The Lesters Store ‘pops up’ for the holidays

By SCOTT KENEALLY (Healdsburg Correspondent)

Ten years ago, Megan Williams and Alison (Kendall) Swearingen were young marine biologists studying coastal biodiversity for the University of California, Santa Cruz. As they scrambled up and down the rocky coastline, cataloguing life on the shores from Baja to Alaska, they became fast friends.

But far beyond their mutual love of seaweed, sea slugs and such, the girls soon discovered they shared a passion for history, relics and castoffs. In their downtime between field assignments, the girls scavenged barns, attics, garages and junk shops for treasures. And it was around this time that they voiced their dream to one day turn their love of collecting into a business.

Enter the Lesters Store.

Open now through Christmas in Geyserville, the store is a pop-up retail shop and gallery. Currently located in the new gallery space for Perdita Productions, two doors north of Diavola, it features artwork, handcrafted furniture, vintage collectibles, home décor, gifts and jewelry.

This is the third annual incarnation of the Lesters Store, with the first two held in a Healdsburg loft. And each time, Williams and Swearingen have carefully curated and designed a retail environment that reflects their scientific backgrounds and love for nature and a time gone by.

“When people walk into the Lesters Store, we don’t want them to feel like they’re in downtown Geyserville or Healdsburg or wherever we pop up. We want them to feel like they’ve stepped into someone else’s daydream,” says Williams.

Mission accomplished.

Even through the storefront window, it’s apparent that the Lesters Store will whisk you into another world. The space is accented with rare and unique collectibles priced $5 and up that draw upon the women’s coastal expeditions: antique boat lanterns ($1,050), ship wheel ($40), a 1940s military aviation globe ($495) and a brass WWI ship spotting scope in a leather case ($360), to name a few.

A rustic chandelier draped in Spanish moss hangs prominently in the center of the space, and the walls are populated with the eerie and evocative B&W photographs of Caitlin McCaffrey, as well as Swearingen’s surreal ornithological paintings. Mirrors and vases by Country Industrial, handmade jewelry and pillows by M.E. Moore and furniture by Brook Banister and Jordy Morgan help round out the room.

“We love the idea of connecting and expanding our talented community of friends,” says Swearingen, a full-time artist and science illustrator.

“We definitely couldn’t pull this off without some very talented collaborators,” adds Williams. “It’s really a community project.”

Most of the featured artists and designers are local, and though Williams and Swearingen have since moved to San Francisco, the former Healdsburg residents consider the North County their great escape.

“I always loved Geyserville and dreamed of having a store there,” says Williams, a communications manager at swissnex San Francisco. “But since I can’t do it full time yet, I’ll take these six weeks. It’s a start.”

While the women hope to have a permanent shop someday, Williams says she appreciates the unique benefits of a pop-up store.“It lets us build our brand for the future and fine-tune and hone our style. Plus, there’s something almost performance art about creating a full retail and gallery experience for just a short time.

“It’s ephemeral, just like some of the life and color we used to study out at the coast. Just like everything, really.”

The Lesters Store is open noon-7 p.m. daily thru Dec. 28 at 21025 Geyserville Ave, 290-8866. On Dec. 10, the shop will host a holiday reception until 9 p.m., with wine and snacks. For more about the Lesters Store and the origin of its name, visit their website.

 

 

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