11/11/2021
A long time ago in 2005 we began Hollyhill Quilt Shoppe & Mercantile right here in this location. I happened to be in the neighborhood the other night and was taking in all the changes. It’s kind of like when you return home and seek out your childhood houses! Prior to us opening, the main space of the building was part of the knit shop - which was where the florist is now (the little black awning to the left). It was quaint and cozy, something I treasure. When Ruth gave up her last bit of space she was using as her knit shop to us in 2007, we expanded into the other side of the building. Remember that? Then when we relocated across the street in 2008 to a brand new larger space, this location in the photo would become our home decor store, Pickleweed and later the Christmas store, “Boughs of Holly.” I loved our display windows and honestly they were better than the windows on the large store because they were at the level of the pedestrians. I spent many nights sleeping on the floor upstairs after a long night of changing up several displays! In fact, I’ve spent a lot of nights sleeping on floors. 😂😂😂 Today the original location is now a bar, as is much of the historic district of Willamette…bars, restaurants, salons, lawyers, doctors, real estate/mortgage offices. The odd thing is they have flags up along the street that say “dining and shopping.” With the exception of one store which is away from the main area (kind of took our vendors and style), shopping is non-existent. The street, which once was home to our stores, gift shops, a tea shop, a pottery shop….trees 😂…now feels empty, lacking humble charm and creativity. Just a random trip down memory lane tonight - Brian
