About Noc Bay Trading Company
A Tradition That Began in 1978
For more than four decades, Noc Bay Trading Company has been a trusted source for Native American craft supplies, materials, and knowledge. Founded in 1978, the company grew from a simple belief: well-made, beautiful work begins with quality materials. That belief continues to guide Noc Bay Trading Company today, from the products it carries to the service it provides to the people who walk through its doors.
Rooted in Escanaba
Located in Escanaba, Michigan, on the shores of Lake Michigan’s Little Bay de Noc, Noc Bay Trading Company has built its reputation as both a local store and a resource for people across the country. What began in 1978 has grown into a specialized collection of supplies for Native American arts and crafts, including beads and beading supplies, jewelry-making tools and findings, leather, feathers, bone and horn hairpipe, fabrics, patterns, instructional books, and materials for powwow dance clothing. The store also offers Native American-style musical instrument supplies, including drum, rattle, and flute kits.
Knowledge You Can Count On
Noc Bay Trading Company has also remained firmly rooted in its local community. Its brick-and-mortar store in Escanaba provides customers with the opportunity to browse materials in person, ask questions, and receive guidance from knowledgeable staff. Customers have consistently recognized the store for its wide selection, organized displays, reasonable prices, and friendly customer service. The staff’s experience with traditional crafting methods allows them to do more than simply point customers toward a product—they can help people understand the materials and techniques behind the projects they are working to create.
A Local Store with a Wider Reach
While the business has embraced the ability to serve customers beyond Escanaba through its online presence, its identity remains deeply connected to the local store where customers can see and experience the materials firsthand. Located on Washington Avenue, just east of U.S. 2 and 41 and near the entrance to the U.P. State Fairgrounds, the store has become a familiar destination for both local customers and visitors to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
More Than Just Craft Supplies
At the heart of Noc Bay’s work, however, is more than simply selling supplies. The company has always believed in helping preserve and encourage the knowledge and skills behind the crafts themselves. Its mission has been to encourage the next generation to become active in learning and experiencing Native cultural arts. Through its Learning Circle program, Noc Bay has offered free instruction in a variety of basic crafting techniques, helping make traditional skills and creative knowledge more accessible to those who want to learn.
Helping Ideas Become Creations
That commitment to education has created connections that extend far beyond the walls of the store. Over the years, the Noc Bay team has had the privilege of seeing photographs of customers wearing outfits they created with materials purchased from the company, including at regional powwows throughout the area. For Noc Bay, seeing those finished creations is one of the most rewarding parts of the business. It is a reminder that the beads, leather, feathers, fabrics, tools, and other materials on its shelves are ultimately part of something much bigger: people learning, creating, participating, and carrying cultural arts forward.
Carrying the Tradition Forward
Through more than 40 years of business, Noc Bay Trading Company has stayed true to the idea that quality materials, accessible knowledge, and personal service can help people turn an idea into something meaningful. From a first-time crafter learning the basics to experienced artists preparing regalia for a regional powwow, Noc Bay has worked to provide the materials and knowledge needed along the way.
Today, Noc Bay Trading Company continues the tradition that began in 1978: providing quality Native American craft supplies while helping people learn, create, and keep cultural arts alive for generations to come. What started as a small business has become a longstanding part of the Escanaba community and a resource for Native American arts and crafts enthusiasts far beyond Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.