From 1985-1987, Maple Grove resident Dave Looney opened four Davlins (a combination of his name with wife Linda’s) stores in the Twin Cities, selling fine crafted gifts made of wood. Business boomed, but Looney wanted to expand beyond selling woodwork. So in 1997, he built a new store called The Woods in Maple Grove. With a wider variety of merchandise including pottery, candles, home accessories, clothing and gourmet food, customer feedback for the new, northwoods lodge-themed gift store exceeded Looney’s expectations.
Looney slowly began replacing the Davlins locations with The Woods store concept, which has earned a strong reputation over the last 16 years for quality items and attractive store design. This August marked the opening of its third location, The Woods of Woodbury, at Tamarack Village. Looney chose Woodbury to reflect the successful demographic. “I’m doing something that I’ve always wanted to do,” Looney says. “And I think the new Woodbury location is a perfect match.” 8300 Tamarack Village # 110; 651.458.4011; davlinswoods.com
