Who’s behind the goat?

The Gilded Goat displays the creative touch of Robin and Paul Dixon

1 of 3Paul and Robin Dixon attribute the longevity of their business to enjoying what they do. — Lisa Crane photo

2 of 3Paul Dixon is excited to nurture his creative side through The Gilded Goat's new picture-framing service. — Lisa Crane photo

3 of 3The Gilded Goat has many nooks and crannies filled with unique furnishings and home decor pieces. — Lisa Crane photo

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When you enter The Gilded Goat in Kimberley's platzl, you immediately feel a frisson of curiosity, a sense of adventure and pleasure at how you are going to spend your next few minutes—or hours. The shop meanders into little nooks, crannies and corners filled with unique, globally sourced handicrafts and distinctive home furnishings and gifts—all displayed with a warm and artistic approach that you can imagine in your own home.

Owner of The Gilded Goat since 2000, Robin Dixon literally sparkles when she talks of her passions: her business and her family. She also loves Kimberley. When she and her husband, Paul, and their young daughters moved to Kimberley 18 years ago, Robin said they wanted to see if they could live their weekends always. They were giving up two good jobs in Calgary to move, but the family found that they were packing up every weekend to leave anyway—so why not give it a try? They were seeking lifestyle and they needed to make a living.

Building on her strengths

After running a successful café in Kimberley and a part-time interior design business from home, Robin opened the doors of her home decor store in 2000. The space was a mere 400 square feet and it soon became apparent that the retail side far exceeded the design side. After renting that space for a year, the couple bought a building in the platzl in the spring of 2002; then, in the spring of 2007, the Dixons expanded their shop into the building next door, enlarging the space to 4,000 square feet.

Robin's passion and inspiration for what she does is apparent.

“I love nice things and think everyone should have them,” she said. “The value of making your house a beautiful place to live is underestimated; a nice place is nurturing for a family—sitting down to dinner, lighting candles.”

Comfort zone

Striving for The Gilded Goat to supply a home's functional necessities, Robin said she wants to provide affordable options for home furnishings and decor. She genuinely encourages people to explore what she carries when they are looking to find home essentials. Regarding her unique and distinctive home furnishings and design pieces, Robin said her motto is: save, buy well, buy less and keep it. She said you can hope to pass these pieces on to your children and theirs.

Robin is also passionate about buying with a conscience.

“I know I import lots, but I try to import recycled wood, as well as 100 per cent wood and fair trade,” she said. “I try to buy conscientiously, and we are probably a lot greener than people think.”

Exploring new avenues

Robin's family is her other passion. Her daughters sometimes work at the store, and her husband, Paul, is heavily involved. He does not consider himself particularly creative but Robin disagrees. With Paul at the helm, the couple have recently turned their talents to picture framing and bought a local business. Converting storage space to a small studio at The Gilded Goat, the Dixons have found that this added service fits perfectly with the existing business. Paul said he has everything on hand in his small studio and is experimenting using unique pieces such as mirror frames—sourced from the shop itself—and barn wood. He is also promoting an interesting idea.

“Giclee prints are an affordable, attractive way to hang pictures,” said Paul. “A digital image is printed on canvas and gallery wrapped, and anyone can bring an image to be printed.”

Paul, a real estate appraiser and the business's bookkeeper, commented that although he is working harder than ever since he moved to Kimberley, he is enjoying working with his hands and seeing results.

“Now I have a real job; I am not the gopher anymore,” joked Paul. “There are only so many boxes I can unpack.”

When asked about the reason they have been in business for over 10 years, the couple laughed and said “what else would we do?” Robin credits their longevity to their passion.

“I like new things to happen and adversity makes you think harder,” she said. “I am proud to live in this utopian scene in Kimberley, where the charm is undeniable. My job is fun, people enjoy it and more and more are discovering it. We are not going anywhere.”

What's in a name?

• The Gilded Goat has been the business's name for the 10-plus years it has been open.
• The name originated from Robin's favourite animal, the mountain goat, which lives happily in familial herds in beautiful and bleak surroundings.
• After meeting such a goat while hiking at nearby Premier Lake about the time she was opening her store, Robin was inspired to honour it.
• The word gilded means gold-covered and luxurious or opulent.