Your Downtown Neighbor: Skeeter's Gallery
Can you tell me about Skeeter’s?
We’re a homegrown independent business. We started with very humble beginnings. I’ve had amazing women help me that have been here since day one, which is really wonderful.
We offer an eclectic array of gifts, art and functional pieces – women’s quality clothing from great lines such as Cutloose, Citron and Indigenous, just to name a few. And then we do a lot of leather goods, from Hobo to My Wallet, and a lot more. We welcome emerging artists and jewelers.
We’ve had a local following for many years, very loyal customers that we enjoy seeing on a regular basis. We also have a lot of men that we refer to as ‘The Gentlemen’s Club.’ They come in – most men are not very comfortable shopping, especially for jewelry – we help them find something, we wrap it beautifully, and they usually leave very happy. So that’s very satisfying. We try to make it fun, simple. No pressure.
What brought you to downtown Santa Rosa?
I love downtowns. I moved here from Austin, Texas. I’ve never been a mall girl.
There’s something old world and charming about downtown Santa Rosa, and to me it’s the heart of the city. This is our community. I have neighbors like Corrick’s and California Luggage - they’re the base of downtown here and there’s a lot more.
I love being a part of all this. It’s been very challenging with all of the things that have gone on and will continue to go on down here. But I want to be here.
What are you most looking forward to this year?
I’m looking forward to increased foot traffic, new customers and a renewed interest in downtown. I think a lot of people have an old concept of what it’s like down here. I know the homeless have been a real issue for a lot of people, and everybody has an issue about the parking. But it’s so much better. We’ve been here 21 years, and we’ve really seen some changes for the good down here. I think it’s wonderful.
What do you appreciate about this community?
I appreciate the longtime, loyal customers that we’ve developed over the years. And through the economic struggles that we’ve had, they’ve come in and really supported us. I cannot thank them enough. I really appreciate them.
Any parting insights for our readers?
My husband Tyler and I started the business 21 years ago. He’s a cabinet maker. He built all the fixtures in the store and I’m very proud of that. The name of the store, people always ask about that; my husband is big on nicknames – and he’s had many for me – but ‘Skeeter’ was an old nickname that my friends talked me into naming the store. I thought it was really silly, but people remember us. It’s kind of silly, but it’s all right!