Spicing things up in the U.P.

MARQUETTE — A local business is spicing things up in downtown Marquette.

The Spice Merchants have been open for about a year now and the business seems to be just the right blend for the downtown area. The family-owned shop has 130 flavored teas and more than a hundred spices to select from.

“Our coconut spice Oolong is the most popular item in the store. So people come in a lot for that. We also have people coming for Matcha, it is a powdered green tea and our black teas, those are really popular,” said Spice Merchants store manager, Michael Carl.

They also carry a variety of oils and vinegar. And if you pop by on the weekend they sample their spices on freshly popped popcorn. Their spices range from the routine to the unusual and interesting.

“Since we have a high Finnish and Scandinavian and Swedish population up here, they like cardamom, a lot of people bake cardamom bread so that seems to be very popular,” continued Carl.

Although they have plenty of tea accessory items, from infusers to books and kettles, the all natural teas are the most popular item they sell. And if you can’t find what you are looking for among the hundreds of items, they do offer custom blends.