About Kaethe Kliot
Lacis founder Kaethe Kliot (1930-2002) was born on February 6, 1930, in Cologne, Germany. She grew up in a strict European household where mastering knitting, crochet, embroidery, and other needlecrafts was expected. By the age of six, she was sewing her own nightgowns.
During World War II, in May 1942, Cologne endured sustained bombing. Over 260 air raids by the British Royal Air Force dropped nearly 35,000 tons of explosives on the city. The destruction claimed more than her family’s possessions, Kaethe lost much of her family, including her mother. By the early 1950s, she found herself alone and made the decision to leave Germany.
To raise the $1,500 needed to emigrate, Kaethe worked and knitted lace doilies, selling them to American soldiers to carry home to their families. She would later refer to these pieces as her “GI doilies.”
After leaving Germany, Kaethe traveled extensively before settling, at age 23, in Windsor, Canada. It was there she met her future husband, Jules Kliot, an aspiring architect from Brooklyn, New York. They married in 1955 and, later that year, moved to Berkeley, California, where they began their life together and started a family.
In 1964, Kaethe opened a small retail shop she named “Some Place,” inspired by the phrase “Some Pig” from her favorite book, Charlotte’s Web, by E. B. White. Some Place was renamed Lacis in 1970.
Kaethe’s original storefront was the smallest space at the corner of Adeline Street and Ashby Ave. It was so narrow you could almost touch both walls with outstretched arms. Although it was modest in size, Kaethe knew how to make the most of what she had.
She began by working with a friend selling rugs made from carpet remnants sourced from local mills. These were stitched together into intricate, quilt-like patchwork designs. At times, she would also find discarded garments, which she repaired and sold, using the skills she had learned as a child.
Lacis evolved to include a wide range of textile arts, from weaving and embroidery to macramé and lacemaking. With each additional art form came the need for more space. When a slightly larger storefront next door became available, and she seized the opportunity to expand.
The shop continued to grow and thrive. It eventually outgrew its second location and moved into the next storefront which was a little bigger. Today Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles exhibit galleries and retail operations are housed at 2982 Adeline Street, consisting of three storefronts, and the second floor.
Visit Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles
The Lacis Museum is located within our retail store at 2982 Adeline Street in Berkeley, CA. When you visit, you can explore our current exhibitions, browse an extensive selection of textile supplies and books, and experience firsthand what makes Lacis a haven for makers and textile art enthusiasts.
Museum Tours: Monday-Saturday, 1:00 PM & 3:00 PM (Appointments encouraged)
Shop Hours: Monday-Saturday, 12:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Phone: (510) 843-7290
