History: Our company originated in Astoria, OR in 1990 under the name Hide & Silk Co.
For 18 years we sold our products wholesale all over the country to other small boutiques
while operating our own retail shops one or two at a time in various locations: Astoria, OR,
Cannon Beach, OR, LaConner, WA, and finally Olympia. The Olympia physical storefront closed in
July of 2008; see below for our reasons! In the late 1990s, we also had a mail-order clothing
business called Swallowtail.
Life after retail: I know what you’re thinking, but we didn‘t close the Olympia shop for
economic considerations. After years of more than full-time work, the company’s two principals
need to slow down a bit, take care of themselves and have more uninterrupted design time. Also,
our clothing was always the mainstay of our shop, but over the years the garment fabrications we
like best got more & more scarce on the textile market. So, without giving up clothing altogether,
we are shifting our focus to handbags, which are easier to produce in quantity and easier to market
than apparel.
If you’re in the Olympia area, Courtyard Antiques at 705 4th Ave. E carries a selection of our
handbags. If you would like to be notified of our clothing |
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