Judy Periat’s infectious smile is the first thing you see when you walk into Stage Road Shop in Pescadero. She has owned the shop for 20 years and is known in the community for always being open, despite stormy weather. So it made sense that when Judy hit some personal turbulence in her own life, her doors didn’t stay closed for long. 

“Hello,” she says, immediately walking over to new customers. “Stroke, so I can’t explain, but I’m alive, so I’m happy. New and used mixed up. And this one all markdown.” She tours customers through her eclectic mix of clothing, jewelry, art and gift items. Her mention of a stroke usually leads to looks of surprise, sympathy and trust.

On June 9, 2008, Periat underwent brain surgery to remove a benign tumor. The next day she suffered a stroke. She was unable to speak for a year, to eat solid food for several months, and it left her confined to a wheelchair in the beginning. She went to live with her sister in San Mateo for a while.  

“Some people said, ‘Forget it. Sell the shop. She’ll never go back.’ But we said, ‘Give her a year and we’ll see,’” says her brother, Dan Periat, who describes his sister as a fiercely independent and adventurous eldest child who traveled the world speaking several languages fluently. She never hesitated to go backpacking in the Sierras by herself into her 40s.

“I remember several bear stories. She didn’t have a tent. She’d wake up and a bear would be sniffing around her sleeping bag. She’d shoe them away. She wasn’t afraid at all,” says Dan Periat.

Her fearless nature halted the initial stay at her sister’s after a short three months.

“She said, ‘Enough is enough, I want to go home,’” says Andrea Periat, Judy’s sister-in-law. “Judy is so stubborn, nothing’s going to hold her down. She couldn’t speak or wash her hair even.”

“Its like [is it] dish soap or is it shampoo?” says Judy, bursting into laughter.

And getting back to the shop, her home away from home, was even more crucial. Just months after the stroke, she was back at work. It was much more than a job to her. Family said it was her medicine.

“She wasn’t feeling well, but she had to come back to work to get better,” says Andrea Periat, who worked alongside her sister-in-law in the beginning to help her relearn such details as how to use the credit card machine. And Judy Periat still couldn’t speak at this point.

“People would look at her strange like, ‘What’s wrong with this lady?’” explains her brother. “But she was just determined to get better.”

Cotton Skinner, who is the shop landlord and a lifelong family friend, remembers that courage and determination well.

“She worked really hard. She had a machine that spoke with her for a while. Most of us wouldn’t even try,” says Skinner. 

“I don’t think she’d be where she is today had it not been for the shop,” says Andrea Periat.

And where she is today includes the ability to walk again and eat again. She’s regained some of her speech and all of her style. In fact, the shop is a true extension of Judy Periat herself. The chunky turquoise silver rings lining each of her fingers and the bohemian flare of the clothing she wears are reflected throughout the inventory she sells. She still drives all over the Bay Area hunting for merchandise at trade shows and gift fairs.

Her business has actually expanded since the stroke. She’s found innovative ways to funnel into the needs of her clients. When Duarte’s Tavern employees didn’t have time to come shopping, she would bring the shop to them, setting up clothes in the back of Duarte’s so employees could shop.

“Judy’s really good at knowing what people like and that hasn’t changed at all,” says Andrea Periat.

Sometimes, if it’s too hard to explain, she’ll pass customers an index card, which outlines the chain of events that happened seven years ago leading to her stroke. Her speech is still limited and she communicates through a combination of short sentences, sign language, acting, writing, and when all else fails, laughter.  

“Its like a light came on inside of her. She’s just so happy all the time. It’s wonderful to see. She makes everybody else happy.” says Skinner. 

In fact, Skinner says people have traveled hours to visit Judy Periat again after meeting her just once in the shop.

“Her positive attitude makes you feel good. Its amazing how she affects people,” says Skinner. “We could really take a lesson from her. She’s on the path that she chose. It makes her very happy she’s doing exactly what she wants to do. How many of us can say that.”