SHELBY — Tonya Bishop has turned the pain of losing family members into passion for creating a storefront she knows would make them proud.
Bishop, owner of Whispering Willow Way, previously ran Mallory’s Treasures in the Shelby Masonic Lodge from 2015 to 2018.
Just over five years ago, she lost her father. Three months later, her brother passed away — which led to Bishop making the difficult decision to close the store.
“It (Mallory’s Treasures) was something I was very passionate about,” she said. “I just couldn’t do it at that time. I needed the family.”
Two years ago, Bishop lost her mother and sister within two weeks of each other.
She decided to approach her husband, Dave Bishop, to see what he’d think about opening another store.
“He (Dave) goes, ‘You know I’ll support you either way,'” Bishop said.
“That was my calling.”
On Friday, Bishop, her family and several community leaders gathered at Whispering Willow Way’s new location, 35 E. Main St., to celebrate the grand re-opening of the business.
Downtown boutique offers studio craft classroom
Whispering Willow Way first opened in February at 41 E. Main St. in downtown Shelby, carrying clothing, accessories, furniture and home decor.
The opportunity to shift into a larger storefront, just two doors down, led Bishop to move the boutique to its new location at 35 E. Main St.
A larger space has created new opportunities for the downtown Shelby business. The boutique now offers chocolate candies and a studio craft area for hosting both large and small crafting events, such as hat decorating, stained glass décor and more.
Whispering Willow Way is open by appointments only Monday through Wednesday. It’s open Thursdays from 2 to 8 p.m., Fridays 2 to 6:30 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Bishop said she tries to be flexible for crafting classroom reservations.
“Parties are always free,” she said. “All they pay for is the craft and they’re always allowed to bring in food and drinks.
“We’re trying to make something fun and something a little different than what Shelby’s already offering.”
Ceramics, wood-burned hats and stained glass have been the most popular crafts among shoppers thus far, Bishop said.
Teacher by day, business owner by evening
Along with being a business owner, Bishop teaches kindergarten at Mansfield City Schools’ Sherman Elementary.
“I put my whole heart into what I do,” she said. “Hopefully you can tell I really, really enjoy this.
“I’ll go the whole nine yards. I will do anything to bring people into our community. I believe in our community. We have a strong community and I’m here to support our community,” Bishop said Friday.
Shelby Mayor Steve Schag thanked Bishop and her family for their spirit of entrepreneurship.
“In my many years as mayor, I’ve noticed three notable ingredients from the recipe for success in businesses like these; investment, innovation and interaction,” he said.
“Those have been top-shelf here at Whispering Willow Way … Tonya and her team have a gift of innovating and evolving to meet the needs of all kinds of shoppers and now crafters. It’s just an amazing thing,” Schag said.
Several other community leaders echoed similar sentiments, including Jennifer Wagner of Richland Area Chamber & Economic Development, Richland County Commissioner Tony Vero, Shelby Economic Development Manager Jessica Gribben and community activist Doc Stumbo.
(Below are photos from Friday afternoon’s grand re-opening of Whispering Willow Way in downtown Shelby.)
