Greenwood Native Experiencing Success With New Handcrafted Home Decor Store
Photographer / Amy Garro
“Trees are said to hear our innermost prayers and wishes and send them to heaven.”
Two years ago, Greenwood native Stephanie Dixon made the decision to leap into her passion for painting and woodworking. Inspired by her love for the whispering willow tree and the Native American belief that trees hear us and speak to us in whispers, Dixon opened Whispering WillowTree with the hope of building a business and supporting the local community.
Dixon has been an avid painter her entire life, dabbling in arts and crafts since she was a young child. With the influences of an art teacher she knows as Grandma and a construction worker she calls dad, Dixon has never shied away from a good arts and crafts project.
But the road to Whispering WillowTree has been long for Dixon. Prior to being a small business owner, Dixon worked in banking for 18 years and then was a stay-at-home mom for another seven years. It wasn’t until recently that her dream of selling hand-crafted signs and furniture took off.
“Two years ago, I just thought, ‘You know what? I’m just going to jump in and go full force,’” Dixon says. “So, I opened a studio to do signs, and once I started doing the signs, I really enjoyed it.”
Sign painting led to furniture painting, and it wasn’t long before Dixon sold her first piece of furniture: a little “ugly green” nightstand she saved and repainted.
As a southside native and Center Grove graduate, Dixon has a passion for building up her community, and she’s using Whispering WillowTree to do so by supporting local artists and vendors.
Dixon’s shop doesn’t just feature pieces she’s made, but it also features pieces from 13 other vendors from around Greenwood and the state.
“I want to build up Greenwood,” she says. “I want to support the community and get more people into downtown. I believe in the development that’s happening and those types of things.”
Dixon hand-picks all of her vendors at Whispering WillowTree, and they sell everything from furniture pieces, crafts, home décor items, essential oils and homemade soaps. According to Dixon, these items are often unique and one-of-kind, resulting in a revolving door of inventory.
Customers, like Angela Martin, can expect to find different pieces every time they step into her store.
“I visited the store thinking it was mostly furniture,” Martin says. “It is multiple vendors designed in a boutique fashion and décor blocks. [Whispering WillowTree has] very reasonable pricing and something for everyone.”
Furthermore, Dixon also hosts workshops and classes that include everything from furniture painting, home décor crafts, as well as cookie bakes for special occasions. She even does custom furniture restorations for customers.
Eventually, Dixon hopes to open another location, but right now she’s putting her entire focus in supporting the community of her hometown. With a vendor waitlist already in play, Whispering WillowTree is well on its way to being the one-stop-shop for unique furniture pieces and home décor in downtown Greenwood.
Whispering WillowTree is located at 50 S Madison Ave in Greenwood. You can give them a call at 317-893-4493 for more information.
