Upper Lake >> Upper Lake Mercantile’s newest partner, Stephen Dilley, has quite the history with handmade artisanal goods. First there were his greenhouse and gift store businesses back in Pennsylvania, where he lived before relocating to California. There, he sold plants he grew himself or greenery bought from local growers, as well as art by local artists and other handmade items.
Then, when Dilley moved to Lake County in 2008, he began making wine under his own label, Lavender Blue. Shortly after came Lavender Blue Farms. In addition to selling his hand-crafted items — from wine to catnip — Dilley brought together handmade goods from producers both near and far.
“I’ve always had an appreciation for things that were produced by hand,” he said.
But Lavender Blue Farms was less a business and more a concept. Dilly felt that the goods were not just physical items; they told stories of the people who had produced them. He carried a large variety of products, including hand-blown glass vases from an artist in Mendocino County, organic soaps made from Dilley’s own recipes — in Pennsylvania he’d taught olive oil-based soap making classes — bath salts and teas and, of course, plenty of lavender products, including culinary lavender used for cooking.
“I might not have made everything, but everything was sourced by someone. It wasn’t factory produced, it had someone’s hand involved in making it,” Dilley said. “That was the … most important thing to me.”
At one point Dilley considered opening a tasting room for the Lavender Blue label and a small shop to sell his products. But he’s since turned his attention to Upper Lake Mercantile, which he joined as a partner in March.
“Then the opportunity came to invest in here and it just seemed like the best of all worlds,” Dilly said.
While Dilley is setting aside Lavender Blue Farms for now, the two ventures aren’t so different. According to their mission statement, Upper Lake Mercantile sells a curated collection of products from local, national and international artisans and manufacturers, that “embody function, beauty and integrity.” Dilly’s own statement for Lavender Blue Farms was very similar.
When Dilly came on board, numbers and traffic were good, part in thanks to the weekend events at the Blue Wing Saloon next door, but as someone with business and inventory experience, he knew there were steps they could take to make Upper Lake Mercantile even more successful. “Everything was very encouraging but it seemed like the areas needed to be fleshed out a little bit,” he explained. “That’s what we all agreed to do.”
In the last month or so, they’ve created departments throughout the store and brought in more items. But the biggest change they’ve made is with the greenery. Namely, they have an rather large abundance of it these days.
Upon stepping into the store, customers find a towering tiered stand containing dozens of plants, from hanging glass vases, to air plants, to succulents and cacti. Upper Lake Mercantile went as far as to obtain an incidental sales nursery license with the State of California, and their vegetables and plants are sourced from an organic grower out of Dunlap, Ca. And just in time for Mother’s Day, they’ll be bringing in a host of new greenery in the upcoming weeks.
Upper Lake Mercantile also has plans for a few events, which haven’t been too common at the venue in the past. From June 11-July 30 they’ll be hosting an art show featuring the work of Tamsen Donner. She’s contributing 10-12 new pieces for the event, as well as a number of her other recent works. Then in the fall they’re tentatively looking at a Day of the Dead show, showcasing work by a friend of Dilley’s from New Mexico. And just before the holidays, they’ll likely be holding an open house.
All in all, Upper Lake Mercantile’s new plans have them headed in what certainly appears to be a positive direction. “The folks that do come in, for the most part, are usually buying. That wasn’t always the case,” Dilley said. “With the additions that we’ve made and the restructuring of the store … there are a lot more folks finding something they can’t walk out without.”
Upper Lake Mercantile is located at 9490 Main St. They’re open from 10 a.m. -6 p.m. daily. The store can be reached at 275-9225.
Jennifer Gruenke can be reached at 900-2019.
