Cathy Thomasson
CATHY THOMASSON | DESIGNER, STAGING SPECIALIST & OVERALL CREATIVE

Cathy has always been a creative. With a double major in Fashion Merchandising and Fashion Design from Florida State University, she has worked in Interior Design for years on both residential and commercial projects and a Designer Liaison with HGTV, working on both the HGTV Dream Home and HGTV Smart Home. She loves everything to do with fashion and design!

Always knowing she wanted to open a store, in October of 2011, Cathy successfully opened a Home, Design and Gift store, “Sidney Cardel’s” (named in honor of her mother). She closed her brick-and-mortar after eight years in 2019 and now focuses on design, home staging, and anything creative, full-time.

Prior to opening her store, Cathy was a key account sales rep in the home, decorative accessory, and gift industry for 20+ years. Her knowledge of sales, customer service, product development, and design trends serve her well in her design business today.

Cathy is also a freelance artist and a member of numerous chambers and organizations. She volunteers her creative talents for numerous philanthropic charities and events throughout her beach and Jacksonville community.

A native Floridian, Cathy is a sports enthusiast and loves everything to do with design, fashion, and living at the beach. Cathy feels very blessed to have a great family support system, including her daughter, Cara!

Sidney Cardel
WHO IS SIDNEY CARDEL?

After graduating from Florida State University in 1981 with degrees in Fashion Merchandising and Fashion Design, I told my mother I would one day have a store named after her. “Really?” she replied, “I would be honored.”

Today, I’m the one who is honored.
Sylvia Sidney McCardel Thomasson was a woman of outstanding character who touched many lives throughout her life. A native Floridian, she was the youngest and only child of eight siblings to graduate high school, where she was valedictorian. Continuing her education over the years, she eventually received her Specialist, Master’s, and finally a Doctorate of Education.

My mother did this while working full-time in the education arena as the vice president of a college and raising her family with my father. He managed a thoroughbred horse farm in Brooksville, a small town in central Florida.

Besides being an educator, she was an extraordinary writer and prolific artist — and this is where she first used the pen name ‘Sidney Cardel.’ I’ve always loved this name, and I know the creative gene I used in opening our store came from her, so thank you, Mom!

In July of 1999, my father had a heart attack. My two sisters, brother, and I traveled to be with him and our mother, around the clock, for three consecutive days. We stayed together, praying nonstop and hoping he would survive. On the third day after his procedure, we learned he was going to make it, that he would be okay. We were thrilled and greatly relieved! That evening, we all went out to dinner to celebrate Dad’s heart!

The next morning would change our lives forever. We awoke only to find our precious mother had passed away that very evening from a massive heart attack herself. The irony of it all was surreal. While our father lived six more years, our lives indeed changed forever on that day.

In 2011, Sidney Cardel’s opened its doors for the first time. While I knew I would always have a store named after my Mom, it just took me thirty years to make it happen. This photo of my mother standing beside a palm tree, looking so fabulous and happy, was taken by my dad on their honeymoon in 1956. This image was always one of my favorite photos of her, which inspired our logo.

I miss her every day and take comfort knowing that she and my father are together…happy and healthy. They are in good hands with our Heavenly Father, and I believe they are celebrating the continued legacy of Sidney Cardel’s today.

With much love and appreciation for your business,

~ Cathy Thomasson

Sidney Cardel's