Under One Roof
The Rustic Willow has 59 Vendors
When Jobeth Smith started working in an Ardmore retail store 6 years ago, she had no idea she would be good at painting and redoing furniture. However, she discovered her niche and now owns her own business, The Rustic Willow.
Jobeth sells her own furniture and home decor creations at the store, and she rents space to nearly 60 additional vendors. The establishment also offers painting classes, an art camp for kids, and furniture refinishing. “The Rustic Willow is known for our great prices and painted furniture, but we have so much more,” Jobeth says. “Our family of vendors provides a great selection of jewelry, boutique clothing, furniture, antiques, woodworking items, home decor, soaps, candles, crafts, and more. We have over 50 great small businesses under one roof.”
A Natural
A few years ago, Jobeth was a stay-at-home mom, and wanted to have her own booth space to make a little extra money. She started working at a vendor-based business in Ardmore.
“That’s when I fell in love with painting and creating unique furniture pieces,” she says.
When the owner decided to sell, Jobeth bought the business. It was a 700-square-foot building downtown, and she decided to stay in the same location. However, it wasn’t long until the COVID-19 pandemic hit and Jobeth was forced to shut down for a month.
That’s when she started doing Facebook Live sales. “I credit having great internet from Ardmore Telephone with being able to successfully do the Facebook Live events and eventually expand my business,” she says. “I believe that’s the reason we were able to survive during the pandemic.”
She had weekly Facebook Live events, which boosted sales enough to expand. “I was able to move from a 700-square-foot building to a 7,000-square-foot building,” she says. Now, she has almost 10,000 followers on Facebook. The Facebook Live events were so popular Jobeth continued them, and still does a live sale on the platform about once a month. She also posts frequently about events and new items.
If not for the store expansion, Jobeth would never have had space for 58 vendors, who all do their own thing. Jobeth focuses primarily on furniture and home decor. She shops at yard sales, thrift stores and auctions to find the pieces she paints and restores.
Some of The Rustic Willow’s other vendors have furniture, too, but combined, her sellers have just about everything imaginable. “Each space is decorated with the individual vendor’s style,” Jobeth says. “We encourage all of our vendors to make their booth space their very own. We have been so lucky to find such good vendors. They work so hard and each have their own unique style.”
Vendors update their booths at least twice monthly, and some update a couple of times a week. “We have a little it of everything and something for everyone,” Jobeth says. “We even offer home decorating advice. We love to help our customers find the perfect pieces for their home. We love our small town, community and all of our customers.”
Content provided with permission from Ardmore Telephone Company.