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BUSINESS PARTNER SPOTLIGHT:
Andrea de Francisco of Mystic
Andrea de Francisco — the owner of Mystic, a small art supply store in Mill Valley — has built her businesses with the same care and creativity that define her art.
Long before opening Mystic, Andrea was weaving creativity into everything she touched, including, in the beginning, a vegan, gluten-free bakery that she launched in San Francisco in the early 2010s. Called Café St. Jorge, her Portuguese-inspired café became a hub for art shows, open mic nights, and community gatherings.
Over the years, she’s also co-founded a vinyl record and gift shop and opened another café/bakery/bottle shop, all while personally designing the menus, branding, websites, and visual identities.
"The creative side of the business has always been my favorite part of building something," she says.
Opening Mystic in Mill Valley came with real risk. Andrea left a full-time salaried job to focus entirely on the shop, a leap she describes as equal parts exhilarating and terrifying.
"There were many days in the beginning when I questioned my decision," Andrea says.
Like most small business owners, she’s faced long hours, uncertainty, and a steep learning curve. But the rewards have been powerful: watching customers walk into a space she created and feel inspired, or hearing from someone who’s been genuinely impacted by what Mystic offers.
"Those moments make every hard day worth it," she says with a smile.
Andrea’s love of art started early. She spent her childhood between Los Altos and Portugal, selling pipe-cleaner creations and drawings door-to-door on her cul-de-sac, buoyed by supportive neighbors.
She later lived in Seattle and San Francisco, always seeking out creative classes wherever she could whether it was drawing, ceramics, or screen printing. Art was a constant, both inside and outside of school, and it helped shape not just her career, but her confidence.
Now a Mill Valley parent herself, Andrea sees that same spark in her own children, who attend Old Mill and benefit directly from Kiddo!’s arts programming. She values Kiddo! because it does something essential: it ensures that meaningful, consistent arts education isn’t treated as optional or expendable.
“All kids deserve access to the arts,” she says, "and Kiddo! makes that happen in a way that's thoughtful, joyful and impactful for the whole community."
For Andrea, supporting Kiddo! isn’t just a partnership. It’s a continuation of the creative ecosystem she’s been building her whole life. Kiddo! is lucky to have Andrea as a valued business partner.
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