Meet Emily from Blue Feather Mercantile
This week's featured vendor is Emily Norton, owner of Blue Feather Mercantile.
If you've visited one of our markets, you've probably noticed Emily's beautiful booth filled with colorful home décor, artisan gifts, candles, and thoughtfully curated pieces that instantly make you want to bring them home. Her collections are warm, inviting, and designed to help people create spaces they truly love.
I recently asked Emily to share more about the inspiration behind Blue Feather Mercantile.
Tell us about your business.
"Blue Feather Mercantile is a woman veteran-owned boutique based in Rancho Palos Verdes, curating colorful home decor, unique gifts, and artisan finishes that help people create spaces they love to live in. Every collection is thoughtfully chosen to inspire beauty, warmth, and connection. You'll usually find me sharing that passion at local farmers and artisan markets throughout Southern California but mostly in the South Bay."
What inspired you to start your business?
"I've always been passionate about interiors and believe that every home- no matter its size, deserves to be beautiful, functional, and a true reflection of the people who live there. After years of "reviving" several homes my family dwelled in and working in a local home decor boutique where someone else made the buying decisions, I realized I wanted to create a brand that reflected my own design style and vision. That's how Blue Feather Mercantile was born: a place where I can thoughtfully curate pieces that spark the Blue Feather spirit into other people's spaces.”
What is your best-selling product or service?
"My best sellers are definitely my clean burning candles and my colorful artisan gold plated coasters because they are both beautiful and functional. Customers love the candles for their vibrant, reusable art vessels that can be repurposed as planters or decorative containers long after the candle is gone, and the hand crafted metal coasters, made right here in SoCal are like miniature works of art that add personality to a coffee table or desk. “
What is your favorite part of being a small business owner?
“My favorite part of being a small business owner is having the freedom to curate collections that truly reflect my style and vision. There's nothing more rewarding than seeing someone light up when they find a piece they love and hearing how excited they are to bring it home. Knowing that I've helped them create a space they enjoy or allowed them to find the perfect gift for someone they love.”
What is one challenge you've overcome along the way?
“I still have lots of new challenges as a small business owner but one that I've overcome is knowing that "success" and major growth isn't going to happen overnight. I have learned to do one thing at a time and keep going, no matter what new challenge comes my way. In business, and in life, I continually remind myself to just keep going and always do my best. Hard work pays off but sometimes the timeline is different than what you expected.”
What are you most excited about right now?
“I'm most excited about continuing to grow Blue Feather Mercantile within the community while expanding beyond pop-up markets and into online shopping. My goal is to make my thoughtfully curated collections available to customers throughout the seasons of life or whenever inspiration strikes, not just limited to market days.”
Where You Can Find Blue Feather Mercantile
Most Saturday mornings from 9-1pm you can find Blue Feather Mercantile at the Valmonte Farm and Garden Markets and I also am a proud Sun and Sea Collective member. I always post the markets I pop-ups I land at on Blue Feather's Instagram page @BlueFeatherMercantile
Will be launching my new online shop in the near future. So excited about that! Stay tuned!
South Bay Favorites
Waverly Boutique in Manhattan Beach- Love so many of their clothing pieces and truly admire what they offer their customers. Well done!
Why We Love Them
At Sun & Sea Collective, we love celebrating businesses that are built with heart and intention. Emily has created more than a home décor boutique, she's created a brand centered around helping people love the spaces they call home. From thoughtfully curated gifts to beautiful artisan pieces, every item in her collection reflects her passion for design, connection, and creating beauty in everyday life.
Thank you for supporting Blue Feather Mercantile and all of the incredible small businesses that make our community so special.
Stay tuned for the next Meet The Sun & Sea Vendor Feature!
Meet Adele from Adele French Art
This week's featured vendor is Adele French, a South Bay artist whose work is impossible to walk past without stopping.
From bold stencil paintings to wearable art, Adele's creations are inspired by a life shaped by travel, surfing, and cultures from around the world. Her work blends creativity with sustainability, often using reclaimed materials to create pieces full of texture, character, and story.
I recently asked Adele to share more about her business and what inspires her creative journey.
Tell us about your business.
"Adele French, I am a stencil artist."
What inspired you to start your business?
"My art is shaped by my multicultural background, extensive travels, and my identity as both an artist and surfer. These influences fuel a distinctive style that contrasts the relaxed spirit of surf culture with the intensity of modern hyper consumerism. I work with reclaimed materials, giving her pieces a raw, eco-conscious edge while celebrating irregularity, texture, and imperfection."
What is your best-selling product or service?
"There are 2 parts to my activity. They are very complementary.
Painting: online sales + gallery shows + pop ups (eg: This summer you can find me at the El Segundo Art Walk, the Hermosa Side Walk sales and more) as well as commissions
Love seeing the emotion of a collector when they find the one painting they had been searching for. That’s what inspires me to keep creating!
Fashion: cross body phone chains + artistwear."
What is your favorite part of being a small business owner?
"I am a creator: creative process of turning a vision and turning into a real painting/ object."
What is one challenge you've overcome along the way?
"Learning new techniques, managing multiple activities from creating to marketing to accounting to event set up. It doesn’t leave a lot of energy to concentrate on creating."
What are you most excited about right now?
"Continuing to explore creative technics: working on a mural, new phone chains with material I sourced on a trip to France and Mexico."
Where You Can Find Adele French
Website: adelefrench.com
Instagram: @WhoIsAdeleFrench
You'll also find Adele at our next Sun & Sea Collective market this weekend - August 8th at Promenade PV!
South Bay Favorites
When she's not creating, here are a few of Adele's favorite local businesses:
• Gumtree
• Goodboybob Coffee Roasters
• Bone by Dawn at the Bungalow in Hermosa
Why We Love Them
At Sun & Sea Collective, we love celebrating artists who create with intention. Adele's work reflects a unique perspective shaped by travel, culture, sustainability, and a willingness to continually explore new ideas. Whether she's creating a large-scale mural, a one-of-a-kind painting, or a handcrafted phone chain, her passion for the creative process shines through in every piece.
Thank you for supporting local artists, shopping small, and celebrating the stories behind the businesses that make our community so vibrant.
Stay tuned for next week’s Meet The Sun & Sea Vendor Feature!