Shop local, find the perfect gift

By James Quinn

It’s that time of the year again—the holiday season—the time to give to others! And what impeccable timing, because I recently discovered another hidden gem that can help with your shopping—all while supporting a small local business—whether it be for the holidays, birthdays, or special occasions!

I just bought a handmade candle with hearts on it (made with love but not for me, mind you) from Terracotta and Linen—a gift shop that’s located on Suisun City’s waterfront (downtown and along the slough).

Established in 2017, Terracotta and Linen is a quaint shop because not only does it have affordable prices, but for such a small place that not many know about, it has a whole lot of a character. This gift shop carries more than just linen, it has an eclectic variety of goods that are American made and peak many different interests. “We sell all things that I love,” Owner Sylvia Caruso said, who named her store after its terracotta flooring and the linen that she specializes in (all locally handmade).

Caruso said that she sells: “candles, handbags, art glass, home decor, furniture, handmade table linens, and baby clothes. The baby clothes are lovingly and meticulously made [of linen] by my mother and others here.” You can come in looking for one thing but can be surprised by finding many other things to get for people (or yourself). Such things are wine baskets and wines, where Caruso sells affordable local varieties (both reds and whites) that are “off the beaten path,” she said. And—for our wine connoisseur readers—she plans to soon have pricier wines from the wineries in the Napa Valley.

Frequently changing her stock and displays, Caruso keeps her store exciting, and she’ll often design it in theme with the current holiday. In celebration of Thanksgiving, for example, she had pumpkin succulent centerpieces that live for weeks and make great hostess gifts (facebook.com/TerracottaAndLinen)—and right now—you can come in (at the time of this writing) and find gifts for the winter holidays!

One of the focal points of Caruso’s store, she told me, is its art gallery, with many pieces by Susan von Borstel. “Susan is a wonderful lady and an incredibly gifted painter,” said Caruso. “Her artwork has been featured on the covers of many art magazines, won many prizes and accolades, sells out at The Paso Robles Cattlemen’s Western Art show (and other shows) almost every year, was chosen to paint the different equine breeds at the Lexington, KY Horse Park, and is collected in many countries abroad.” Be sure to check Borstel’s website (susanvonborstel.com), where you can see brilliantly made paintings, many of which are animals that are stunning. Or, better yet, see her work in person at Terracotta and Linen, where you can get the perfect gift for someone.

In addition to Borstel’s art, the store showcases many artists with their work for sale. “We feature other artists and hope to have more,” said Caruso. “It has been a joy to meet the wonderful artists that so generously have shared their work with us, as well as the lovely people that have come in.”

It was also a joy for me to meet Caruso, a resident of Suisun City who first bought her home with her husband about 15 years ago. “We fell in love with it because the view was so beautiful. The fact that it was designed and meant for residential and retail purposes was a plus,” Caruso said.

She had the idea for Terracotta and Linen because she wanted to open a gift shop to give the community something unique. “I was inspired by all the beautiful things I saw and purchased in places like Sonoma and Napa and many other places,” Caruso said. “And I thought it would be great to provide our community with the same since there was nothing like it in the area. Getting the actual license was a little bit of work, but I had a lot of help from John Kearns and Jason Garben at Suisun City Planning and Development Department—they were wonderful.”

Caruso is not only a great person with a deep knowledge of linens and her store, but she also took a risk opening up a small business in her city, because she loves what she does. And, more importantly, she has a big heart and helps support not only the arts and crafts and small businesses communities at large, but also shops like hers reinforce a positive momentum for these communities that will ideally ripple out. While small businesses are not easy to sustain, they support each other and are an anchor for any town or city—so be sure to remember that shopping locally makes a positive impact on our community. Instead of browsing online, as comfortable as that sounds, buying at a shop makes that gift much more personable; that you actually went there and picked something out.

Terracotta and Linen is located on the beautiful Suisun City Waterfront promenade, a short walk south of the Harbor Master at 1125 Park Lane, and it is open every day that Caruso is home. “Get your hostess and Christmas gifts. Mention this article to receive 15% off your purchases,” Caruso said.

For additional information, feel free to email the shop at tclinen@gmail.com or give Caruso a call at (707) 426-9973. You can also conveniently receive updates by following her shop’s Facebook by giving it a “like”: facebook.com/TerracottaAndLinen.

James Quinn lives in Vallejo and teaches at Elmer Cave Language Academy. A UC Davis alumnus in English, he now studies education as part of Touro University’s Master’s in Education program. Along with teaching, he tutors and writes often. Email him at james.quinn@tu.edu. Visit his website at mrquinnj.weebly.com.