueline Johnson, many in the form of Michigan’s official state stone, the Petoskey stone.

Jackie is a born-and-raised Michigander who developed a passion for collecting Michigan’s unique stones. Now, she offers handcrafted stone jewelry with stones from Michigan and around the world. In addition to an impressive array of Petoskey stone jewelry, shoppers can also find stones such as Lake Michigan Unakite, Lake Superior Agate, and more. A wide variety of jewelry is available at any budget.

Visit the Stone Treasures by the Lake website to browse. Stone Treasures by the Lake ships nationwide.

Rebel Nell Jewelry (Detroit)

If you’ve got a mom who keeps up with social issues, she’ll go crazy for jewelry from Detroit’s Rebel Nell. Not only does Rebel Nell provide socially conscious and sustainable jewelry, it also aims to empower local women by teaching them the career skill of making jewelry. The artistic statement of Rebel Nell is truly unique, as its primary inspirations are graffiti and repurposed materials. And the profits from Rebel Nell contribute to supporting underserved women.

Rebel Nell is perfect for any lover of Detroit, as it has created artistic partnerships with the Detroit Tigers and Motown Museum, as well as designed collections inspired by Detroit landmarks. Traditional jewelry offerings include rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets, but Rebel Nell also has other products, including an extensive collection of bottle stoppers. Check out their special collection of “Fordite” jewelry, also known as Detroit agate, which is a hardened layered build-up of automotive paint from a formerly-used automotive process.

Visit the Rebel Nell website to browse. Rebel Nell ships nationwide and has two retail locations in the Detroit area.

Korner Gem (Traverse City)

This Traverse City jewelry store is the perfect opportunity to give mom a blast from the past—a charm bracelet with a Michigan twist. Charm bracelets were popular with teenagers in the 1950s and 1960s, often given as a “coming of age” gift, and each charm represented a new life event. Korner Gem fashions Michigan-themed charms using Michigan stones such as the Petoskey stone and Leland Blue stone. One charm is the M22 charm, depicting the road sign for the famous scenic highway.

Even if the charm bracelet is not mom’s thing, Korner Gem has plenty of other Michigan themed offerings, including necklaces and rings depicting the state, as well as other jewelry using Leland Blue stones and Petoskey stones. You can even buy ornaments using Petoskey stone pieces. If mom is a crafter, then she’ll love the crafting stones in the form of Leland Blue, Petoskey stones, and beach glass.

Visit the Korner Gem website to browse. Korner Gem ships nationwide and has a retail store.