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The gypsy of Sacramento is pulling up roots in Midtown.

A closing sign was set out last week to send word that Tasha Preston is closing her global bazaar known as "Tasha's." Since then, friends and customers have been dropping by to pay their respects to the nomadic spirit who brought back pieces of the world.

For the last 16 years, Tasha, who prefers to be known by her first name, filled the tiny shop at 1005 22nd St. with tales and treasures ranging from Tibetan jewelry and Central Asian camel tassels to carved wooden benches from Nooristan. Business has been so bad in the last year that she hasn't been able to pay rent for the last few months.

"There's nothing in my store you can't live without," she said. "It's beauty. And it's the heartbeat of other tribes, of other countries."

Now, she's selling those treasures at discounts to pay back rent and prepare to close the store by the end of the month. The situation is as sorrowful as the flamenco songs written about her love with a Spanish gypsy prince she had to leave. The songs are sung in Granada still.

Those who know say Tasha's has been much more than an import store. It's been an oasis for travelers, musicians, writers and artists; a resting spot for wandering souls who'd gotten lost until "Mama Tasha" helped them get back on track. The stars have been deciphered and astrological charts read.

Inside the store, colorful tribal carpets were spread across tables. Pointy Kutchi or Afghani gypsy shoes filled a basket. Textiles, dishes and countless other items hung from ceilings and filled every crevice. Friends have been collected along with all the other beautiful things.

Garden designer Deborah Rhea and artist Frannie Phillips were just two of the Midtown residents who stopped by to check on Tasha Thursday.

"This is the end of an era," said Rhea, who was Tasha's first customer the day the store opened. "Tasha's has been an icon in the city for 16 years. There aren't any other places like this."

Phillips added, "This bothers me so deeply, I can't tell you."

Tasha's is another business whose closing may be primarily due to the recession. Foot traffic on J Street has dwindled, she said. Customers just aren't buying the goods she's selling right now.

"Everybody's broke," she said.

Sales were strong until about a year ago. About the same time, a former employee is believed to have robbed the store. That set the closure in motion, because the store hasn't been able to recover from the substantial losses, said 40-year-old Katherine Kennedy, a friend helping Tasha out at the store.

"I want to get this woman's store saved," Kennedy said. "When you walk through those doors, the ambience is incredible. I've never heard anyone tell stories like her. Everybody who knows her loves her to death. She's not here to just sell things."

But Tasha is facing more than just losing her store. She's also in danger of losing her home. A true nomad, she's lived on a big pink barge on the Sacramento River Delta for the last eight years.

The California State Lands Commission came down on the dock owners for subletting dock space in violation of a contract, she said. Moving the 79-ton steel barge would cost about $10,000 -- money Tasha said she doesn't have.

"I have no place to take it," she said. "I have to leave or they will appropriate it. And it's my home. At the same time, I have to move my store. And I don't know how I'm going to do it," she added.

Saddened friends who describe Tasha as "enchanting" have been helping her with the sale. Tasha prays for a river boat pilot when she's not trying to figure out where and how she might move her import business if the sale doesn't bring in enough money.

The situation's a bit of a turnaround for someone who's helped many people, including homeless youth, over the years.

"I'm like the queen of the street urchins," she said.

Alfy Gonzales, 22, said Tasha gave him guidance that helped him get centered and make positive changes in his life.

"She's like a muse of some sort," he said.

Tasha's influence can also be seen in other parts of the grid. She used her flare and trade goods to decorate several romantic restaurants including Kasbah Lounge and Three Sisters.

She has been like "a big sister" offering restaurant and decorating guidance to Norma Saenz, the oldest of the three sisters who own the restaurant, Saenz said.

"I think she should be doing this," she said, pointing to her restaurant's interior. "She's very talented and she's knowledgeable."

Tasha's love of nomads and nomadic lifestyles is no wonder given her life experiences. She was born in Mexico to a Syrian pianist and an English pilot who'd served in Britain's Royal Air Force. Her mother's family ran stores in Mexico after joining a great Middle Eastern migration there in the 1940s.

As Tasha tells it, she grew up in a family that split its time between Mexico and the United States. She learned to dance the flamenco as a child. She quit high school and ran away. At 25, she got a cheap flight to Iceland and began a decade of traveling the world. She spent eight months crossing the Sahara with nomads.

She lived four years in Granada and married the son of a gypsy king. They lived in a cave in Sacromonte, the cave district still occupied by "gitanos." she opened a bar, La Cantina de Zapata, where she imported tequila.

Gypsies and flamenco performers -- musicians and dancers -- gathered there after work. She danced the flamenco. Gypsies wrote songs about her love affair with the gypsy prince. Tourists soon started coming to the jam sessions, and La Cantina became a hot spot.

Tasha fled after her husband turned violent. She later returned to the United States. Hardships stranded her in Northern California.

Addicted to travel and exploration, Tasha turned her love of nomads and their wares into a business. She opened ethnic import shops in Locke and Sutter Creek in 1984. She initially sold goods from Mexico and began adding goods from every country she traveled to.

She also opened a cafe, Ruby Tuesday, in Sutter Creek. Then, the wanderer put down roots in Sacramento near the corner of 22nd and J Streets. She helped spearhead the start of Second Saturday Art Walks and a push to define Midtown.

At some point, the myriad colors and cultures inside her store spilled outside to the sidewalk. Travelers from around the world have drummed outside her store. Fire dancers started performing there recently to help draw people back.

In the midst of the turmoil currently dominating her life, Tasha said she feels honored every time a friend returns. She's planning to have a big party the day she closes the doors on Tasha's.

"Everyone has their own path, and they end up crossing mine for a reason," she said. "It's been a blessing."

Photos by Suzanne Hurt, a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.