Murphys, CA…Cozy up in comfort with our latest knitwear collections – soft, warm, and made with care for those crisp days ahead.  We’ve brought back some of our favorites, featuring men’s and women’s sweaters from the iconic Irish heritage brand @aranwoollenmills , locally crafted pieces from artisan weaver @lettuceknitcabbage, and fair trade, handmade treasures from @myfrenchknot .

#knitware #fallfashion #winterfashion #cozyvibes #visitmurphys #murphysca #shoplocal #shopindependent

#shopsmall #shopindependent #artisanjewelry #handcrafted #gemstonejewelry #mothersdaygifts

“Every time you spend money, you’re casting a vote for the kind of world you want” ~ Anna Lappe

Independent Mercantile
237 Main St.
Murphys, CA
209.728.8963

Our beautiful little store carries goods that are useful, inspiring, thoughtfully designed, impeccably made, consciously priced and always adorable!

Who we are

Owners Jill and Linda grew up in the Midwest and met each other, back in the 80’s, at the University of Cincinnati School of Design, Architecture, Art & Planning, and have been friends ever since! Funny enough, their first work assignment through the Co-op program at their university sent them to work a semester in retail at the hallowed Neiman Marcus department store at the Galleria Mall in sunny Fort Lauderdale, Florida. What an experience! Don’t go thinking it was there that they developed a plan to one day have their own retail shop. It wasn’t even a blip on their radar. They were just broke, clueless, hungry and lovesick albeit young, tan, fit and always up for fun. They didn’t at the time, ever envision going into business together or building a retail space of their own, but that’s what happened, eventually.

Linda found her way to California through her love of rowing. Sometime after competing in the World Rowing Championships in Australia she moved to Bear Valley, CA a small ski resort town (population 150) at 7000 ft. in the Sierra Mountains and began making her well loved jewelry. It was about this time, Jill found Linda and ended up visiting, then making the decision to move from Brooklyn to Bear Valley with her husband and dog. Jill spent the same decade in the 90’s working on 7th avenue in NYC as a garment designer/consultant in the “Rag Trade” while simultaneously studying massage therapy at the Swedish Institute, bartending and riding her bike at top speed through NYC traffic.

An avid runner and athlete Linda has managed to find a wonderful balance among her life’s passions: Spending time with her beautiful daughter Ani, trail running over the mountains with her dog Molly, creating jewelry with gorgeous gemstones and twisting wire while listening to her favorite podcasts and watching Rafa slay on the courts.

Jill has many passions, her husband and son being the greatest, but she recently discovered her love of pottery and has jumped in with both feet to learn all she can about the medium and exercise her creativity through clay.

It was in Bear Valley after performing a myriad of odd jobs, raising their respective families and finding themselves older, still clueless, still broke yet still up for fun that the idea to open a retail space together was hatched. What better time to open a store than in the middle of the Great Recession?! It worked. The Independent Mercantile has had many incarnations in several locations over the years but it’s still here and it’s better than ever. They are both very proud of the little shop that they have created together and all that they have experienced while remaining friends along the way.

They hope you love their store and will frequent this site often!

Works by both Jill and Linda can be found in the Independent Mercantile.