Over the past few years, I’ve interviewed more than two dozen people who grew up along the Mendocino Coast and couldn’t wait to move away, believing they’d never return. But return they did, to establish businesses or professional careers. Some also chose this place to raise children, to nurture them in the small town values that shaped their own childhoods.
These are a new wave of pioneers who, like their forebearers, use intelligence and imagination to forge a vibrant path. In exchange for the privilege of being able to live in one of the most beautiful places on earth, they work long, hard hours.
The shelter in place orders due to Covid-19 have knocked many down, but they are devising ways to get back up and resume their vision of what it means to live here.
They have open minds and are digging deep to find solutions.
They have entrepreneurial spirits that will spawn innovations to move them forward.
We are so fortunate to have them here—especially during this trying time.
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Katie Turner Carr – Pippi’s Longstockings
For the past 14 years, Katie has owned the very successful sock and accessory shop Pippi’s Longstockings. I first interviewed her in 2016. You can read it here: https://ithappenedatpurity.com/2016/04/08/katie-turner-carr/
When the COVID-19 shelter in place orders were announced, she was devastated. “In tears, I called vendors to ask for extensions on invoices. Thankfully, everyone understood. I wasn’t the only customer dealing with a community shutdown.”
Katie had put her heart and soul into building a beloved business that helps support her family’s livelihood. The possibility of losing it through forces beyond her control made her sad and frightened. She’s thankful her husband Marshall is a teacher who continues to earn an income.
“After a few days, I came to terms with the shutdown being something I can’t fix and I began to adapt. I announced on social media that I could ship orders. The process was 24/7, draining, and brought in barely a fraction of our previous revenue, but it gave me hope. My customers have been so supportive and wonderful.
“With no end in sight to the pandemic, I knew I had to do more. Visitors have been asking me for years to create an online store. I resisted because I love face-to-face retail so much.”
She and Marshall spent a weekend making a website. “It only took 14 years and a global pandemic, but we did it,” she says with a laugh.
On May 9, the local shelter in place order was eased to allow curbside pickup for retail. Katie was able to regain her face-to-face contact, even if those faces are behind masks.
“I don’t want to fully open before it is safe to do so. Earning money is far less important to me than the safety of the people of the Mendocino Coast and the potential to overwhelm our tiny hospital.”
Katie is troubled by the loss of local businesses and the potential to lose more. “I think a lot of us will change how we run our businesses and the way we shop. People are now waiting months for some items from Amazon and are turning to local sources. I hope people will think of themselves as helping to care for a larger community. Right now folks are wearing masks. Many don’t like it, but are doing it to protect others. I hope the feeling of doing things for the benefit of all continues.
“Fort Bragg reinvented itself after the Georgia-Pacific mill closed. We became a community that relies on tourism. We will come back economically, but will have to be creative with what that looks like. We need to support our local businesses as much as possible if we want them here for the long haul.”
Katie encourages people to reach out to their favorite stores and ask what they need. “Some places like nail shops and hair salons are not allowed to open. If you can afford it, buy a gift certificate for what you would normally spend each month. Honor others by sending a check. If you don’t have money, comment on and share their social media posts. Whatever you do, please be kind and remember we are in this together.”
Going forward, Katie will keep her online store along with her physical location. The world is changing and she’s prepared to change with it. “I have to admit I like waking up and seeing I sold socks while I slept.”
https://www.facebook.com/PippiSocks/
An aura of gentle kindness surrounds Jessica. The lilt to her voice invites people to relax and feel comfortable. She has a great sense of humor and laughs easily. Yet, her outward appearance belies the emotional struggles she has had to overcome. Dealing with these challenges helped her decide at a young age that her life’s work would revolve around helping others.
“I was a dorky, insecure kid who could not spell, read out loud in class and didn’t seem to have any real talent outside of being obsessed with MTV. When I was nine, some friends and I began shoplifting and engaging in property destruction. I eventually got caught breaking into a vacation rental. I began sobbing and confessed to everything. I felt so guilty and ashamed. I think the deputy knew he had done his job terrifying me into never doing that again.”
The antibiotics were not working and the weather was uncomfortably wet and hot. The next day, Ketut, the semi-adopted daughter of the midwife, put her on the back of her scooter and took her to a doctor. “I was sent off with a bottle of mysterious green pills that eventually cured me. Ketut drove me through the Monkey Forest to Robin’s family compound in Nyuh Kuning. It was like the ‘Jungle Book’ with monkeys hanging out in a temple.’”
