Mendocino Sandpiper

Some Mendocino storefronts do not need a tall false front or a grand old hotel balcony to stand out. This one does it with color, scale, and that classic village look that feels right at home on Main Street.

Overview

Mendocino Sandpiper is a longtime jewelry shop at 45280 Main Street, near the western end of Mendocino's commercial district.

The business dates to 1987 and has now been part of Main Street for nearly four decades. Sandpiper's own historical website describes it as established in 1987 and promotes the shop as a place "where the locals shop." Current owner Taylor Slevin continues to operate the business at the same address.

Today the store carries a broad range of affordable jewelry, including work by Holly Yashi, Mark Steel, Boma and other makers, along with pieces using sterling silver, abalone, pearls, coral and semiprecious stones.

Location

Mendocino Sandpiper stands at 45280 Main Street in Mendocino, toward the western end of Main Street and close to the headlands.

Its small storefront is part of the collection of shops and older buildings that gives this end of Main Street its distinctive village scale.

The Mendocino Coast Chamber of Commerce continues to list Sandpiper at 45280 Main Street as a retail and specialty shop.

History

Mendocino Sandpiper was established in 1987. Business records give a starting date of May 1 of that year, while decades of Sandpiper advertising consistently identify the shop as having been in business since 1987.

One of the names most closely associated with the store's earlier years is Roxanne Vold.

Period Mendocino Coast advertising identifies Roxanne as the proprietor of Mendocino Sandpiper, and older business listings likewise identify her as the owner.

Her connection with customers went well beyond simply selling jewelry.

Roxanne died in 2012. Her obituary remembered her as a successful Mendocino businesswoman and included the recollection of a Sandpiper customer whose relationship with her began through jewelry and eventually grew into friendship.

The business continued. Taylor Slevin is now identified by Sandpiper itself as the owner, and recent business records likewise list Taylor as the person running the store.

Sandpiper advertising from the 2010s through the 2020s repeatedly places the store at the same 45280 Main Street address, showing just how firmly the business has become associated with this little storefront.

The Building Today

The history of the building itself before Sandpiper remains an open part of the story.

Historic photographs, Mendocino business directories, property records and Kelley House Museum files may eventually help identify earlier occupants of 45280 Main Street and tell us more about the neighboring house and garden remembered by longtime visitors.

For now, the strongest documented history belongs to Sandpiper itself: a small jewelry store opened in 1987, remembered through the Roxanne Vold years, and carried forward today by Taylor Slevin.

Why It Matters

For a Main Street business, nearly forty years of customers coming back to the same little shop is a pretty good piece of Mendocino history all by itself.

Community Memories

One community memory recalls visiting Sandpiper for more than 45 years and remembers Roxanne as a particularly classy woman. The same memory recalls the beautiful garden surrounding the whimsical house immediately beside the shop.

The memory tells of buying earrings and necklaces there through the years, bringing girlfriends into the store to find something special for themselves, and a husband regularly choosing a new crystal to hang in his office window. That longtime customer also praised Taylor for keeping Sandpiper beautiful while continually bringing in changing styles of jewelry.

Timeline

May 1, 1987 - Mendocino Sandpiper is established at 45280 Main Street.

Late 1980s-2000s - Roxanne Vold is identified in advertising and business listings as proprietor.

2012 - Roxanne Vold dies; she is remembered as a successful Mendocino businesswoman.

2010s-2020s - Sandpiper advertising continues to place the shop at 45280 Main Street.

Present - Taylor Slevin owns and operates the store.

Sources & Original Research: This history blends verifiable historical and current business records with the original Buildings and Businesses in Mendocino post and community memories. Sources include Mendocino Sandpiper's official website and historical business page; Mendocino Coast Chamber of Commerce listings; Better Business Bureau business records; period Mendocino Coast advertising and directories; published information concerning former proprietor Roxanne Vold; original post text and research provided by Gee Bee; and the community memory provided by Karen Hamilton.