Inside Salsa Trading: Celebrating 30 years in business

Thirty years ago, Salsa Trading Company owners Bruce Needleman and Edna Hayes sought a change from their demanding corporate jobs, and they conceived of the idea of opening a home lifestyle store.

Hayes learned that the owner of Salsa, a store they had frequented in Larkspur, wanted to retire and the couple bought the store and quickly transformed it into Salsa Trading Company.

Three stores and a 19-year-old son later, the couple’s 10,000-square-foot showroom on Broadway in Sonoma is on the travel itinerary of clients from all over the world. But last year was a tough one.

“We were able to survive the pandemic by maintaining a flow of business offering personalized design consultations by appointment for clients,” said Hayes.

Hayes describes the Salsa Trading design approach as “comforting, organic and simplistic, less is more - and a layered monochromatic scheme where the aesthetic is highly tactile and relaxed.”

The Sonoma showroom offers a curated selection of Belgian linen and hand-rubbed leather sofas chairs, artwork and lighting, as well as handmade pieces of wood, iron, stone and copper. In addition to the interior home furnishings, Salsa Trading also offers an outdoor collection.

Needleman and Hayes said they appreciate their clients who have helped them sustain a brick-and-mortar retail operation in an increasingly e-commerce world.

“We have been there for our customers when they bought their first home, second and sometimes third, when they expanded with family, when they scaled down as empty nesters, when they rebuilt after the fires, and when they renovated during the pandemic,” said Needleman. “And they have been there for us - and we’re so grateful for their continued support so we can do what we love most!”

20490 Broadway. salsatrading.com.