Walk into Ingebretsen’s on East Lake Street and the first thing you notice is the smell — cardamom, cheese, smoked fish, something baking. The butcher counter at the back is the original one, opened in 1921 by Charles Ingebretsen Sr., a Norwegian immigrant who had arrived in Minneapolis looking for a new start.
Charles didn’t start on Lake Street. He opened his first market in Cedar-Riverside, then a neighborhood thick with immigrants from Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. He called it Model Meat Market, and his focus was simple: provide the foods his fellow Scandinavian immigrants missed from home. He later expanded to two locations along Lake Street, and the one that remains — at 1601 East Lake Street — has been in continuous operation for over a century.
From butcher shop to Nordic hub
The transformation from meat market to Nordic marketplace happened gradually. Charles’s son, Charles “Bud” Ingebretsen Jr., took over after World War II and began expanding the offerings beyond butcher goods — adding imported Scandinavian foods, gifts, crafts, and household items. By the 1970s, Ingebretsen’s had become the place in Minneapolis for lefse, lutefisk, Norwegian cheese, Swedish cookies, and handcraft supplies.
Today, the store is run by the fourth generation. Julie Ingebretsen, Charles Sr.’s granddaughter, co-owns the business, and her daughter Anna Bloomstrand represents the fourth generation to work there. “You know, it’s a family business, so where do you say when I started?” Bloomstrand told Heavy Table. “I started when I was born.”
More than one location
Ingebretsen’s now operates from two sites. The original East Lake Street location houses the butcher shop, deli, and retail store. A second outpost — a gift boutique — opened inside Norway House on East Franklin Avenue, serving as the retail arm of what Norway House calls the National Norwegian Center in America.
The Lake Street store has seen the neighborhood change dramatically over a century. When Charles Sr. opened the shop, Lake Street was near the outer edge of Minneapolis. The area has gone through waves of transformation since — but Ingebretsen’s has stayed. Bloomstrand has noted that the family is conscious of their longstanding position in the community and has made a point of supporting newer immigrant groups, continuing a tradition that began with her great-grandfather serving his fellow newcomers a century ago.
What you’ll find
The East Lake Street store stocks Scandinavian foods (lefse, bread, crackers, cheeses, preserves, chocolate, cookies, fish, baking supplies, coffee), housewares, toys, traditional craft tools, and clothing. The deli counter serves prepared foods. Classes in Nordic handcrafts and cooking are offered regularly.
The Norway House boutique carries a curated selection of Nordic gifts, books, clothing, cookware, and jewelry.
If you’re tracing Nordic heritage in Minnesota, Ingebretsen’s is a good place to start. It’s been a continuous thread from the immigrant generation to the present — 105 years and counting.