Our beautiful story

Where we began:

Our story starts back in 1993. Mark and Krissy Millner moved from the bay area to the Rogue Valley and opened Terra Firma Gift in the heart of Jacksonville Oregon. They have created a beautiful store with a collection of wonderful items that have kept customers coming back for years. Their store grew to be an amazing success, so much so that they decided to open a second store for home furnishings in downtown Medford. In 2021 with so many busy and wonderful things happening for the Millner’s, they decided to downsize to just their Medford location and put their Jacksonville building up for lease.

And on to the new:

I think most people in town know me as the girl who works at Terra Firma Gift. If you have ever walked through the front doors, I’ve probably startled you in some way by excitedly saying “Hi”. I’m always excited because I love my job. The smell of the store, the creak of the hardwood, the view out the front door, the amazing people of Jacksonville popping in to see what is new. It’s all so wonderful to me. I grew up in this store. I remember when I was young, my Mom giving me money and telling me to go buy myself something in town and me excitingly running full speed to Terra Firma to see the “glow in the dark room”. It’s also where I discovered Bubble gum ice cream when ice cream was served upstairs so long ago. When I was 20 years old, I applied to work at the store, telling my family it was my dream job. I got that dream job. I’ve been at that dream job since, through life changes. Through meeting my husband, and us having a little boy. I love Jacksonville, and I love my job. The owners of Terra Firma have witnessed my love for this store first hand and started dropping hints. Mark would say once a week “so when are you taking over?” and “when is this going to be your store?” and finally the time came to turn over a new leaf. My leaf. The Calathea plant symbolizes to “turn over a new leaf” and “to start new” so what better name for the store. Now with one chapter closing, we begin turning over a new leaf with Calathea Home & Gift. We will continue carrying the torch that Mark and Krissy lit so many years ago and look forward to providing the same wonderful atmosphere that so many in our community have come to know and love.

Thank you to Mark and Krissy for giving us this wonderful opportunity and to all of our supporters - We couldn’t do this without you.