Scotts Valley Artisans Boutique Re-emerges

Kings Village was abuzz Tuesday afternoon as the Scotts Valley Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony to commemorate the grand opening of the Scotts Valley Artisans Boutique.

Artists, chamber members and the public gathered to celebrate the only artisan boutique of its kind in all of Santa Cruz County.

Dawn Teall is the mastermind behind the concept, which is to provide Santa Cruz County artists an affordable place to display their wares—and give local residents an outlet to affordable art.

“There’s nothing like this in Scotts Valley, and it’s really the only place that’s just for Santa Cruz County,” Teall said.

In simple terms, the artists pay a monthly fee to the boutique, depending on the amount of space they will use. Upon the sale of an item, a small percentage goes to the boutique, and the artist gets the rest.

“Right now, every dollar we take in goes toward paying the rent and keeping the light on,” Teall said.

Originally, the concept was founded upon a combination of affordable art and community donations. Over the holidays, Teall and her mother, Pam Nielsen, initiated the Scotts Valley Holiday Art Boutique in the same location as they are now. The boutique donated a portion of all proceeds to the community with contributions to Second Harvest Food Bank and the Scotts Valley Educational Foundation.

When the property landlords gave them a shot at a permanent location, Teall said she was thrilled to rework the concept. During a winter hiatus, they repainted and redesigned the store.

“We hope to be able to [donate again] when the holidays come around,” Teall said.

However, she admits to having even higher hopes.

She and Nielsen designed the space with growth in mind. And the word is spreading.

“We’re really starting to hear from people who are coming out of the mountains and all up in Ben Lomond and Boulder Creek. They’re all starting to bring us stuff, which is great,” Teall said.

“The plan is to sit tight for a year," said Teall. "What we’d like to do, in terms of expanding, is maybe have some classes and some artist work space so people can actually see artists at work … and have openings. That would be ideal, eventually.” 

That’s not the only thing that is different this time. A new element, somewhat of a departure from the local vendor concept, has been added. The Scotts Valley Artisans Boutique now has a children’s section, which may draw the attention of area moms.

“We all always have birthday parties to go to and baby showers, so we really want to be a go-to place where you can get a great gift that’s really unique,” Teall said. “It’s the one thing that’s not local. But we also feel that it’s such a huge thing for parents.”

For now, artists like jewelry maker Jannea Vari are happy to have a venue to share their art with the public.

“This is huge," Vari said. "I’m from Scotts Valley. [Teall and Nielsen] have given me such a great opportunity. And to have this right here in Scotts Valley is just wonderful.” 

Wood carver Bill Hackett has the same sentiments.

“We used to do shows all over, from Redding to San Diego, and as I’m getting older and it’s getting hotter, we'll now we only do a couple of them,” he said.

Sharolynn Ullestad, executive director of the Scotts Valley Chamber of Commerce, said she believes the boutique is going to be valuable to the community for many reasons.

“This brings to our community a place where people can come and shop all the time,” she said. “And for Kings Village, I think it’s a great thing, because I do believe it’s going to bring more of the locals into this little side spot."

It's the perfect mix for Scotts Valley, she said.

“Our community is really into art and really into helping each other. Dawn just kind of takes that model and puts it on steroids.”