Hip, Hip Hooray for Kendra Aronson

One of our sweet Ruby Crew members has been working round the clock on her SLO Farmers' Market Cookbook--and this last week celebrated her own birthday by launching her online shop! As the book is set to publish the end of this year, be privy to her creative teasers with a SLO Farmers' Market tote bag, letterpress Market map, and thank you cards. We are so proud and excited to see another one of our Crew exploding into their passions, check out these goods and make sure to snap some swag at her online shop. Hip, hip hooray for Kendra!

Kendra Aronson is currently writing, photographing, designing, and self-publishing the book from scratch. She loves to shake the hand that feeds her by supporting SLOcal farmers, food artisans, and farm-to-table restaurants. She is passionate about shopping locally at the county's twenty farmers' markets. She enjoys creating, reading, laughing, and spending time with friends and family.

The San Luis Obispo Farmers' Market Cookbook: Simple Seasonal Recipes & Short Stories from the Central Coast of California features 196 pages of beautiful text and photographs. The book is divided into two parts: (1) simple recipes (breakfast, lunch, snacks, dinner, dessert) for each season based on what is seasonally available & (2) short stories, interviews, and profiles of farmers, food artisans, and farm-to-table chefs. The majority of the recipes are provided by the food growers and crafters themselves to showcase the true terroir of the Central Coast!

Follow her progress and fresh updates on her Instagram: @kendraaahhhhh

SLOcal Biz: To Have & To Hold Bridal

Calling all brides! There is a new store in town: To Have & To Hold Bridal Salon. Briana Gros has moved from Bladerunner to her own space on the corner of Marsh of and Garden--and delving into a yet untapped market here in San Luis Obispo: consignment bridal gowns. She also has created a space bright and beautiful for a wedding day ready space--as she airbrushes, curls and glosses you to picture perfection. We caught up with her to do a little photoshoot and interview, read about this go-getter and her beauty must-haves below:

What first brought you into this career? How long have you been working in the industry?
Well, like most hairstylists start out, at age seven I was chopping my Barbie's hair off, cutting my own bangs and hair, and my best friend and I would take turns box-coloring each others' hair. As a young girl, my Mom spoiled my sister and I by taking us to the hip salons in town to get our hair done. I always asked to sweep up all the hair for the stylists and I could sit there all day and watch them cut and color hair. Though at a young age, I did not want to be a hairstylist. I had big dreams of becoming a singer and dancer, a teacher, fashion designer, and wanting to own a clothing store that had a salon inside. As a young girl, I grew up in my grandma's sewing room watching her make patterns and clothes and helping me with my own sewing projects. As soon as junior high started and all through high school I took all the home econ classes I could--making pants, shirts, skirts, dresses, a bathing suit, and reconstructing clothes to make my own creations. I graduated San Luis High school in Spring and quickly enrolled in Cuesta College that Summer, anxious and so excited to study Fashion Design and prepare myself for the FIDM Institute in San Francisco. At that time, the Gap had freshly moved to SLO (which was a huge deal at that time) and I couldn't wait to work there (as if I knew I was gonna get the job), I loved having a job in retail and being surrounded by all those cool clothes! 

As if I wasn't busy enough, I got a second job at my favorite salon in town, Elements Salon. There, I worked as a receptionist and was mesmorized by the hairstylists and their art form. It was there the owner inspired and encouraged me, as well as a few family members, to take a look into the Aveda Institute and study Cosmetology. A few semesters deep into College and putting my dreams for FIDM on hold, I looked into local beauty colleges, and I started at San Luis Beauty College. From day one of my Freshman class, I just knew I was where I wanted to be--I felt so comfortable and confident in learning a new trade. After graduating, I went back to Elements Salon to work as an assistant and from there moved to District 96 to be an assistant, then began working at Bella Gente Salon where I started building my clientele. 

