Miranda Culp and Laurelin Gilmore are accustomed to the look of wonder on the faces of the people who stumble into their independent bookshop, Amatoria Fine Art Books. 

In the heart of historic downtown Winters, Al Calderone builds guitars, teaches the craft of guitar and ukulele making, and gives lessons.

Water Street Antiques & Interiors, founded in 1972 by Terry and Christine O’Neill, isn’t just an antique store.

DeeDee and Craig Lyman own a feed store in a community of equestrians and animal lovers.

Luke Swanson and Jacob Dill, cofounders of Plant Daddy Co., are partners in life and business and discovered the joy of plant parenthood in their 20s living in San Francisco and Portland.

Bikini tops made from inflatable vinyl chairs and chain harnesses made with floppy disks aren’t items that department stores typically sell, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be fashionable.

Crawford’s Books owner Sue Richards now offers curbside pickup at her store on Freeport Boulevard in the Hollywood Park neighborhood of Sacramento.

Lindsay Swearingen was introduced to needle and thread at 8 years old, when her mother taught her how to cross-stitch. She was young and didn’t stick with it, but “about eight years ago, I picked it back up around when there was a resurgence of embroidery and fiber art,” she says. 

As west Roseville’s residential communities have rapidly developed in recent years, spreading farther toward the western border of Placer County, there have been few commercial amenities while developers have waited for a critical mass of population that could support new shopping centers.

Sparrow 5 owner Marsha Taylor, who has a background in interior design and art, has operated her 2,100-square-foot shop in Roseville for seven years. Besides selling furniture and home accessories, Sparrow 5 carries the work of more than 70 local artists.