A little bit about us...
CHARLIE
Charlie is passionate about leatherwork, knitting, and crocheting as forms of artistic expression. Over the past 25 years of living with chronic illness, he learned to knit and crochet while recovering from multiple surgeries and hospital stays. He uses them as a meditative practice to keep his hands busy, his mind focused, and his spirits up on the tough days.
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His love of leatherwork comes from his father. As a child, he remembers watching his dad work on leather at home. As an adult, leatherwork helps him stay connected to the father he lost when he was young.
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During COVID, Charlie led a virtual knitting circle that brought people together through creativity, conversation, and community. He hopes to find—or perhaps start—similar circles wherever life takes him next.
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Throughout his daily life, he tries to apply the core values he learned in the Air Force:
Service Before Self
Excellence in All We Do
Integrity First
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He's interested in creating one-of-a-kind pieces that show unique character—items that are perfect in their imperfection.
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He loves his wife dearly, and she is his muse. Her enthusiasm for his work is often the gentle nudge he needs to keep creating and putting his art into the world.
LINDSEY
Lindsey is slowly creating the next version of herself. She enjoys painting, photography, graphic design, and just about anything that gives her a way to express herself and make sense of the world around her. She is happiest around a campfire, on the water, or making something with her hands.
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With a background in art education and a lifelong pull toward creativity, Lindsey is finding her way back to the things she loves. That includes a return to writing, documenting their life as it unfolds in the Mercantile Journal—the hard parts, the funny parts, the people they meet, and the ordinary moments she doesn’t want to forget.
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Much of her time is spent alongside Charlie as they navigate the realities of chronic illness and build C & L Mercantile together. In between, she’s busy rebuilding her own life—teaching swimming, guiding paddles, taking pictures, trying new things, and figuring out what comes next.
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She doesn’t have it all mapped out—and that may be the point. She's here for the journey and to watch it unfold.