From there I moved to and stayed for a little over ten years at Bladerunner Salon. A few months into working there, I felt right at home and instantly became part of the Bladerunner family! I made a goal for myself to become an independent contractor a year in after working there and also began my career as a bridal hairstylist and makeup artist.  My love for this art form and business grew, so I made another goal for myself of starting my online bridal business. With each wedding season growing and becoming successful years for me, as well as listening to my bridal clients' needs and wants for a lounge and gowns on consignment, I made yet another goal and began writing my business plan dreaming of one day owning a bridal salon and consignment boutique! 

After years of dreaming, planning, budgeting, going back to school for business classes and workshops, I can confidently say I have started my career and my dreams are coming true. I am proud of my hard work and determination and so thankful to God that He has lead my every step to the corner of Marsh and Garden streets where I have opened my new business.

Your place is so sweet and fresh feeling! Tell us a little about your TH&TH and what services you offer.

To Have and To Hold is a bridal salon and boutique. We offer salon services to include Hair Design, Hair coloring, Keratin smoothing treatments, brow wax and tint, Bridal hair and makeup, and specializing in Airbrush makeup. We indulge our clients in luxurious products by proudly carrying Davines, with an experience in sustainable beauty and handcrafted Italian haircare. Soon to come, we are going to introduce Embryolisse--a French pharmaceutical skin care brand. Also soon-to-be introduced is our favorite MAC makeup must-haves, a perfume line, and local jewelers. We also sell gifts cards! They make great gifts for brides to give their bridesmaids for day-of services. Another popular item are our travel-size haircare products--great as gifts and to take with you on a plane for your Honeymoon.
Our Boutique offers gently-worn bridal gowns, veils, and accessories--which are all on consignment. Our niche is for women who have already married and would like to place their gown on consignment, and then for brides-to-be looking to find that perfect dress for half the price. Our bridal lounge is the perfect setting for small bridal parties who would like to come in to get pampered with services, eats and drinks--all while having complete privacy. 

You must work with so many amazing vendors and local businesses, what's your A-list?
I have the great pleasure of working with very creative and talented local wedding vendors--a few of my favs:
Zest it Up, Lisa Mallory Photgraphy, Colleen Rosenthal Photography, Asia Croson Photography, Le Creme Jewelry, Patrick Ibarra Photography (his exquisite photos are currently displayed on my website), Danae Grace Events, and hoping to collaborate with so many more along the way!

What is your go-to hair and makeup product? Why?
I am a product junkie! My personal and professional hair and makeup kits are overflowing with every product imaginable--from drug-store brands to top-of-the-line professional brands. My fav drug-store product has always been and always will be Aquaphor! I use this for everything: to moisturize lips and hands, to keep brows in there place, and to tame stray hairs. My fav luxury must-have hair products right now are of course by Davines: Hair Refresher, a dry cleansing mist acting as a two-in-one product to refresh and clean all hair types as well as create full-bodied volume with a soft feminine scent! Another fav must-have hair product of mine right now is the Oi/Absolute Beautifying Potion, a lightweight oil for all hair types that adds shine and softness with an amazing scent!
My fav, splurge, must-have, can-not-live-without skincare products right now are by Embryolisse: Radiant Eye, an under eye treatment to brighten eyes while reconstructing/moisturizing to smooth contours of the eye and radiant booster to reduce puffiness with a cooling effect (for me, most under eye treatments don't work because my skin is so sensitive, my clients love it as well!) Another can-not-live-without product is by Embryolisse--the Eau de Beaute Rosamelis, an alcohol-free, natural toner to leave all skin types clean, soft, glowing, and revived with relaxing scents of rose water and orange blossom!

Any sage advice on wedding day beauty prep?
Dear lovely Bride-to-be,
Drink lots of water to stay hydrated in the days before your wedding. This will keep you feeling and looking your best for the day of. Wash your hair the night before your wedding day. This will leave a slight natural sheen and your hair style will hold all day and night. For a flawless complextion in your professional wedding portraits, definitely have an Airbrush makeup application--it's worth the few extra bucks! Airbrush makeup is made for HD photography, silicon-based so it leaves an even veil of perfection on top of your skin, waterproof so everything stays in place whether you sweat, cry, or get splashed with champagne, as well as amazing coverage from freckles to scars to birth marks to spider veins to tattoos!

