What: Sons of Vikings
Where: 1600 Premium Outlets Blvd, Norfolk, VA 23502
Details: SonsOfVikings.com
Most visitors to the Norfolk Premium Outlets wouldn’t expect to step into a room that feels more like a Viking longhouse than a retail space, but that’s exactly what they’ll find at Sons of Vikings.
Packed with drinking horns, Viking jewelry, Celtic brooches, wool sweaters from Ireland, Scottish tweed, kilts, chess sets inspired by ancient archaeological discoveries, Guinness merchandise, Viking-inspired clothing and enough swords, shields and other historical curiosities to keep a history buff occupied for an afternoon, Sons of Vikings is a one-stop destination for serious shoppers.
Oh, let’s not forget about the coffee.
“Berserker’s Fuel,” roasted locally on the Eastern Shore, sits among the merchandise.
In fact, most of the items in Sons of Vikings have some sort of backstory and owner Kurt Evald Noer is happy to share them with you.
Inspired by a Popular TV Show
Sons of Vikings began about nine years ago as an online business, at a time when the “Vikings” television series had sparked a renewed interest in Norse culture. Noer had recently sold his Search Engine Optimization company and was looking for a new direction in e-commerce. He was confident in two notions: the idea that niche businesses could work, and the internet could reach people with very specific interests.
“So I just dove deep and learned more about the history and Norse myths,” he says.
That education became part of the business.
Noer’s father was Danish, and while he had always been fascinated by Vikings, he had never seriously studied Norse history and mythology. As he researched, he discovered how much of the fantasy world familiar to modern audiences has roots in the old Icelandic sagas.
We’re talking wolves and ravens, plus dragons, dwarves and even elves. The stuff that Tolkien and George R.R. Martin stories draw from.
The more he learned about the history and culture of the Vikings, the more he had to sell.
Sure, a Thor’s hammer is a given, but Noer learned that Norse culture offers a lot more than the obvious. That’s when he started diving into Odin’s ravens, wolves, Viking warriors and symbols that carried centuries of history behind them.
The Celtic Invasion
Eventually, he saw some runway to move beyond only Viking goods.
Noer began taking Sons of Vikings to Celtic festivals and stumbled on something he hadn’t quite expected. Celtic merchandise was selling better, and customers were willing to spend considerably more on it.
That led to the store’s current mix of Viking and Celtic merchandise, which ranges from affordable stainless-steel jewelry to hand-crafted sterling silver and gold pieces. Now, Irish sweaters hang alongside Scottish Harris Tweed purses. There are kilts and kilt pins, Celtic jewelry, Scottish shortbread, tweed caps and Heathergem jewelry made using Scottish heather.
Noer says the distinction between the two cultures is less important than the common thread running through the store: heritage.
“It’s mostly the Scottish/Irish people who are just proud of their heritage,” he said when describing his customers.
And yes, that includes visitors who sometimes walk through the door from halfway around the world. Norfolk’s cruise traffic brings international visitors to the store, and Noer said he can often recognize where they are from as soon as they begin talking.
“Norwegian,” someone will say.
Noer responds with the Danish he knows.
For Scandinavian visitors, that can turn a shopping trip into a more personal experience.
“I feel like I’m home,” is one of the comments Noer said he particularly loves hearing.
That sense of connection is also what makes the store a bit more than a collection of merchandise.
A prime example of this is the Isle of Lewis chess set. The original pieces, discovered on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland, were carved from walrus tusk and whale bone and date to the medieval period. The famous pieces were also featured in the “Harry Potter” films. Noer can explain how the material used to make them points toward Viking-era trade routes and how the details of the pieces connect them to Scandinavian craftsmanship.
Then there are the Viking drinking horns, which Noer says are the biggest sellers on the Sons of Vikings website.
Other popular sellers include a reproduction of a bracelet worn by Ragnar Lothbrok’s character on “Vikings,” Gothic jewelry containing actual spiderwebs as well as copies of an ancient Celtic board game whose original is displayed in Ireland.
Noer says you don’t have to be a reenactor to find something interesting.
In fact, Noer said most of his customers aren’t reenactors at all. They’re people who have some connection to the culture and want to express it.
Sons of Vikings has grown dramatically since its first physical location in Chesapeake. Noer said the old shop was roughly one-fifth the size of the current space. He estimates the store now carries roughly four times as much merchandise as the old location.
Noer has also launched a second concept, Celtic Forever, built around a broader idea of heritage.
Its tagline says much of what Noer sees as the future of the business: “Celebrating heritage beyond one day a year.”
St. Patrick’s Day may bring an obvious surge of interest in Irish merchandise, just as Viking popularity once surged alongside television and popular culture. But Celtic culture can be celebrated on more than just one day in March, he says.
From Norse mythology to Celtic heritage, Sons of Vikings is a place where the flame of the past burns brightly. And if you happen to walk in just to look around, don’t be surprised if you leave knowing the story behind something you never knew you were interested in.
