Flowers and gifts often mark the special moments in people’s lives, and that’s the reason Taylor Padgett and Terra Newsome opened their Southern Willow Market.
“We want to be part of the major events,” said Padgett.
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Located at 229 Furys Ferry Rd., the business will more than double its space in a couple of months when it moves a few blocks down to the Shoppes at Furys Ferry.
Padgett is excited for the move because it will allow her more space to create flowers for weddings, engagements and other happy life moments.
Until a few months ago, Padgett did a lot of wedding flowers from her home, only recently moving that part of the operation into the shop. The wedding flowers immediately outgrew the space. The current location has about 1,400 square feet, while the new location has 3,300 square feet. The space, near the former Earth Fare, had been a dry cleaner and then a karate studio.
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Padgett said they hope to be in the new space by late August or early September, and when they make the move, they will offer additional services such as a customized wedding registry.
Unlike other retailers that give a scanner and checklist from their stores, the registry at Southern Willow Market will allow couples the opportunity to tailor their registry to their needs.
Padgett has been creating bridal flowers since her own wedding, and she’d always dreamed of having her own store. She shared her ideas with Newsome and only about eight weeks later, the two women were in business, opening in the fall of 2019.
Besides flowers, the shop offers a variety of home décor items designed to spark joy in simple ways, she said.
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Both Padgett and Newsome were young brides who knew how to update their homes’ looks without breaking the bank or doing a complete makeover.
“We knew the difference a $5 candle or $10 tea towel could make,” she said.
Many of the items in the store are locally produced. Candles come from the Augusta Candle Co. Freshwater Design Co. makes bracelets and key chains. Jams and salsas are local as are the wood-crafted items and bath and body products.
When the business moves, Padgett said they’ll be able to offer more items and plan to add a section of pet products.
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Find Southern Willow Market at southernwillowmarket.com, on Instagram @southernwillowmarket and facebook.com/southernwillowmarket. The store is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the Features Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com.
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