Thank you for taking the time to read. I look forward to meeting you and working together. It is an honor to be shared in the memories on your special day.

(Grand opening date to be unveiled in April, like To Have and To Hold on FB and follow them on Instagram, @tohaveandtoholdbridalsalon, for all the details)

Slocal Biz: Curio

While we do not operate on trade or consignment, San Luis Obispo has some great local businesses who do. One of them is Curio Women's Resale, owned and operated by Donna Cody. She is a great friend and colleague to Ruby Rose, and curated a great shop down in the Creamery. Here about her story, and space, here:

Tell us a little bit about Curio—how you got started and what your vision for it was.

I opened the store eight years ago. i love to hunt for stuff—I love flea markets and yard sales, I would always find great items and then they wouldn’t be my size, or I didn’t need it. And then I thought, Gosh, man this is a great item it would be great to have an outlet where I can find stuff I love and pass it on to my customers at a really good deal. I like to be something between a thrift store and a consignment shop: I’m not as expensive as consignment but it should be a little more than a thrift store, because everything is handpicked and just for the store.
I have a couple women that have helped me for a few years find stuff—they sell at the local flea market and they also sell online—they let me handpick all my favorite things from them before they actually go to the flea market. My customers can bring things in and get credit to shop.

What is the process for people bringing items in? Do they need to set up an appointment with you?

We ask them to go to our website now and click on the Trades tab. They can see what we’re doing—whether we’re trading that day, specifically what we need or don’t need, before they actually come in with their items.

How do you like your location in the Creamery?

I picked the location because I think resale shops should be off the beaten path a little bit. Part of the fun of a resale shop is discovering it. And the fact it’s on the corner—I always imagined a little shop on a corner so from both entrances you can see the store. The Creamery doesn’t get a ton of foot traffic, but we have new owners and they’ll be redoing a lot of the Creamery—a courtyard out front with outdoor seating for the restaurants, music venues, etc. They’re working on facelifting the whole place and I want to wait it all out because I hope more people will be interested in having their businesses in here. I like being down here, and though I would sometimes like to be closer to other spots like Ruby Rose, I would be silly to loose this spot. I have yearly people that will come in and say, This is my spot, I’m traveling from San Francisco or LA, and they think it’s a great deal.

Who is your demographic of shoppers?

I actually had a helper one time who kept track of everyone who walked in here—we guestemated their age, whether they purchased or didn’t purchase—just to see. And we have everyone from seventeen year olds to seventy year olds. When we broke them down into ranges, and got to be eighteen to sixty—there was really no difference. I do try to gear towards a young minded person, but I have a lot of women who come in here who are more middle-aged and different sizes who I cater to. If I could pick, I would just have really funky, unique, eclectic fun stuff and not worry about the, Do you have suit for work for me? type inquiries. But I do break it up—I won’t have the suit, but I’ll maybe have a skirt and a jacket you can put together.
The most fun way to do a resale shop is when you get to do all the hunting—when it’s really busy in here I can hire people to be at the shop and I can go out. But having customers bring items in, I still have to like the stuff, see that it has potential. I get to be creative in that way.



Are you a native to San Luis Obispo?

I am—my grandmother who’s 94 used to come to the Creamery with her grandparents when this was actually a creamery (milk processing plant). My family has been here for seven generations. I know that sounds like a lot, but I also have a Native American family who’s from Salinas—that’s my heritage. I’ve take a couple years and been in other places, like in the Bay Area for three years, but this is where is my family and my roots are.

New Biz in Town: Central Coast Archery

It was just a few years ago archery found its resurgence from voracious readers' turned hunters. The Hunger Games brought archery back into the pop conscious, only for many of us to realize it has been a prominent sport for many years prior. For the Wilson family, it has been more than a twenty-year-in-the-making dream of opening their own archery shop. Scott and his two sons, Daniel and Joel, have turned the family hobby into their family business, opening Central Coast Archery off Los Osos Valley Road this past September 2014. Here they share their passion with our community through a fully stocked, professionally operated retail archery store and indoor shooting range--offering lessons and leagues to accommodate long time experienced archers as well as those who've only seen bows and arrows in the movies.

