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I was born & raised in Porterville, attended local schools, & taught elementary school for 38 years. I was a teacher & administrator at Hope Elementary School for most of that time.
In 2011 my Navy Veteran husband, Richard & I opened Calico Mermaid on Main Street, a fabric shop specializing in fabric supplies & classes for making quilts.
We’re very proud to celebrate 13 years in business next month. I had no background in retail before we began, but I always loved sewing & creating. I feel that staying creative is extremely important, especially as we grow older. It brings me great joy to see how & what others create with materials I have selected.
I enjoy providing inspiration, expertise & a comfortable space for the quilting community to come together. Many days we’ll have sewing enthusiasts from diverse areas of California shopping together & helping each other. They arrived as strangers but leave with new friends & a feeling of accomplishment as well as the materials they need to complete their project.
My employees, Jen, Rae Lynne, Noeleen & Ashley help me host sewing retreats in the shop, & also at SCICON twice each year. These events always sell out quickly & draw quilters from all over.
The Portervlle community is very important to us. We work closely with Porterville Quilters, our local quilt club. We work with PHS to provide internships for the Business Academy & we sponsor prizes at the Porterville Fair. We love being part of the downtown community.
Several times each year we vend at quilt shows throughout the state. On April 12-13 we’ll be vending at the Best of the Valley Quilt Show in Lindsay, where we also sponsor cash prizes for several categories.
We are often invited to vend at quilt guild retreats outside the area where we enjoy making new connections with quilters.
When we aren’t in the shop, Richard & I enjoy traveling & scuba diving, as well as spending time with our son’s family. We especially love time spent with our grandsons.
Visit Calico Mermaid's Website