Life on Division Street
Harrison shares some of his favorite parts of Downtown.
Harrison shares some of his favorite parts of Downtown.
Just up the hill from Downtown Northfield, Carleton has access to unique and local food and shopping opportunities. Carleton students love the cafes and restaurants, so it’s not too hard to find some info about these awesome establishments. However, the rest of Downtown deserves some love, too. Stick with me for a quick tour of Downtown Division Street and everything it offers.
Stop 1: Sustainability
Just steps off campus, we reach our first stop, the Homebody Refill Market. The newest addition to Division Street, and one of my favorites, Homebody offers sustainable and healthy alternatives for personal care and cleaning products. You can bring your containers to fill up on dish soap, cost-effective detergent, body wash, shampoo, conditioner, and much much more. Forget a container? Grab a free one from the community shelf! You’re charged by the ounce and Carleton students receive a 10% discount (and you can use your Schillers).
Stop 2: Hobbies and More
Across the street from Homebody and down a block is a series of stores that are great for starting or continuing a hobby! You’ll find Games N’ Geek first, a board and card game store that hosts events for Magic, the Gathering, Pokémon, and more.
You’ll find the joint entrance to Content Bookstore and Northfield Yarn just a few doors down. Content offers a wide range of fiction and nonfiction books, with a nice selection of puzzles, notebooks, and gifts. Beyond knitting and crochet materials and tools, Northfield Yarn also offers classes if you are looking to pick up a new skill.
One step over is The Measuring Cup, a cookware store that also sells a wide selection of locally produced ingredients, sauces, and spices. If you are like me and are awful at using a knife sharpener, you can bring your kitchen knives here to be sharpened for only $4.50 a piece!
Stop 3: The Infamous (and Unsuccessful) Bank Heist
After crossing Bridge Square you’ll be face to face with the Northfield Historical Society and the old First National Bank of Northfield, the place where the James-Younger Gang attempted an unsuccessful robbery in 1876. In the pursuit following the so-called “Northfield Raid,” the gang broke apart and the members were arrested. The Historical Society offers tours of the bank and other exhibits detailing the history of Northfield. The heroes of the raid are celebrated every year in the massive Defeat of Jesse James Days, a fair-like event that takes Downtown Northfield by storm for your first weekend here as a Carleton student. There is even a reenactment!
Stop 4: BIKES!
Whether you’re a serious cyclist or need a way to get around Northfield, Farmstead Bike Shop has something for you! You can stop by and get your tires pumped up and chain lubricated for FREE! Farmstead also partners with Carleton to recycle and restore abandoned bicycles that can be sold to students at low prices, providing cheap and sustainable transportation. They also support the annual Carleton Triathlon with a fleet of rental bikes.
Stop 5: Family Fair and More
At the end of Downtown Division Street, you’ll come across Family Fair, a perfect-sized grocery store with everything a college student needs. Across from Family Fair is Paisley Gardens, a great place to pick up a dorm plant.
This is of course only a small portion of what Downtown Northfield offers. With a boot repair store, antique shops, thrift stores, and more, Division Street has everything you need, even special events like farmers markets and music festivals.
Harrison (he/him/his) stays busy at Carleton! He is a captain of the club water polo team, plays both IM basketball and broomball, and participates in activities hosted by the German and physics departments. He loves the atmosphere of Carleton in that its students are focused on academics but they don’t let it get in the way of fun.