When an individual post qualifies for inclusion in multiple catagories on my site, it's proof to me that a feature-worthy article hits the spot as a quintessential Southern SoCo Life-style story.
Take the eclectic, lovely, little Made Local Marketplace, peacefully nestled in downtown Santa Rosa, as a great example of all-things Sonoma-suitable.
I'll admit to having heard about the Made Local Marketplace a few times over the past year, maybe even read about it in our regional mainstream media, but as to actually making the road trip up to Fifth Street, parking and paying a visit, well, it took a missive from fellow Petaluman, Paty Hermosillo-Perkins to motivate a mission to find out what's been in the works with some 275 county-wide creatives.
For that's how many entrepreneurial artists, jewelers, designers and handcrafted goods producers from just about every crafty nook and cranny the region are featured in the one-year-old store, located at 531 5th Street, just a strong-armed, stone's throw from the mass-produced, chain store parade of the Downtown Plaza Mall.
If it's few-of-a-kind, authentic, sustainable, meaningful gift-giving, as well as practical homewares, made by a real-life, local that you're looking for a bit more of in your life (i.e. Mother's Day, this weekend...), then I suggest that you too, get to know the folks at the Made Local Marketplace.
Hermosillo-Perkins is a long-time West Petaluma resident, like me. Paty's youngest and my eldest went through grade schools together. Until not too long ago, as a much-loved and widely respsected educator, Hermosillo-Perkins led one of the district's early, successful bilingual-immersion programs, at our neighborhood's Valley Vista Elementary School.
Since turning her well-tuned, nurturing attentions a little closer to home, the Perkins family has benefitted from her backyard bee keeping, maintaining two hives in the home garden and orchard, since 2008.
Concerned about the health and well-being of this vital pollinator, Hermosillo-Perkins was struck by the beauty, industry and perfection of this tiny and invaluable insect. Pears, apples, quince, plums and guavas make up the family orchard while tomatoes, beans, greens, squashes and herbs complete the abundant garden. After a quarter century of backyard farming, the addition of honeybee colonies increased the family's harvest like never before.
"Slowly but surely, gifts from the hive began to emerge," said Hermosillo-Perkins. "The honey alone was enough to captivate us. Yet, the subtle beauty of the beeswax then presented itself and became the foundation upon which Perk's Pollinators builds its products."
Her line, featured in the Made Local Marketplace under Sonoma Made Health, consists of a delightful range of gentle, all-natural balms, scrubs and drops.
Like other beehive products, including honey and royal jelly, beeswax offers anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antiviral benefits. When added to skin care products, beeswax acts as an emollient and a humectant, drawing moisture to the skin and sealing it in. Beeswax also contains Vitamin A, which may be beneficial in softening and rehydrating dry skin and in cell reconstruction.
I was particularly taken with the concept of Perk's Pollinator's Cook's Balms. During high days and holidays of heavy kitchen activity, the hands suffer from too many dishes, detergent and hot water. These brilliant little balms may be applied and reapplied as needed, without any fear of transferring otherwise scented and inedible product to the culinary process.
Wares of several other vendors appealed to my eye and camera, including quirky, natural fibre figurines, chirpy license-plate art and a best-selling line of absolutely gorgeous, hand-scuplted bees wax candles, ranging from ducklings, to tiny, red, bees wax rosebuds.
Best of all, prices are so much more competitive than picking up handcrafted goods elsewhere.
I was pleased to meet with Kelley Rajala, one of the fundamental dynamos behind the concept of the Made Local Marketplace and Local Economy Institute. Rajala also oversees the Share Exchange, one of the country's first local economy centers that incorporates a Shared Work Space and Community Event Venue, behind the Made Local Marketplace.
As we continue to see more and more independent freelance creatives hone in on living and working in Sonoma County, these sorts of centers are becoming increasingly invaluable. For those of us who'd rather not take up the real estate of a coffee shop table and chair for more than the odd hour here and there between meetings, Shared Work Spaces provide a vital bricks and mortar role for the have-laptop, will travel-type.
It's good for every entrepreneur to get out of the garage at times and the Shared Work Space on Fifth Street in downtown Santa Rosa provides free business mentoring, wi-fi, printing, copying, video conferencing and recording, a conference room, event space, even coffee and tea.
If you find yourself needing a temporary workspace for a few hours every now and again in downtown Santa Rosa, the Shared Work Space offers daily drop-in for just $15. A one-month's membership is $40, 3 months - $110. A year's membership will set you back $400 - quite a steal of a deal when compared to renting fixed office space.
Rajala, an environmental studies major, researched ideas and concepts for years before playing an integral role in the launch of the successful Sonoma County Go Local initiative, back in 2008. She left the group to start the Share Exchange project in 2010.
"By focusing on the local, we reduce green house emissions, create jobs and build thriving communities," said Rajala, whose goal is to help other communities around the country build their own cooperative centers based on this model.
Rajala is keen to focus direction in the Made Local Marketplace to goods of practical use as well as beauty and integrity. You'll find pesto, jams and chocolates, oils and honey amongst the handmade treasures that increasing numbers of return customers stop in to stock up on.
The holidays were huge for Made Local Marketplace sales, but why wait for gift-giving season to get on board with sourcing Sonoma County producers for the sorts of goods we all have on our shopping lists on a regular basis?
Paty Hermosillo-Perkins and her Perk's Pollinator Line at the Made Local Marketplace in Santa Rosa, CA
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