Describe your business. Did you find it, or did it find you?

For many years while my husband, Ed, and I were still working, we often discussed the possibility of opening a store in El Dorado County to showcase the beautiful, hand-thrown, high-fire porcelain and raku pottery of our son-in-law, Scott Wilson. Scott has been making pottery for more than 32 years. When Ed and I retired, we found the perfect small store in Pollock Pines that had been divided from a larger store. The address was 11B; hence, the name of our business “Eleven B.” It comes from our roots. At the time, our 7-year-old grandson, Emmett Wilson, made a drawing of the Eleven Bs with the main bee flying across the top of the page pulling a banner spelling out “E-l-l-e-v-e-n [sp.] B.” The bee was so perfect that I Photoshopped it and separated it from the rest of the drawing. Without making any changes to the original art, we made Emmett’s bee a part of our business logo. It’s awesome! Since making the drawing, Emmett has become a spelling bee champion at Sierra Ridge Middle School in Pollock Pines.

How are you involved with both the community and your customer?

When we opened our business in 2008, aside from carrying Scott’s pottery, we also took and continue to take handmade craft items on consignment from members of our community. At that time, little did we realize how many talented crafters were in the area until they started showing up with their beautiful works. We consider ourselves a “community store” since we represent so many members of our community – more than 120 and growing fast since we moved to our Placerville location. Many of our crafters are also our customers, appreciating the fine quality handmade crafts we carry.

What’s your biggest job perk?

Seeing the amazing array of beautiful handcrafts that our crafters are willing to allow us to sell for them.

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