Plano’s Little Scandinavian Grocery and Gift Shop Is Getting Flowers on Social Media

Wooden Spoon is an endearing little shop located near downtown Plano that’s been selling imported Scandinavian products since its founder, Gwen Workman, opened its doors over three and a half decades ago with the goal of sharing her culture with the community.

While it has maintained a quiet reputation as a mainstay in that community all this time, thanks to the Swedish candy corner of TikTok and Instagram — which, evidently, is a thing — it’s becoming even more well-known particularly for the Swedish candies it offers in bulk.

It’s certainly not been without its flowers all these years, however. In a segment on WFAA that covered Workman’s retirement in 2022, Mayor John Muns gifted her a key to the city, and before that, it was crowned “Best Kitchen Accessories” by D Magazine in both 2014 and 2015.

Since the beginning of this year, short-form videos of the store between Instagram and TikTok have collectively garnered hundreds of thousands of views, and many fans of the shop seem to have a particular affinity for Bubs: chewy, gummy candies in flavors ranging from fruit to caramel, licorice and more from a brand called Bubs Godis (all of which happen to be vegan).

@brindisirahne If you don’t want to wait 3+ months to try Swedish candy 🙃, you’ve gotta go to the Wooden Spoon in Plano, TX. They said they have more BUBS ordered that should arrive around 4/8 #swedishcandy #swedishcandydallas #bubsdallas #wheretogetswedishcandydallas ♬ Peace Blossom Boogy - Babe Rainbow

When we stopped by, we overheard a group of shoppers telling the associates at the counter they were visiting from Las Vegas and how long they’d wanted to go there. It seems that by way of social media and its past successes (or a combination of both), word has traveled — at the very least — all that way.

@vinabobina 📍 Wooden Spoon 🥄 #swedishcandy #swedishcandyshop #planotx #dfwhiddengems #dfwfoodie #swedishtiktok ♬ Lady Love - Thee Sacred Souls

Wooden Spoon’s original location was in McKinney before Workman relocated the shop to the Forman House in 1992, which remains its location. According to Wooden Spoon’s website, the house, which is registered as a landmark as the first home built in Plano back in 1867, was headed for demolition when Workman and husband Jim Workman bought it. The renovations took years.

In 2014 — in a story that finds itself among one of the most serendipitous we’ve read — Plano Magazine reported that while looking at the property, Workman prayed for a sign as to whether the Forman House was where she ought to move the shop — before finding a Swedish toy around the back of the home.
Though she’s since retired, homemade gingersnaps (pepparkakor) and Sugar Dreams cookies (drömmar) that have been prepared with her recipes sit at the checkout counter for sale by the half-dozen. In addition to an impressive collection of cookbooks covering Scandinavian cuisine, Workman’s own book is in stock, which is titled My Cooky Journal, with the tagline “sharing a story and a cooky.”

Aside from its gift and grocery sections, there’s an art gallery upstairs and a miniature consignment shop in the back in what once might’ve been a closet or pantry that’s filled to the brim with books, vintage homewares and traditional Scandinavian clothing.
Shelves are stocked with Christmas sodas, glögg mixes (Swedish mulled wine), as well as cookies, teas, coffee and more, all imported from Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark. And if you happened to enjoy Moomin (the central character in a children's books series from Finnish writer and illustrator Tove Janssonas) as a kid, let us tell you, there’s Moomin merchandise abound in this place.
To our surprise, we learned that the space has been for sale for three years. One associate told us that Workman is hoping to sell both the business and building together, and while reporting on her retirement, Plano Magazine stated that she is waiting for the right buyer. It’s a quaint little spot that appears to have been a mainstay all this time, which leads us to hope that whoever gets ahold of it next is able to do it the same justice she has.
And, in a sentence we never thought we’d write, we have to thank the good people of Swedish candy TikTok, without whom we might’ve never known to stop by and take a peek. It’s worth a stop if only to grab a half-dozen of Workman's pepparkakor, bag of bubs or a Christmas soda (which we didn’t try, but sounds intriguing).
Wooden Spoon, 1617 K Ave., Plano. Open Monday - Saturday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Closed Sundays.