SHELBY — A family tragedy led Tonya Bishop to close one business.

Two more family tragedies led her to try again.

Bishop is the owner of Whispering Willow Way, described as a warm, cozy farmhouse chic boutique at 41 E. Main St. Her business held a ribbon-cutting Friday afternoon.

Her goal is to provide customers with ideas when decorating or adding final touches to their homes. The shop also offers clothing, purses, hats, jewelry, repurposed furniture, candles, organic body products, personalized items, car freshies and freeze-dried candies, along with greeting cards.

Bishop previously ran Mallory’s Treasures for three years in downtown Shelby before closing in 2018 after the death of her father.

She decided to open Whispering Willow Way following the deaths of her mother and sister within two weeks in 2023.

“In the summer, I started talking about it,” Bishop said.

She calls herself a teacher by day and a store owner by evening. Bishop teaches kindergarten at Sherman Elementary School in Mansfield.

While she named her previous business after her daughter, Bishop named the new shop after her “spoiled” dog, Willow, a 1-year-old Basset hound.

Prior to the ribbon-cutting, members of Richland Area Chamber and Economic Development and several elected officials welcomed Bishop to downtown Shelby.

“I’ve already found a few things that I want to buy,” said Jennifer Wagner, member services manager for the chamber.

Noting his own connections to Shelby, Richland County Commissioner Tony Vero said it was exciting to see the downtown plaza grow. He was joined by fellow Commissioners Darrell Banks and Cliff Mears.

Shelby mayor calls ribbon-cutting ‘red-letter day’

Mayor Steve Schag called Friday “another red-letter day for the downtown district.” He pointed out the accessories of all kinds and said he liked the “little Highland cows all over the place.”

The farm motif is prevalent in Whispering Willow Way. Bishop said she loves country music.

She has several vendors in her store. Little Moose works with wood, while Back to Our Roots offers all-natural body products.

Bishop recently added vendors for clay earrings, candy and freshies.

“We have a little bit of everything for everyone,” she said.

She and her husband, Dave Bishop, have plans to expand by opening the wall to the west and adding a crafting classroom.

Two other businesses will soon open across the front of the four-suite section.

“We have some good ideas about what we want,” Bishop said. “It’s just going forward with those ideas.”

That was good news for Jessica Gribben, economic development manager for the chamber.

“It’s been fun to watch East Main Street fill up with fun little shops,” she said. “It makes it a destination.”

Hours for Whispering Willow Way are 2-6 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday.

mcaudill@gannett.com

419-521-7219

X: @MarkCau32059251

This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Downtown Shelby Ohio welcomes farmhouse chic boutique