Shopkeeper
Mother & Grandmother
Passionate About Inspiring Others

My Story

Family is everything to me. Time spent together — especially around the table — is what inspired me to leave my career at 51 and open my first store.

I loved being a middle school counselor, but somewhere along the way, I started to wonder what it would look like to build something of my own.

Willow and Pine Market was the fulfillment of a dream that began while we were living in, and traveling around, Europe. It was the outward expression of my love for time spent with family around the table. Magnolia Mercantile came next — a different kind of store with a personality all its own, just a few blocks away.

I didn't reinvent myself all at once. It happened one order, one display, one customer conversation at a time. If there's one thing I hope people take from my story, it's that it's never too late to start something new — and that family, and the moments we share, are worth building a whole new life around.