Cicadas are trilling in the scorching June air, and heat waves bounce off the Plano pavement like a desert mirage, but inside the ancient Forman House is a more magical time and season. A display of Christmas ornaments twinkles in the foyer, pinecone-studded garland snakes up a wooden stairwell, and jolly nisse—bearded gnome-like spirits from Nordic folklore bearing ski poles and pointed red hats—line shelves. “I can never take any of this décor down,” says Wooden Spoon owner Gwen Workman, “because we Scandinavians celebrate Christmas year-round.”
For 37 years, this specialty shop for all things Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, and Icelandic has been a beacon for holiday cheer, as well as a global destination for Scandinavians in search of the rarest delicacies. In a refrigerated case is pungent Danbo cheese from Denmark and more than a dozen kinds of herring. Against the wall are bins of sour licorice and other Swedish candy that have made the shop an unlikely TikTok sensation. In the corner stands a glass pyramid of glögg—the mulled wine often imbibed on the icy Nordic slopes.
Since moving south from Minnesota in 1988, Workman has built up her unique inventory and introduced Texans to the finer points of Scandinavian culture, especially her family’s deep Norwegian roots. Inspired by a Norwegian exhibit at the State Fair of Texas in the early ’80s, Workman launched her shop in McKinney before setting her sights on the Forman House in Plano. A former residential fourplex and Christian bookstore, the circa 1867 house had fallen into an extreme state of disrepair.
“I looked through the window and the place was just nasty,” she says. “The roof looked like it was going to collapse, there were moldy boxes everywhere, and mushrooms were growing inside. My friends thought I was crazy for wanting it, but I could see the end result in my head.”
After spending eight-plus years refurbishing the house, Workman went to work securing a historical landmark designation for the property. As part of the proceedings with the Texas Historical Commission, she researched the building’s past, which entailed interviewing longtime members of the community. Fortuitously, some simply dropped by the store to tell their family stories, such as the time a Collin County justice of the peace paid a visit to see his sister’s former upstairs residence.
In addition to being a de facto historian for the Forman House, Workman educates Wooden Spoon customers on the finer points of Scandinavian traditions and gastronomy. Located around the store are printed recipes for dishes like potato lefse, detailing how to utilize ingredients often unfamiliar to American palates—at least in the south, far from lake country. She even has a published book, My Cooky Journal, for those interested in delving even further into the subject.
Other Scandinavian expats like herself can nostalgically peruse the exhaustive range of fruit preserves, pickles, or house-baked cookies, such as Workman’s own drömmar and spiced pepparkakor. Upstairs there is also an art gallery and a community gathering space where couples have thrown traditional Viking weddings.
The world map on the wall, dotted with pins from customers visiting from as far away as Japan and Eastern Europe, reveals the shop’s Old World reach. But the Wooden Spoon now has a new generation of fans thanks to a 2024 TikTok video celebrating the shop’s selection of hard-to-find Bubs Godis, a brand of Swedish candy known for their sour gummy skulls and sugar-coated fruit chews. Within days of posting online, the video went viral and Workman’s sweets selection was completely decimated. And that momentum has never waned, as the shop now has to replenish its stock several times a week.
With so many new, enthusiastic customers, Workman’s Nordic nirvana seems primed for another several decades of service. So, for now, all Wooden Spoon employees stand ready with a tin of Swedish krispbread and some advice on achieving a perfectly browned fiskekaker—a type of Norwegian fish cake.
“When I first moved to North Texas, there really wasn’t that much diversity. I couldn’t even find a decent bowl of soup,” she says. “Now I have people visiting me from all over the world. The store is crawling with Scandinavians and young people looking for candy. I’m amazed because I never thought it would generate so much interest.”
Editor’s Note: As we prepared to go to press, we learned that Gwen Workman passed away on Sept. 22. The Wooden Spoon remains open and encourages customers to stop by to honor her memory.
