by Whitney Merrill

A work in progress by Melissa Manson in her Princeton studio. Photos: Whitney Merrill.

December 2011—Earlier this year, the familiar outdoor yard of Half to Have It moved from its location at 617 Main Street in Half Moon Bay to a new location at 131 California Ave. in Princeton-by-the-Sea. The new place, named the Nest Gallery, is located in the three yards of a three-story 110-year-old building that was once a water tower; there’s a view of Pillar Point Harbor from the building. The indoor gallery remains in its old location in Half Moon Bay, but it now boasts a new entrance right onto Main Street.

Owner Melissa Manson explains: “Two years ago, I had no plans to move. The antique store and art yard had been together in the Main Street location for 18 years, each with a separate lease. I also had a third lease that served as my art studio and creative space for painting and mosaic classes.” She explains that the two lots on Main Street were neighbors for many, many years, so the sale of the corner lot was unexpected — to her and to her customers. “People were literally standing at the fence crying. It was very touching to me. I just had no idea, I guess. It was very, very overwhelming and also quite an honor how much people loved that business.”

An example of the whimiscal items found at the Nest Gallery.

But Manson is enthusiastic about her new locale. She says, “It’s a fresh start with an established customer base and also a new customer base that is happy to find me. I love Main Street as well, but it’s a different sort of energy. This energy, it’s like Half Moon Bay was to me 20 years ago. More artists and fishermen and farmers. I love the harbor.”

Manson has been a businesswoman in Half Moon Bay for over 25 years, emerging from the corporate world to co-found La Di Da. However, as she explains, “La Di Da took off and didn’t need two people” so her partner bought Manson out and she was free to put her energy elsewhere.

And that’s when Half to Have It began. Manson opened up her art and collectibles business, and then got her license as a certified personal property appraiser. She says: “We do certified property appraising, then we estate buy. So that’s where you get the art and then also the additional items. And then I had to have the yard in order to get into the building so I ended up doing yard things, too.”

A practical use of the broken glass found in the yard at the gallery.

Manson continues: “You know, Ikea is great if you’re moving around and you’re breaking things down and you want to be a do-it-yourselfer. But you can’t beat the quality of things that were built at the turn of the century or before. These things last and they’ve got beauty and energy and they’re parts of people’s family. So I like relocating them, finding them new homes; it’s a fun business that way.”

Manson comments passionately about how the late afternoon coastal light is great for painting — and mentions another benefit of the recent move. “It has re-established what’s important to me and I realize that my painting … is really important to me. So, I’m making the time … to paint every day; I have the studio set back up again. When people say it’s hard to reach me I understand and I’m sorry, it’s just that I need to do what I need to do. I need to paint. It’s a meditation and I need to close myself off to a certain extent and do it.”

Unsurprisingly, the new gallery has many fans. Manson says: “People say, ‘I just love coming in here.’ I see people come and they don’t really buy a whole lot, I just see them in here all the time. I say ‘Let me know if I can help.’ They say, ‘Oh no. … I just like to be here, it makes me feel inspired.’” Manson smiles and says, “That’s really, really nice.”