About Us
We love getting to know our customers, and thought you might like to know a little bit about us as well. This small business has been one of those "back burner" ideas for the last two decades. Becoming a small business owner has been a dream of mine since graduating from college. While I have an educational background in business and marketing, motherhood shifted my career to becoming a stay-at-home mom while my sons were young. As they grew, I re-entered the workforce, but this time as a secondary teacher. After fifteen years as an educator, my husband and I found our world upended by our eldest son's cancer diagnosis. During his treatment and recovery, we had time to rethink many aspects of our lives. One of the big changes that emerged from that season of difficulty was my decision not to return to the classroom. Suddenly being nurse to my cancer-stricken son, mom to my high-schooler, and wife to my husband became my most important tasks. With the passage of time, the healing of our oldest son, and our youngest son going off to college, I am ready to embark on this exciting journey of small business ownership.
I'm bringing to this business the fruits of some things I love most in life: antiquing, quilting, and furniture refinishing. Antiquing has given me an appreciation for the craftsmanship of yesteryear and for reducing dependence on the "fast fashion" furnishings of today's market. Quilting is in my DNA. I spent my early childhood at the feet of my grandmother who hand-pieced and hand-quilted all her projects. My mom is a world-class quilter who creates perfection with every project. While I have never embraced hand-piecing my projects like my grandmother did, the time I spend at my sewing machine is a tangible connection to her memory. My furniture refinishing can be traced back to my early teen years when I refinished an antique rocking chair for a school project. That project planted in me the belief that almost every piece can be saved and treasured for generations to come. My first project still graces my home and brings our family joy. It's everyone's favorite chair...that I don't want anyone to sit in!
Our business name comes from a story passed down from my husband's grandfather who saw a wolf while out exploring the woods in rural Louisiana. Although a remnant of red wolves still exist along the Gulf coast, the sighting of one is a rarity since they are one of the world's most endangered species. That location became known to the family as "Wolf Ridge." You can imagine how that story sank its teeth into my husband's imagination. When we chose a name for our business, we wanted to include "Wolf Ridge" as a way to honor my husband's grandparents and their influence in our lives. As you can likely tell, family heritage and memories are precious to us. We are sentimental people who love a good story with ties to the past.
Now that you know a little bit about who we are at Wolf Ridge Farmhouse Market, grab a cup of coffee, sit back, and browse our site. We hope you will be delighted by what you discover and that our products will become the special touches that make your house a home.
-Melissa Miller, Owner