By Patricia Belyea
It was a ridiculous idea. Who would want to visit the grimy basement in our Seattle home to buy gorgeous Japanese textiles?
But my husband Michael convinced me that we could actually renovate our downstairs into a retail space. And so we began.
To kick-off the opening of our new retail space, we have a Harvest Moon Party ten years ago. We invited everyone we knew plus a roster of local textile personalities.
COVID changed many things for many people. For Okan Arts, we moved our shop online.
We sold our Seattle home. I moved east to the Okanogan Highlands of Washington state. Victoria moved south to Long Beach CA.
In April 2022, Okan Arts began operations out of an 1800 sf studio/warehouse in Long Beach. Today, this is where Victoria and Johnathon manage the inventory and the online Japanese Textile Shop.
(This space is not open to the public except for our annual May Studio Sale.)
We have a lot to celebrate! As a small business we have thrived for 10 years and look forward to many more.
Better yet, we have made precious friendships with quilters and connoisseurs who appreciate the splendor of Japanese textiles.
Thank you for your love and support!
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ABOUT US: Okan Arts, a petite family business, is co-owned by mother-daughter duo Patricia Belyea and Victoria Stone. Patricia and Victoria sell Japanese textiles online, host creative quilting experiences, and lead quilting & textile tours to Japan.
FOLLOW OKAN ARTS ON INSTAGRAM @okanarts
