1. Calistoga Pottery
City: Calistoga, CA
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (707) 942-0216
Address: 1001 Foothill Boulevard
Description: Sally and Jeff Manfredi run this pottery studio from the back of their home, and although popularity has surged, in some ways it’s all very similar to how it was in 1980. Everything is fired on-site. The company aims for utilitarian stoneware—platters, plates, pitchers, bowls, mugs, kettles, etc.—that complements food. (Sally used to be a painter, Jeff a chef.) Much of the work is made to order, but you can always find some pots for sale on the shelves.
2. Hurd Beeswax Candles
City: Calistoga, CA
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (707) 942-7410, (800) 977-7211
Address: 1255 Lincoln Avenue
Description: Get your candles and wine here: This store combines the art of beeswax candle crafting with a tasting bar that pours On the Edge wines produced by the same family that owns the candle business. There are all-beeswax candles by the score, in an endless combination of sizes and styles. A demonstration beehive is mesmerizing, with the bees busy at work generating some of the raw material from which the two-legged artisans create their masterpieces. For an up-close look at the making of these fine candles, tours of the factory in St. Helena are offered; inquire at the numbers above.
3. The Candy Cellar
City: Calistoga, CA
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (707) 942-6990
Address: 1367 Lincoln Avenue
Description: If you have not just one sweet tooth but a whole mouthful of them, abandon all hope when you enter this place. You’ll see barrels filled with saltwater taffy, jawbreakers, swirls, crunches, bubble gum, lollipops, and all the Jelly Bellies of the rainbow. Most of it is sold by weight, so you can mix and match. But you’ll probably head straight for the award-winning fudge—up to 30 flavors to choose from, depending on the day, mixed right on the spot, including the likes of chewy praline, maple nut, rocky road, and caffe latte.
4. Mudd Hens
City: Calistoga, CA
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (707) 942-0210, (800) 793-9220
Address: 1348 Lincoln Avenue
Description: Want some mud to take back home? Mudd Hens has jars of all sizes filled with volcanic ash and pine needle extract for adding to your personal soaking tub. Combine that with their seaweed mask and a bar of mud scrub and you’ll feel like new again. It’s a way to recapture the mud-bath experience you enjoyed while a visitor in Calistoga. Mudd Hens also has a collection of Tired Old Ass products, incense and candles, and the Cowgirl line of kooky western-inspired gifts.
5. A Man’S Store
City: Calistoga, CA
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (707) 942-2280
Address: 1343 Lincoln Avenue
Description: The name says it all. In a valley where women’s clothing stores dominate, here’s one for the guys. The owners opened this store to fill a niche they felt was missing in the upper valley: a place for local men to find affordable rugged work clothes and other accessories. But there’s plenty for the short-term visitor too, starting with a greeting from the store’s mascot, a German shorthaired pointer. If there’s any doubt this is A Man’s Store, just ask to scan their cigar collection, which includes Cheap Bastard, Arturo Fuente, and Montecristo.
6. American Indian Trading Company
City: Calistoga, CA
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (707) 942-9330
Address: 1407 Lincoln Avenue
Description: This long, narrow store along Calistoga’s main shopping street is overflowing with jewelry made of turquoise, charoite, spiny oyster, amber, and lots of other gems. Native American culture is represented in many ways, with kachinas, clothing, artifacts, pottery, white sage, and handcrafted flutes and drums.