A bit of Scandinavia — in Sugar House

For those wanting to take a trip to one of the Scandinavian countries, it may be closer than they think — perhaps right around the corner in Sugar House.

The Scandia Kaffe House, 1693 S. 900 East, offers residents in the Salt Lake Valley a taste of what a visit to countries such as Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark or Iceland would be like from music to pastries to jewelry to chocolates, which seem to fly right out of the store, said Eva Neergaard Burt, who is in charge of gifts and imports at the store.

"I think even if you don't have any particular background in Scandinavia, I think it's just good for people to learn more, (to) expand their horizons and see what another country is like. Hopefully you get the flavor of another country when you come in here," Burt said. "I think it's fun not only for those that are of Scandinavian heritage but for others, too, to expand their horizons."

Burt says she tries to keep merchandise in the store that would be interesting to those who have been to Scandinavian countries and want to remember but also to those wanting to learn more about the countries. Burt did extensive research to figure out what items to have in the store from all the Scandinavian countries, instead of just Norway where she was born. The store sells trolls, Scandinavian music, sweaters, books, T-shirts, flags, sticker decals and most of all pastries and food items.

Some of the most popular food items include marzipan cake, eclairs, almond vinero, which is a type of Danish pastry, and open-faced shrimp sandwiches. Many people who have been to Scandinavian countries like to have marzipan cake at their weddings. The store also offers catering and wedding services and items such as cookware or bakeware for anyone celebrating Scandinavian holidays.

"I try to find things people remember from their childhood and have been looking for," Burt said.

Trine Albertsen, Scandia Kaffe House manager, came to the United States with her family from Denmark when she was only 4 years old. Her background has helped her many times when people came in looking for something without necessarily knowing the name.

Alice Lingen Bradway of Salt Lake City says she has always been interested in the Norwegian culture and is of Norwegian descent. She loves coming into the store to learn about the culture and sample foods from it.

"It's a place where there's always been Scandinavian goodies to eat," she said. "The boutique used to be smaller, but now it has expanded. I go in to have Scandinavian goodies and pick up Scandinavian things."