Jordan Beck | Daily Press Noc Bay Trading Company owner Jeff Woerpel shows off a display of beads sold at his business’ storefront. For decades, Noc Bay has sold Native American craft supplies to people in the Upper Peninsula — and far beyond.

ESCANABA — For decades, Noc Bay Trading Company has sold Native American craft supplies to people in the Upper Peninsula — and far beyond.

Owner Jeff Woerpel said the business began in the late 1970s when his father, Loren Woerpel, started attending pow-wows.

“He noticed then the dancers … needed help getting the material to make their dance clothing,” he said.

Loren filled a suitcase with materials from a supplier and sold them at a table at the events.

Jeff got involved with Noc Bay in its earliest days.

“I grew up going to pow-wows every summer, dancing and selling the materials as a trader,” he said.

According to Jeff, Loren soon began to expand the business.

“In the late ’80s, we started a mail-order catalog out of his house kitchen,” Jeff said.

Mail orders make up the majority of Noc Bay’s sales today.

“83 percent of our business is through shipping materials around the country,” Jeff said.

He noted the company fulfills some orders from outside the United States, as well.

Loren retired from his job with the U.S. Forest Service in 1990. Around the same time, Jeff graduated from college.

“We looked to go full-time with the business, and we found this building in 1991,” Jeff said.

The building that houses Noc Bay, located one block east of the U.P. State Fairgrounds, is about 120 years old. It was previously used as a grocery store.

“People remember getting candy when they were kids here,” Jeff said.

In the mid-’00s, Jeff said Noc Bay established an online presence. Currently, most of the business’ sales are handled through its website.

Though Jeff and Loren had co-owned the business since 1990, Jeff took ownership of Noc Bay about three years ago. However, Jeff said his father has not left Noc Bay behind entirely.

“He still comes to work once in a while,” he said.

Products sold by Noc Bay include beads, feathers, hides, metal items, furs, skins, fabrics and fringe. The business works with 40 different suppliers to procure the products it sells.

Jeff said business has been going well for Noc Bay.

“The last three or four years, we (sold) to a lot of the tribes,” he said.

He said the tribes largely used these materials for historical and cultural education.

As helping young people learn about and experience Native cultural arts has always been Noc Bay’s mission, the business offers a “Learning Circle” on its website. The service provides instruction sheets for items of Native American dance clothing free of charge.

Loren and his wife, Donna Woerpel, also wrote a guide called “Beadworking With Today’s Materials,” which is sold by Noc Bay.

Though much of Noc Bay’s sales are shipping-based, Jeff said some local customers purchase items from the business’ storefront.

“Mostly, it’s supplies for people to make their own things,” he said.

In the future, Jeff said he aims to continue supplying the materials needed by Noc Bay’s customers.

“The culture’s always changing, so we’re always keeping up to date,” he said.

Noc Bay’s storefront is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday – Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. For more information, or to shop online, visit www.nocbay.com.