Six women-owned businesses transformed the historic Enloe Mansion into a vintage marketplace, creating space for vendors to connect with shoppers and strengthen support for women-owned businesses in Chico.
The mansion opened to the public for the first time, welcoming local women vendors to share their love for vintage fashion and celebrate Galentine’s Day.
The owner and event organizer, Anna Rose, shared her excitement about opening the doors of the Enloe Mansion to celebrate women-owned businesses and vintage fashion.
“Galentines was just around the corner, and we have this weird old house,” Rose said. “We just want to share it with Chico.”
For Rose, the night wasn’t just about vintage clothing and opening her home to the public. It was about giving women in Chico a space to be seen. She said supporting women-owned businesses in town has always been important to her.
The Galentines Sip and Shop received an exceptionally wide turnout, featuring lifelong Chico residents, students, business owners, fashion-driven women and more. The event felt less like a market and more like a room full of women celebrating one another.
The event was made possible through collaboration with Sue Reed, owner of Bootleg in downtown Chico, further highlighting the network of women-owned businesses supporting one another.
Guests were welcome to tour the house and shop through the vintage clothing racks displayed in the main living room. In the kitchen, guests passed around homemade pizzas and desserts while sipping drinks and catching up.
The evening created a space intentionally focused on uplifting women and supporting their presence in the local business community.
“The quality of the stuff here is not just secondhand stuff. It’s actually cultivated,” said Daryl Northcote, a visitor who’s been involved with the vintage community since the ’80s. “These people know what they’re looking at.”
One of the vendors, Tiffany Curtis, owner of Betty Rocket Vintage, who typically sells online, sees the importance of pop-up shops like this one.
“They’re great, very important,” Curtis said. “People can actually see stuff and touch it and see if it fits.”
Events like this create opportunities for local female entrepreneurs to gain visibility, build customer relationships and grow beyond online platforms.
Another vendor, Rocky Flower, owner of Rocky’s Retro, shared her appreciation for events highlighting women-owned businesses.
“It’s important for us to gather and be in community together rather than just doing it online or only retail,” Flower said. “It creates more of a fun environment where we’re like, okay lets play dress up and have a ladies’ night, right?”
Rose said she hopes to host more community events at the mansion in the future, continuing to spotlight local women entrepreneurs and create space for connection.
“We go out of our way to support women in business in town,” Rose said. “And we love keeping clothes out of landfills, so we wanted to continue that vibe.”
If the turnout was any indication, community support for women-owned businesses in Chico will continue to grow.
For one evening, the historic home served as a platform for women entrepreneurs to showcase their work, uplift one another, and be recognized for the businesses they’ve built.
Sydney Davis can be reached at [email protected]
