Paulette Knight
The Ribbonerie is a charming shop on the corner of Sacramento and Spruce in San Francisco’s Presidio Heights District. The owner, Paulette Knight, is charming as well. With a degree in fashion design and a twenty-three year career as a flight attendant and a mother who is an antiques dealer, Paulette has had the background, education and opportunity to find a unique product and market that product in the USA.
The original unique product was French wired ribbon which she saw first in French confiseries used as decoration in their windows–but she couldn’t find any of the ribbon for sale. She finally got an appointment with a ribbon manufacturer with the help of a French friend and shortly thereafter found herself in business as a wholesaler of French wired ribbon.
In 1997 Paulette decided to open a retail shop and the Ribbonerie was born.
Beautiful Ribbons
As a wholesaler she soon realized how much she knew about all kinds of ribbon beyond her first love, the French varieties. The boutique stocks ribbons from Switzerland, Germany, Italy, India, China, Japan and the United States as well as France. Along with the French wired ribbon she has grosgrain, petit grain, metallic, satin, vintage, velvet, taffeta, and jacquard. The store also stocks one-of-a-kind variegated ribbons, vintage and contemporary passementerie, millinery supplies, buttons, handkerchiefs, sewing notions and textile related antiques.
The Ribbonerie
Walking into the Ribbonerie is a visual delight. Not only are you looking at stacks and drawers and shelves of gorgeous ribbon, they are displayed in antique ribbon cabinets that Paulette has collected over the years. She has attracted interior designers, brides-to-be, florists, event planners, sewers and crafters from around the globe.
Every time I’ve visited, there have been little girls with their mothers looking for hair ribbons or trim for a special outfit for them or their dolls.
Paulette will also do gift wrapping using her beautiful wares and she offers classes on using ribbon for embellishment, making special embellishments such as ribbon flowers, and ribbon embroidery. Her latest teacher is Candice Kling, a nationally known expert, author and teacher of antique ribbon work.
The Ribbonerie, 3695 Sacramento Street, San Francisco 415.626.6184. For classes, go to www.ribbonerie.com
Click here for the next article