John and Julie Kreitzer looked at the Golden Gait Mercantile and smiled. They were in town enjoying their honeymoon at the Shaw House. After spending several hours exploring, the Kreitzers were utterly smitten. The venerable mainstay of Ferndale’s Main Street was on the market. Marlin and Sandra Mesman opened the store’s doors for the first time in 1972. It was now 2014 and time for the Mesmans to retire. The Kreitzers were in the right place at the right time. And not for the first time.
Landscape contractor John met Julie in 2000 at her family’s San Diego copy shop when he came in to duplicate contractor plans. One plan belonged to a friend who was determined to set John up with the single mom who was not about to date again. Miscommunication had him thinking Julie had agreed. She looked at this nice man who thought she had said yes. “I couldn’t say no!” Julie soon traded in the copy shop for the great outdoors, working with John. The Kreitzers were in the right place at the right time then, too.
John had saved an article on Ferndale from Sunset Magazine, so honeymooning they went, staying in the Shaw House. It is fitting that the wooing couple were wooed by the charm of Humboldt’s Victorian gem. After years of toiling in the hot sun, John knew Ferndale was the right place to be. “I love the climate.” He adds contentedly, “A small town with no traffic.” Julie had sold her cards to the Emporium, even once suddenly proclaiming that she would live in Ferndale one day. This well-suited match became perfect when they laid eyes on the Golden Gait.
The Kreitzers love that their business preserves tradition while offering a way to pass on that heritage. Imagine your kitchen window is fogged up from baking on a rainy day with the grandchildren giggling and covered in flour. You are teaching them to make your grandmother’s frosted brown butter cookies using a handheld eggbeater, the same type your grandmother had when she taught you her favorite recipe. You have the memory ready to be made, but where do you get the essential kitchen gadget? The same place you can find vintage candies you haven’t seen since you were in knee pants. “Favorite old-fashioned candy? If it’s been around a while, I stock it. Everybody has their favorite candy, that memory to hold onto. Something nostalgic. I get heartbroken if I don’t have it or it can’t be found!”
The Mercantile is filled with local goodies including Creole sauces made by the venerable Sweet Mama Janisse, and their own Golden Gait Mercantile Small Batch Jams. Mmmmm. Marionberry! Be warned that classic delectables like clotted cream may end up in your pantry. Julie dotes on gadgets that make life easier, like multipurpose tools. “I love value, and things that are not disposable.” The Kretizers also keep their little customers happy. There are toys that do not require wi-fi to keep those grandkids busy while the cookies cool. “Kids’ retro toys keep them off computers so they work with their hands and minds. Toys that keep them active,” Julie adds. The Mercantile also has a charming museum dedicated to the Amazon of the Victorians, the general store. Julie’s happiness bubbles up when talking about families enjoying this bit of history that still ties us to the past.
Julie’s own passion for the past began as she and her grandmother made arts and crafts together using old greeting cards, leading to her first business, Yesterday’s Best Greeting Cards. “I collected antique paper. I loved the detail in children’s faces on those cards. The stone lithographs had such incredible detail, all created without the tools we have today. I restore them and print them, embellishment with glitter. A reminder of our past and simpler times.” Her parents’ copy shop gave her the tools to build the business that is still producing the lovely handmade greeting cards offered at Golden Gait.
The Kreitzers’ support of their town keeps growing. When the Ferndale Clothing Co. closed, Julie put on her thinking cap. She thought Ferndale’s residents should not have to travel out of town to buy clothes. She also loved the line of Brighton fashion accessories the store had carried, which has a local fanbase. Sunshine and Fog (582 Main St., 707-616-9106) opened in 2022, making sure you can find a cute top when you need one, with the perfect earrings to match. “I hope to offer men’s clothes,” Julie says, “when the time is right.”
As if they were not busy enough, the imminent closure of a Main Street coffee house lured the Kreitzers into another business. Buttercup Coffee (582 Main St., 707-786-4114) opened earlier this year. The smell of fresh brew will tickle your nose as your eyes fall on those blueberry lavender scones. Julie offers all sorts of goodies from Loleta’s Baking in Boots to complement the brew of your choice. Have you tried the Dubai Mocha yet?
John stayed in San Diego for four years as he sold their business and property. Shortly after he was able to move, Julie’s parents, Carolyn and Rupert Knowles, sold the copy shop and followed suit. Although John is technically retired, he fulfills online orders from goldengait.com. Her parents are also retired, but keep busy helping out, too. The Kreitzers’ businesses are a family affair. “Mom hops on the register at Golden Gait, and Sunshine and Fog. Dad is at Buttercup. I work so much now this is how we get to spend so much time together.” Julie’s daughter now lives in Australia, so time with family is even more precious.
Community connection is important to them, so Julie was excited when she was tapped by the Ferndale Chamber of Commerce as soon as she arrived. She served on the board for five years before moving to marketing support, creating artwork and billboards, as her own workload grew. The Kreitzers love to help local organizations, donating gift baskets to the 4-H and others. Maybe you recognize John from flipping burgers and turning hot dogs whenever the Lions Club grill comes out for events.
When asked to finish the sentence “My Humboldt life is,” the Kreitzers answered as a team. “Our Humboldt life is pouring our hearts into our businesses that keep our neighbors connected, our visitors enchanted and our community thriving.” Their businesses tick all the boxes that make small-town life great. Including that candy bar 12-year-old you had to have.
Golden Gate Mercantile
421 Main Street, Ferndale
(707) 786-4891
goldengatemercantile.com
@goldengatemercantle
Sunshine and Fog
582 Main St., Ferndale
(707) 616-9106
Buttercup Coffee
582 Main St., Ferndale
(707) 786-4114
This article appears in My Humboldt Life September 2025.