A Love of Old Things, 25 years in the Making

For Magnolia founder, Caryn, a love of vintage began long before there was a shop.

Some of her earliest memories are of exploring the desert with her grandmother, searching for old bottles, arrowheads and other forgotten treasures. Her mother shared that appreciation for beautiful things from another era, filling their home with Art Deco pieces, Tiffany lamps, vintage pottery and antique furniture. By the 1970s, Caryn was hunting thrift stores and flea markets herself, bringing home treasures to decorate her room and developing the eclectic, individual style that would follow her throughout her life.

That passion eventually led her to interior design school in Los Angeles and a career in commercial shopping center design. She decorated homes on the side, but vintage remained her first love. After moving to Sacramento in 1996, Caryn began selling at antique shows, street fairs and flea markets throughout Northern California. She loved everything about it: the hunt, creating beautiful displays, talking with customers and finding the right home for a special piece.

In 2001, she decided it was time to give that passion a permanent home.

Caryn opened her first antique store on Fair Oaks Blvd. in Carmichael, eventually filling the 13,000 square foot space with more than 35 dealers. She created a garden area, architectural salvage section and room after room of vintage finds. When an opportunity arose to move into the former Blockbuster Video space at Magnolia Center, the shop packed up and made the move, opening its current location in July of 2007.

Today, Magnolia is home to a wonderfully eclectic collection of dealers, each bringing their own eye, style and treasures to the shop. Caryn still loves rearranging displays, creating little moments of inspiration and watching customers discover something that speaks to them.

But after 25 years, she says the greatest joy isn’t simply the things.

It’s the people.

Magnolia has become part of the Carmichael community, a place where customers return week after week, where dealers become friends, and where old treasures begin new chapters in new homes.

For Caryn, it brings together everything she has loved since childhood: the thrill of the hunt, the joy of repurposing, a lifelong love of design, and the simple pleasure of connecting people with things that make them happy.

Twenty-Five years later, we’re still bringing happiness home from Magnolia.