The sign out front of Thirteen Thirty Mangrove provides a clue of what you’ll find in the “new, vintage, artisan and upcycled décor, gifts and more” boutique — but it does not prepare you for the hundreds of delightful treasures to be found inside.
“I focus on carrying items that aren’t carried in any other Chico store,” said Traci Lay, Thirteen Thirty’s owner. “I like to offer people really different and special products.”
Swinging open the wood and beveled glass front door, the first thing that greets you is the heavenly scent emanating from the shelves of Dandelion Wishes Candle Company soy candles. The candles are made by a woman-owned company in Washington and, along with products made by 35 other woman-owned companies across the country, represent one of the shop owner’s commitments.
“I just believe, as woman who owns her own business, in supporting other woman-owned businesses,” said Lay. “It’s part of how I choose what I’m going to carry. I just feel like every time I purchase from one of them, I’m supporting a woman, her family and her community as opposed to supporting a big corporate CEO.”
Lay is also committed to supporting other local small businesses. She carries products ranging from photography to wood with resin charcuterie boards and barbeque tools with handcrafted manzanita wood handles to creamy shea butter soaps among other items from 12 different north state artisans from Chico, Oroville, Paradise, Orland and Cottonwood.
“I just like keeping money in the community,” she said about her inventory choices.
Since making a difference for others is important to Lay, she also carries products by companies who have their own giving programs including Beeline Skin Care, a small-batch maker of personal care products that donates a portion of its profits to bee research.
‘Vibe’ variety
Wandering through the shop’s many alcoves you’ll find each has a “different vibe” — boho, beach cottage, rustic and artsy. All are filled with unique products that reflect Lay’s style.
“My style is to mix old and new so, I have vintage, refurbished and up-cycled products that work together or with new products and can easily be incorporated into someone’s home,” said Lay. “I like to create balance in a space layering color, lighting and texture.”
The owner also likes to create some of her own inventory like refurbished picture frames, hanging vases and a few small pieces of furniture like end tables and plant stands.
And tucked in here and there — among the pillows, wine racks, cribbage boards, wind chimes, vintage prints, cocktail glasses, art, ceramics, gifts for guys, wall décor, signs, walking sticks and wreaths and garlands made from old books discarded by libraries — is Lay’s sense of humor.
There are door mats that read, “Nice shoes, take them off.” In a selection of cocktail napkins there’s some that read, “Security Guard: Ma’am you can’t bring outside drinks in here. Me: This is a service mimosa.” There are dish towels with clever bits like “I’m outdoorsy in that I like drinking on patios” and “It’s okay to fall apart sometimes. Tacos fall apart and we still love them.” And, there are some sassy drink coasters that read, “If they started putting box tops on wine, we could rebuild the entire school.”
Lay, who describes herself a “very stable person,” began her foray into home decorating for her own home and pleasure when she was a “stay at home mom by choice” raising her and her husband of 42 years’ sons. Friends liked what she did and began asking for help in sprucing up their homes.
Once the boys headed off to school, she and a friend started a home decorating consulting business. After that came her first brick and mortar home décor business, The Address, which she opened in Oroville in 2002. That business moved to Chico in 2009, expanded a few years later into a new location and was finally sold by Lay and her partner to new owners in 2017.
When she sold The Address, Lay signed a five-year, non-compete contract, so she started her own mobile clothing boutique called Roaming Runway, which she operated out of a custom trailer. She said that while she enjoyed the clothing business, after six years she wanted to “get back into my passion, my love: home décor” — so, in May 2023, she opened Thirteen Thirty Mangrove.
“I really enjoy interacting with people,” said Lay. “I love helping them find just the right piece for their home or just the right gift and seeing their reaction to the fruits of my labor. You just don’t get that with an on-line business. With the store, I feel like I have affected lives directly with something beautiful, fun or really special.”
Certainly, Lay’s business needs to make a profit, but she’s all about helping people find “just the right thing, something of quality they love without them having to have a high-end budget.”
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To that end, Thirteen Thirty treasures range in price from $3.75 to $89, and “you can get great gifts for between $20 and $30,” she said.
“There are product lines I always carry,” said Lay. “But the store does grow and evolve as I find new and unusual products.”
Thirteen Thirty Mangrove bears the name of its address making it easy to remember. The business also has a website — 1330mangrove.com — through which Lay offers “everything.”
“’Everything’ is everything that isn’t on consignment by local artisans, not items that are hard for me to ship, or small items with lots of variables,” said Lay. “There’s a lot in the online gallery, but there’s always a lot more in the brick-and-mortar store.”
Reach Kyra Gottesman at [email protected].
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