A visit to the Celts and Vikings store in Crawford Bay is about more than simply shopping — it may also be a chance to find out about your family’s distant past. And owner Laurie-Lee Mills is delighted to share what she knows.
“I just noticed that Caucasians don’t know their own background,” she said. “For me, it’s about helping others learn about their ancestors.”
In many cases, those ancestors were, of course, Celts and Vikings, names that describe more than just a specific group or nationality.
“It’s more of a style of belief and artwork,” said Mills. “But if you put up borders, they are Irish and Scottish, and Vikings are all the Scandinavian people.”
Born in U.S.A., Mills moved to Canada when she was two, and lived in Saskatchewan, B.C. and Alberta before deciding to give Crawford Bay a try after hearing about artisans such as a blacksmith, broom maker and weaver.
“Those are all ancient occupations, so I thought I’d fit right in because I’m a leathersmith,” she said.
The 1611 Highway 3A shop (former the location of the Purple Door wizard shop) is Mills’ first permanent location; she began selling in the 1990s and has had an online store, as well as booths as comic and entertainments expos.
Her store offers home decor, jewelry, herbs, hats made by her son, live action role-playing (LARP) costumes and nearly any Celt- or Viking-related movie. Mills’ own creations are there, too, from leather drums to walking staffs to drinking horns to masks — and together, they add up to a unique experience for visitors in the rural community.
“They’ll come in and they'll actually squeal,” Mills said. “They get so excited.”
There’s more to the Celts and Vikings experience, though. Mills also has trivia, historical information and mythology posted around the store, and what may seem like fantasy today was simply those early peoples’ way of explaining what was going on around them.
“The myths sounds farfetched, but they’re symbols for an eclipse or a storm,” she said. “Our ancestors’ beliefs are parallel to the First Nations. For some reason, Rome influenced everyone, and they took on that. …
“Just like the First Nations, you shouldn’t umbrella them under one belief. Every tribe had its own gods. They were on Earth and you could feel them.”
And there’s always more to learn — and customers can be sure Mills will pass on what she knows.
“It’s like you hear the bagpipes or listen to Celtic music or read a poem by your ancestors, and you want to learn more,” said Mills. “The more I study, the more I’m fascinated.”
