If you’re curious about who we are allow me to give you some background of my company.

My name is Beth, the Main Fayrie.

This is my favorite picture of myself and daughter way back when she was 2 years old.

The Garden Fairies have been in business since 1986 emphasizing smocking, heirloom sewing, silk ribbon embroidery, fashion history, lace making and sewing supplies. It started from an idea of mine and the business expertise of my mother, who after my father’s death took over the daily operations of their Candle & Orchid shop in San Francisco’s Richmond district.

The family lineage has been in retail trade on both maternal and paternal sides throughout history (as far as I can trace) from the Dutch & Flemish traders who sold goods from their boats in 16th century Netherlands on up over to my paternal great, great grandfather who was a horse and mule trader after the Civil War (which today would equate to a car salesman). Other relatives of note are my paternal great, great grandmother who has the distinction of being President US Grant’s auntie and the French cousins who were part of New Orleans society (General Beauregard). In California’s history my maternal great grandmother who, after the death of her husband from TB (contracted from  working in the cold damp wineries of Napa Valley) ran a grocery store and bar on Sacramento Street and Grant, in Chinatown, SF 1900-6 while raising her two daughters. Yes 1906! Her store is in one of the most famous photographs looking down Sacramento Street to the Bay. If you look to the right side of the photograph her store is in the middle on the right, the dark building where all the people are standing.  This street was later destroyed by the fire which raged for 3 days.  A closer look follows. Interestingly the lot stayed vacant for 60 years after the quake and fire …

Great grandma was quite a gal.  She was brought to San Francisco from Germany by her brother Herman Lunnsman who was VP of the SF branch of  Milwaukee brewery.  Her journey to San Francisco consisted of an ocean voyaye on a Clipper Ship to Panama, a train ride across to the Pacific and another Clipper ship to San Francisco where she cleaned houses for the wealthy.  Quite a feat for a 16yr old girl in any era!  After the quake and fire the family lived in their house on 25th & Shotwell Street (in the heart of the Mission District) surviving on the stock from the now destroyed grocery store (not a word was said though about the bar stock).  A year after the quake and fire my maternal grandmother married my Dutch grandfather who had landed in San Francisco in March 1906 on a Dutch freighter and for a while after their marriage ran a grocery store in Murphy a small town in Norther California’s gold rush country.

Here is their wedding picture from 1907, such a beautiful dress.

I never saw the dress but Grandma said it was all french lace edgings attached to bobbinnet lace netting.  I did find some examples of this style at various vintage clothing shows, so pretty.

Grandma loved lace, I can truthfully say she crocheted thousands of yards over her 97 years.  I still have a few pieces including a bedspread and doilies.

My parents’ businesses started in the late 40’s when my father began importing high end German stereos showcased within beautiful handmade wooden cabinets he created from woods from around the world.   (I can still hear his joy describing working with a beautiful piece of teak).  Unfortunately his passion was cut short by the 1966 German/Japanese trade agreement which blocked all independent importation of high end stereos in favor of mass importation of the Japanese boom boxes which flooded the USA and our psyches. My father was forced to find another source of income so my mom set off on a journey of discovery to see if some of her creative interests could spark my father and be the family business. Sure enough one day a journey to Oakland’s Jack London Square brought home basic candle making supplies.  My mom feverishly went to work making candles, bayberry and strawberry which filled the whole house with delightful fragrances.  As a test she placed a few of her finished projects in the shop where they sold immediately. My father always the skeptic was hooked and pretty soon the woodoworking room became his studio where he made and sold thousands of his handmade candles for years in the Castro District.  Almost every day for years the whole neighbourhood would be permeated with the wonderful smells from his candles.  He also imported candles from Germany and delicate Christmas Ornaments from Europe.  (I still have some glass mushroom ornaments from those days.)

Around 6 years later I, the horticulture major, came home from college one day with a miniature Miltonia orchid stuck in my bib overalls’ pocket that had a bright red blossom 1 - 1/2″ tall .  Once again my dad was entranced and a new venture was born of raising and selling orchids and bromeliads along with the candles which brought him great joy until his death in 1981.

How the fairies gave us our name

When it was the new generation’s turn, Garden Fairies was born in 1985-6 right after the birth of my daughter (and divorce) as my mother suggested I find something to do for a living and be a stay at home mom since due to my daughter’s health I couldn’t go back to work at The Sharper Image.  After a year of research I decided to create a mail order business selling items that appealed to me.

The name comes from several sources. ‘Garden” from my professional gardener days (was gardener for the SF Swedish Counsulate in 1973-4); ‘Fairies’ because I love the thought of a magical world that we all can enter through our creativity and to honor my father because of the song my father would love to play on his stereos in his shop by the British Music hall songstress Beatrice Lilly “There are fairies in the bottom of my garden, at the bottom, the very bottom”. (The music major in my soul also needed to have a musical reference to my business.)

Garden Fairies moved from San Francisco to Santa Rosa in 1986 where our mail order catalog was born. We sent out thousands of catalogs from 1986-1991 until my mother and business partner passed away and my daughter and I moved to Sebastopol, CA to open our shop which thrived for 6 years until  circumstances forced us to move (bad building partner named Robin). During the birth of the website in 1997 we moved to our present location in Clearlake where we have partially enjoyed living in the country, such a shock after living in a big city as San Francisco … the bottom line of living in a small town is that you have to find things to keep you occupied otherwise you’ll be bored out of your mind. One customer quipped that Clearlake is the town that time forgot …

Here’s a picture of some of my new friends here in Clearlake: