Entrepreneurial, creative, and skilled, Anika Caldwell, a driven businesswoman and Beaumont-Wilshire resident for over a decade, has taken her talents to new heights: success allowed her to move Ankor (ankorpdx.com), her marine, commercial, and residential sewing services business, from her home on NE Prescott Street to a newly constructed building at 4232 NE Killingsworth. Ankor started operations there in June. An official public grand opening of the building and its tenants was held Oct. 1.
An experienced sailor with a BA in graphic design, Anika used her love of fabrics and patterns in the marine trades industry, where she learned to sew while utilizing her creative talents. She draws from that experience to create interior and exterior custom cushions and pillows, outdoor weather curtains, boat covers, and more. She also re-upholsters and repairs existing pieces, as well as providing consulting and design services.
Anika established Ankor in 2015. After balancing a full-time role in soft goods manufacturing and product design, in 2017 she was ready to give Ankor her full-time attention. As her client needs grew, Anika and her husband built and moved into an ADU on their property so she could expand her work-from-home space. She soon realized, however, that her home location was still limiting.
“I needed to provide my clients a place where they could visit Ankor,” she said. “And having samples and fabrics on display was a necessity.”
In the new building, which houses the owner Toast—a designer and manufacturer of leather and canvas covers for technology devices—and other “maker” businesses, Anika’s upstairs space is open and well-lit, offering her more space to stock fabric samples and a more inviting atmosphere for her clients.
“I love it,” Anika said. “It’s what I’ve dreamed of having, and now I do.”