Cassie McGettigan

Cassie McGettigan

San Francisco, California | I started Gravel & Gold at the beginning of 2008 with my two friends, Lisa and Nile. Our first spot was a 9’ x 12’ cinderblock bunker on the ground floor of a studio building. We plastered it over, installed one bookcase, one clothing rack, one desk with a jewelry case, and that was it. We were open four days a week and when we were short for rent, we’d have a party and that would bring in enough dough to make it another month.

That fall, I quit my other job, moved up to Bolinas, and commuted in once a week for my day in the shop. The following summer, we signed for our current, much bigger spot on 21st Street. This one needed a lot more than just plaster. I moved back to the city and we re-opened with Tripp Carpenter’s big, beautiful table running down the center of the space with very little on top of it to sell.

Since then, the shop has grown to become a real shop and, moreover, a design collective and supportive way of life for everyone involved. Tomra and Holly have joined us as full-time partners and Nile has left to work as a full-time homebirth midwife. Our own line of clothing and home goods had its first release in the spring of 2012 and most of what we offer at the shop today are things we make ourselves. 

My primary contributions to Gravel & Gold these days are textile designs, graphics, product designs, and assorted communications. I keep learning!