Stacy Tomlinson and Sydnei Kelly Photo by Aniko Kiezel
Follow Your Bliss MIDTOWN COOPERATIVE OFFERS ARRAY OF FUN FINDS
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ooking for an antique armoire? Maybe a beautiful vintage dress? Or perhaps a tabletop accessory, cute pillow or fun kitchen sign? You don’t need to drive all over town. Just head to Midtown Bliss Home & Gifts, a one-stop shop for unique vintage and antique items, home décor, furniture and gifts from more than 120
JL By Jessica Laskey Meet Your Neighbor
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vendors. Co-owners Sydnei Kelly and her mom, Stacy Tomlinson, opened their first Bliss outpost in Rancho Cordova in 2016. Tomlinson had run her own antique and vintage shop in Folsom for years before it became too hard to make ends meet, due in part to the 2008 recession. When Kelly returned to Sacramento after a stint in Texas for her husband’s job, the mother-daughter duo went into business together. “We wanted to have a space where we could have a place for local vendors that wasn’t their own brick-and-mortar store,” says Kelly, a former teacher and mother of three. “It’s so hard and timeconsuming and expensive to have your
own store, especially if you’re on your own.” Bliss Marketplace in Rancho Cordova boasts 70 vendors, each with their own mini shops in a large, shared space. The Bliss model allows these small business owners to function cooperatively. Each vendor is required to work only one shift per month, which gives them time to be present at other sales opportunities, such as farmers markets and antique fairs. After enjoying four years of success with their first venture, Kelly and Tomlinson decided to open a second space in Midtown. “My sister had a rental in Midtown with her fiancé and invited us over for Christmas one year,” Kelly recalls.
“Across the street was a vacant warehouse and right away, when we got out of the car, my mom and I looked at each other and said, ‘We need a second store.’” The business mavens tried to rent the warehouse but never heard back, so they scoped out other spaces until they landed a renovated warehouse at 27th and R streets. Today it’s home to Midtown Bliss Home & Gifts. Timing wasn’t on their side. They opened the Midtown location March 5, 2020, and closed March 18 for the pandemic. Their plan to fill the new warehouse with vendors within three months turned into a yearlong endeavor. Kelly now reports the space is full and they have a wait list.