As Jessica grew through her teenage years, a darkness emerged. “I partied a lot in high school. We called it partying, but many times it was miserable. Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant so it definitely didn’t help my depression.”
Nine years ago, she became smitten with Matt Howard, the sales manager at Sport Chrysler Jeep Dodge. “I asked him to a movie with a group of friends, but didn’t invite anyone else.” She laughed. They live a sweet life with her 13-year old daughter Alice and their rescue basset hounds Miss Daisy Duke and Flash Bandicoot.
Over the past couple of years, I’ve delighted in the murals popping up on buildings around town.
Jason was unprepared to be thrust into a different culture. “It was hard at first—dark and hard.” This was back in a day where communication systems were archaic compared to what they are now. International telephone calls were prohibitively expensive and it took a month to receive a letter, all adding to his feelings of isolation.
By 1997, Jason and Cristina were off to Long Island, New York with their baby boy so Jason could attend Stony Brook University’s MFA program. Cristina eventually entered and completed a PhD program in comparative literature.
Jason feels lucky to have been able to return to the Mendocino Coast. He loves being near the ocean and the abundance of trees. He enjoys the opportunity to interact with kids on a daily basis. He likes living in the town where his dad has worked for decades as an attorney and to be able to drop by his office for a visit. He gave a warm, contented smile as he said, “When I was growing up in Mendocino, I rarely spent time in Fort Bragg. Now I rarely leave.”
Mrs. Biklen served iced Cokes in leaded crystal glasses and store-bought cookies on china plates. She treated us with respect, listening to our stories and offering gentle advice. No one had ever paid such attention to me.
On January 12, 2019, a fire broke out at Chapel by the Sea, the mortuary that’s been our next-door neighbor for 27 years. It was a terrible, surreal thing to witness. Wisps of light gray smoke from the open upstairs doorway quickly grew into roaring flames that exploded windows and engulfed the structure. Our property was never in peril, but that didn’t keep the fire from reaching across the alley to shake the core of my well-being.
I woke each morning to the ruins of what was once a stately building. In addition to a mortuary, it housed an upstairs apartment. The Blair and then the Reynolds families resided there during our early years in Fort Bragg, and allowed us to create friendships that endure to this day. We share a common grief over the loss of this beloved place.
I looked forward to the day—September 17—when the process of tearing down the building would begin. That morning, I headed over there with my camera phone. I vaguely felt like I had when the fire broke out—too terrible to watch, yet demanded to be witnessed. I was relieved it would soon be gone, yet mourned the finality. Over the course of four days, a piece of equipment that looked like a Tyrannosaurus Rex crunched walls, chewed them into pieces, and loaded the debris into massive dumpsters to be carted off.
Haley was born with an adventurous spirit nurtured by her parents Christine Samas and Curt Berry. They encouraged her to explore the avant garde over opting for convention. She loved to dance and became an accomplished local performer, often featured in the annual Second Story Studio Spring Dance Concert. “Growing up, my parents taught me to be happy and interested in the world,” she said. In 2006, her junior year, she dropped of school and spent four months in India.
In 2008, they moved to Portland, Oregon. It was there that she met Nathan Cann, her future husband. “He’s incredibly intelligent, a deep thinker, and funny. I felt he and his friends were my people.” In 2009, Nathan, who had grown up on the East Coast, moved to New York City to pursue a career in film and art. In 2010, Haley broke up with her boyfriend and followed.
“In researching the history of snake oil, I learned that the bitters in these concoctions have their origins in medicine. This sparked my interest in cocktails and I started bartending. Cocktails are a totally American invention.” Their stay in the Big Easy lasted a year. During this time, Erica also moved to New Orleans where she added to her knowledge of Southern cooking.
In the summer of 2017, they showcased their culinary talents in a series of pop-up restaurants at the Nye Ranch, Fortunate Farms, and Ellie’s Farmhouse. “We offered cocktail pairings with each course. For example, a carrot cocktail with carrot salad, huckleberry cocktail with huckleberry cobbler. Every drink had one common ingredient from the dish it was paired with.”
Haley loves being able to once again call Fort Bragg home. “It’s going through a renaissance and attracting new, amazingly talented people. Places like the Larry Spring Museum are being revitalized. The Noyo Center for Marine Science, CV Starr Center, the coastal trail—all of these things are great. There’s support and space for people to be creative, carve out a niche for themselves and open businesses. It’s an exciting time to live here.”
It Happened at Purity 