We've had the privilege of knowing this SLOcal family for quite awhile as both customers and friends--and are so excited to see this new biz in town (it also seems to pair well with our love of all things Native American). A few of us at the store have a budding skill in archery, while the rest of our crew is looking forward to learning something new!

Have you ever tried your hand at archery? Tomorrow (Saturday, November 15) join Central Coast Archery for their grand opening from 9-5p--free archery and BBQ (don't worry, you won't have to kill your own meat), enter to win a free bow (and more),  and hear from paralympic World Champion Jeff Fabry (10a and 2p). Take home a bull's eye and maybe an arrow or two, and join the fun being had by the Wilsons in their new space! See you there!

Follow this SLOcal biz on Facebook and on Instagram (@centralcoastarchery)

Slocal Biz: The Mercantile

"I am ridiculous with gift giving, I think that's all why this happened. I mean, it's fun. It makes everybody happy. You know what I mean? We have no idea how long we're here for, so, make people happy and give them gifts."

-Katelyn Kaney, owner The Mercantile

Some of us have a rich history here in San Luis Obispo. Small business has such a history here. This particular one began on 1019 Chorro Street, just below where Luna Red sits now, in 1899. George Deiss and John Berkemeyer opened a butcher shop at this location, hiring Italian brothers Bill and Pino Cattaneo. Taking what they learned, and only $200, the two launched their own sausage and jerky biz on Caudill Street in the seventies, becoming famously known as Cattaneo Bros.

There is another history which began one block down and across the street at 950 Chorro, where a Cal Poly grad, Jayne Kaney, opened an antique store in 1976. Her mother had bought the building and she curated a storefront, running The Backdoor for more than ten years. It was then in 1988, she took her business savvy and joined with her husband, Mike Kaney, to purchase Cattaneo Bros. It is here were our two histories collide into one: Katelyn Kaney.

Growing up in the family biz, Katelyn learned much from her parents and grew familiar with the business of Cattaneo Bros. She watched them expand their line to turkey jerky to fruits and nuts, introduce a catalog, rebrand and repackage to encourage these items not only for snacks, but as gifts. So, when her parents passed in 2008, Katelyn took the reigns as owner. And, for the past five years, has continued building what her parents began. Last November, she returned to the street where it all started, to the same storefront her mother once owned on 950 Chorro. It is an offshoot of her already established business, as well as a space for her to showcase other local products. It is, truly, The Mercantile.

The manufacturing side of things for Cattaneo Bros. is challenging and can be stressful. And since it is Katelyn's passion to have a gift shop and interacting with the people, this storefront serves as a breath of fresh air. The Mercantile launched in November, displaying an array of Cattaneo Bros. products-including their new line of Range grass-fed, nitrate free jerky (Ruby Rose approved, it comes in four flavors, equally delicious)-as well as loads of other locally sourced items. Katelyn wants to promote products made in SLO from small producers and hobbyists who may not have the platform to get into big businesses. And then put them all together in one basket, and give it away.


One of the most unique things about The Mercantile is its appeal to locals and passers through alike. While you can buy items separately, Katelyn provides another brilliant service: build your own gift basket: "My goal is for someone to walk into the store and be able to create some kind of gift, whether it's a natural food basket...whether it's a sweet tooth basket or whether it's an all meat basket...whatever they need, they can find some things here." There is a space in the back of the shop with everything you need to create a beautiful gift basket full of local products. Choose from jerkies, dried fruits, nuts, Therabee honey, San Luis Soap Company, Templeton Toffee, local linens and locally made jewelry. You can even add in your own local wine! The Mercantile is dedicated to keeping the price point on all in-store items affordable.

She recognizes her own business' tiny beginnings in a basement meat market, and wants to continue to tell the history of shopping small in San Luis Obispo. The Mercantile is open Monday through Saturday 10a-6p and Sunday 11a-5p. So be sure to stop in, grab a gift-or basketful-and enjoy a little taste of our county. Oh, and don't forget to follow The Mercantile on Instagram (@themercslo) and on Facebook.