New artisan shop The Household Co. pops up in Rancho Santa Fe village

There is a new retail shop in the Rancho Santa Fe Village with The Household Co., a modern artisan shop popping up inside a former office space. The boutique boasts elevated, beautifully crafted cleaning and laundry supplies from agave fiber sponges to French hard soaps for scrubbing out stains or washing delicate items.

“The products that we have are really pretty, you don’t want to just put them in the garage or cupboard,” said owner Jamie Danielle.

The Encinitas resident has worked in the Rancho Santa Fe area for over 20 years: Danielle was a personal chef for many Ranch residents before opening her own staffing agency for housekeepers, nannies and chefs in 2006. Her staffing agency took over the village space in 2019 but sat mostly bare during the pandemic.

“It’s such a perfect spot for this idea,” said Danielle of her store, tucked in between two salons in the quiet courtyard through the El Portillo archway off Paseo Delicias.

Danielle’s new venture was influenced by her first vacation after the pandemic, a trip to Oaxaca, Mexico with her husband and daughter. She was inspired all of the sights, the smells and the artisans, particularly by a fifth-generation potter she met named Ana Maria. Her pottery was made of stone from a nearby cave and open-fired using organic materials. Danielle was moved by the unique beauty of her work and her dedication to preserving her family’s legacy.

“That’s what sparked everything,” Danielle said. She purchased many of Ana Maria’s pieces to bring back to Rancho Santa Fe and help start building her shop of artisan goods. The household theme paired well with her staffing agency that she still runs out of the space.

Jamie Danielle in her village shop.

(Karen Billing)

Danielle did a lot of research to find the right kind of makers to feature: “I’ve had so much fun sourcing all of the products,” she said.

She has selected dustbins, brooms and feather dusters made by Amish community members in Pennsylvania, sourced by a company called Millstream Home. The brooms are handmade using natural corn and straw fibers.

She carries hand-sewn utility aprons, Swedish household cloths, Japanese Harimi dustpans made of washi paper and bamboo, and Iris Hantverk birch wood brushes, made by visually impaired craftsmen using an old Swedish tradition. She features Humdakin, a Danish brand of cleaning supplies like a wool and cashmere detergent with the fresh scent of chamomile and sea buckthorn.

Handmade floral taper candles sit alongside Ana Maria’s pottery along one tabletop.

“It’s been such a cool experience learning about these products and I just love to talk to people about everything,” she said.

Not only are the products of superior quality, but they are also affordable. Danielle takes pride in being one of the only places in Rancho Santa Fe where customers can shop and find quality, handmade household products for under $20.

She calls it a pop-up as the building was recently sold and her lease expires in June—but Danielle hopes to stick around. If not in this location, she is looking up on collaborating with another artisan to open another village shop.

Find The Household Co. at 6012 Paseo Delicias #3, open every day except Sunday from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays. Mark your calendar for May 11 when The Household Co. will be a part of the Spring Block Party in Rancho Santa Fe. From 5-7 p.m., guests are encouraged to visit village vendors and businesses to shop, sip and enjoy light bites.