Buskala’s Jewelry & Gifts Too!

By Jamie Lund jlund@pinejournal.com

NAME: Buskala’s Jewelry & Gifts Too!

CURRENT OWNER: John and Joanne Buskala

DATE OPENED: 1881

FOUNDER: John Buskala

LOCATION: 1010 Cloquet Ave.

Interesting Facts:

► Founder John Buskala immigrated to the U.S. from Finland.

► He began his jewelry business on the front porch of his home in 1881.

► The building was rebuilt after the 1918 fire.

► He was multilingual: He spoke English, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian and Polish.

► The current owner, John Buskala, is the founder’s great-grandson.

► If you hadn’t figured it out yet, they share a name.

► Current owner John Buskala’s grandfather spoke often about how the store’s founder would translate among immigrants as they worked out a deal.

► “He was kind of a character,” John said about his great-grandfather.

► Great-grandson John Buskala is the fourth generation to own and operate the family business.

Buskala’s Jewelry & Gifts Too! was built at this location after the original store burned in the 1918 fire. The current owner, John Buskala, is the fourth generation of the family to own the store in downtown Cloquet. John added the vintage looking clock on the sidewalk in front of the store around 15-20 years ago. It is similar to one that was on the front of the original store in the early 1900s.