by Bill and Evelyn – Classic Inspired Living
Welcome to Gathered, the journal of Bill and Evelyn — a lifestyle brand rooted in timeless values, artistic living, and the enduring grace of the past. This space is more than just a collection of stories. It’s a tribute to two remarkable people who shaped the foundation of my life: my grandparents, Bill and Evelyn.
Bill and Evelyn grew up in East Los Angeles in the 1940s. Grandma Evelyn came west from Mississippi, bringing with her a quiet southern charm and a strong sense of beauty in the everyday. Grandpa Bill was one of eight siblings, raised in the heart of East LA, a place full of grit, character, and creativity.
They were stylish in their own unassuming way. Evelyn was always polished — a starched collar, hair set just right, pink fingernails carefully painted. Their home was solid and modest, but full of heart and delicate, thoughtful touches. There were doilies on the sofa arms, soft lampshades casting a golden glow, fluffy pillows on crisply made beds, and little bowls of powder tucked in the bathrooms — everything in its place, but never without warmth.
She was a cook in the true Southern sense. Tables set with care, pretty china, folded napkins, bowls of peaches, bread and butter, and always, always a big pitcher of sweet tea. She rolled her hair at night and wore it in an auburn french twist in the day. She sewed many of her own clothes — high-waisted slacks, colorful pedal pushers, and those iconic little slip-on shoes, years before they were recognized as Vans. Her lipstick was always pink and perfectly applied. She grew garden roses and other fragrant florals. I remember the smell of stock flowing through her bedroom window. Sweet floral curtains in her kitchen. Evelyn was kind — especially to working people and anyone struggling — and she cared deeply for family, dignity, and decency. She loved animals aside from snakes. Hated snakes!!
Grandpa Bill was the coolest man I knew. A plumber by trade but truly an artist. He wore rolled-up Levis, had jet-black hair and blue eyes, and a sharp, witty sense of humor. His creativity showed up in unexpected ways: he built a greenhouse off the side of their den, complete with a rock pond, a waterfall, plants galore — and even a snapping turtle. He dabbled in taxidermy. He saw beauty where others didn’t and had the hands to build it.
I was lucky to grow up close to them, wrapped in their world. In the early 1980s, our family moved together along with my cousins to Northern Arizona. We built a home at the top of a mountain, nestled up against the national forest — a new chapter, but still filled with the same values of home, heart, and hands-on living.
Now, after building a floral company for 25 years, I’m stepping into a new venture. Bill and Evelyn is more than a brand — it’s a way of honoring their influence, their love of beauty, and the lessons they passed on. This blog, Gathered, is where I’ll share how I became an artist, writer, entrepreneur — shaped by Evelyn’s grace and Bill’s grit — and how their compassion, creativity, and quiet strength made me who I am.
Here, I’ll write about vintage finds, art, glamping, horticulture, homemaking, and all the timeless beauty that still inspires me every day. These are stories not only of the past but of how those stories still live on — in objects, in rituals, in the way we gather.
I hope you’ll come along.
With love,
Sussanna Davidson
Founder, Bill and Evelyn
