Gifts, jewelry, crystals, clothing, home decor- you never know what kind of treasures you'll find at the Dragon's Lair.
The Dragon's Lair was started in 1987 by Jackson Branum and Ron Van Scoyk as an outlet for Jackson's stained glass creations. They knocked out the front of a tiny little building at 160 Henry St. in Ukiah, CA, put in a window and opened up shop.
About that time a neighbor of theirs wanted to liquidate her crystal business and they thought it would be cool to carry those too. Because of the colorful and shiny nature of such a collection of treasures, Jackson thought it was like a dragon's lair, and hence the name: The Dragon's Lair.
Around the spring of 1988 they moved The 'Lair to the old tree nursery owned by Roscoe Morris at 2144 S. State St. where it enjoyed a magical setting which included a live tree growing right through the middle of the store!
Ron and Jackson added a studio-workshop for the stained glass part of the business. They planned a trip to Bali and decided to borrow some money from friends to buy handcrafts to bring back to the store. To their surprise, the handcrafts from Bali sold out within 3 months and they knew they were on to something!
After 8 or 9 months at the S. State St. location, Linda Grimshaw came on board to hold down the fort during more of Jackson's buying trips. A couple of years later, Melissa Wells joined the staff and by the end of 1992, they needed more space.
They moved to the current location at 101 S. Main St. and built the charming infrastructure that is still in place today. Many customers probably still remember the large fountain that was featured in the center of the Main St. location. It had been given to the store by Ron's mother and contributed a lot of joy and wonder to everyone who came in for the 13 years it was in place. The outside of the building also bears two distinctive murals: the trompe l'oeil columns on the east, painted by the late Neil Phillip Andersen, and the friendly reclining dragon on the north.
Once at this location, Jackson, Linda and Melissa ran the shop for over 10 years, offering stained glass classes, putting on psychic fairs, housing The Billy Club, and bringing in the unique blend of imported goods and metaphysical items that it is still known for today.
Together they created a place that is more than just a place to shop, it's a kind of base to touch to know that we're all in this together and there's more to life than meets the eye.
Many people got to know and love Jackson through the store, he was a joyous and compassionate person. So it was a great loss to the community when he passed away unexpectedly in the spring of 2003. Linda and Melissa bravely 'held down the fort' until Ron and his partner Scott Love stepped back in to buy the shop and secure it again for the community.
During the next couple of years, The Dragon's Lair experienced growing pains as one by one the original crew moved on to follow their own individual paths. Sadly, the stained glass studio proved to be unsustainable and had to be closed. Fortunately, Scott Love (and his mom, Liz!) were there to keep things rolling and to bring the shop to a new level of organization and efficiency, ready to meet the demands of a 21rst Century workplace. Linda passed her legacy of creativity, commitment and leadership on to Edith Lucas, a part time employee since 1998, who rose to the occasion with the dedication and willingness to sacrifice that it takes to do anything great. And in the Fall of 2006, Ron and Scott stepped back out of the story, selling the shop to Edith.
Under Edith's management and following ownership, a team of creative, caring staff has emerged, who are happy to be here to carry on the tradition of serving our community with intelligence, grace and humor. We are all indebted to everyone who came before us, and any omission is only the result of a lack of knowledge on our part.
Our mission now is:
To offer an inspiring, entertaining and rewarding shopping experience that enhances the quality of life for all of our customers.
And while we may make the stained glass here anymore, we do have pieces that are handmade in Mexico and stained glass coloring books! Along with many other fun and beautiful things to bring joy and meaning to our everyday lives.
I invite you to help fill in the blanks of our history with personal anecdotes and facts by becoming a friend and telling us your part of the story!
With Gratefulness and Thanks, Edith Lucas and The Dragon's Lair's core cast of characters: Raven Houdek, Christina Shanks
