Anne’s Cards & Gifts sign comes down

By ROB LARSON
Daily Press Staff Writer
The removal of the Anne’s Cards & Gifts sign above the vacant former home of the greeting card and gift shop this morning on Main Street marked the end of an era in downtown Artesia.
According to Herm Williams, Anne Williams’ son and the owner of the store from 1975 to 2005, Anne’s Cards & Gifts originally started out as Anne’s Home Service in 1959. At first, it was “sort of a branch-off furniture store,” selling home supplies like fringe, sewing machine needles, curtain rods, drapery and hardware. However, Anne began selling Hallmark cards that same year. … For the rest of the story, subscribe in print and on the web.
Anne passed away in 1975, but Herm dropped out of college and took over his mother’s business.
“I just fell in love with it and decided to buy the store from my dad,” Herm said, thinking back on his time in Artesia. “It was the best 30 years of my life.”
After selling the business to a Carlsbad resident in 2006, Anne’s Cards & Gifts closed in 2010. Last year, the building was sold.
The location will soon become The Studio +, a dance studio offering various types of dance training. According to their website, dance classes are scheduled to start Sept. 17.