The Laughing Berry Gift Shop, owned and operated by Lindarae Shearer, is in the Artists Village on the waterfront above the “New Breakwater” next to the Metlakatla Long House. Purveyors of many diverse items, Laughing Berry specializes in variety. Gift selection might include not only traditional arts of the Tsimshian people, but also items one might find at a Middle Eastern bazaar, or an Open Market in Indonesia, or even a Nordstrom store!

 

Laughing Berry Gift Shop is considered one of the best gift shops in Southeast Alaska. Visitors have remarked on the beauty of the shop and the many different items for sale. Artwork by several Tsimshian artists from Metlakatla is featured here. Of note is the fact that all of the work by Metakatlans is handcrafted and original. None is imported.

 

The owner has made a real effort to carry not only Tsimshian art but also work done by many other artists from Southeast Alaska, most of whom are her friends. Shearer also adds interest to her store by stocking shelves with commonly sought after goods, such as brightly colored sarongs from Indonesia, small bags made from repurposed hand-woven rugs from the Middle East, lamps, and unique glassware for the home.

 

Also displayed on the walls of the Laughing Berry shop are many beautifully framed art prints, created by a vast array of the most talented artists: Bill Holm, Terry Pyles of Ketchikan, Ray Troll, Robert and Wayne Hewson, David Boxley, and Evelyn Vanderhoop, to name a few.

 

The diversity and excellence of art in this shop brings an exotic flavor and ambiance to the store. It’s common for people to exclaim, “What a beautiful shop!” or even, “It smells good in here!”

 

Shearer also has created a collection of botanical products that she makes from local forest plants such as Devils Club, a traditional and medicinal plant used extensively by Coastal Natives. Its healing properties are highly sought after; its uses many and varied: skin issues (even relief of psoriasis), relief from pain in joints, nerves, and muscles, just to name a few. She also creates a tea mixture of Devils Club and Hudson Bay Tea which helps build the immune system and heals certain conditions. Other botanical products are sold as well, such as Black Seaweed from the pristine waters off of Annette Island and Hudson Bay Tea (ledum palustre) from Annette Island forests.