When Megan Parrish was a little girl, she loved to play “pretend store” while cleaning her room. As a kindergartner she bought a cash register at a yard sale, set it up in her room and rang up charges every time she cleaned something in her room. She even printed her own business cards, and when she posed for her class picture, she showed up with a briefcase and clipboard.
That was then. Now Parrish owns a real store, the Twisted Branch located at 111 South Taylor Street. She's always wanted to run a business of her own, especially after working with her relatives at Bassham Furniture. She realized then how important owning a small business is to a town, and the importance of having family to help out. Her original idea for the Twisted Branch was to host special events and then the gift shop and nursery ideas came into the picture too. She said, “I loved the idea of having drinks amid the flowers in a city nursery setting.”
The name was chosen because Parrish had so many ideas for what she wanted to offer at the shop that they all began to twist together, so she said, “We should twist all of these ideas together with a branch for the nursery.” So, in June of 2017, she opened the gift shop then started adding the nursery items. Parrish wants to add trees and shrubs to her nursery offerings this year with plans to temporarily expand the fenced garden area for the new inventory without reducing the existing outdoor seating areas.
The Twisted Branch has continued to grow with the June 2019 addition of the events building next door, in the old mortuary building. It was a big undertaking, especially given that 2020 was the worst year to have an event hall. The space can comfortably seat 50 and has its own bar and rest rooms. Some walls were removed to maximize the interior space, and an area was created in the rear for the refrigerators and other event equipment. When there was a question about being able to bring in the bigger equipment pieces Parrish said, “It won't be a problem. The door was big enough for the caskets, so it should be fine.” And, it was.
Her girls are part of the business now too. Reygan is the younger sister and she loves to help people pick out flowers. Charissa, the older sister, can ring up sales and even has her own timecard. Running the business has become a family affair. Her mom Paula runs the shop on Thursdays and Parrish likes to say, “My mom's not the bartender, but she can sell you some antiques!” Her dad Mike comes down too and loves to talk with the customers. Parrish said her family is very supportive and she couldn't have done this without them. She's also not shy about asking her fiancé, Brad Dolan to help out either.
Parrish discussed the importance of loyal customers to her business. They continued shopping last year, buying more items or gift certificates and that kept the business going. Some of the best friends she has now started out by being customers who she now considers part of the family. People think of the Twisted Branch as a place where close-knit friends can gather and enjoy each other's company. Parrish is proud of having developed a place where friends can come together like that.
Parrish is excited about this year. Her flowers will be in by the end of April and the first event of the season is being planned for Saturday May 8 from 10 am until 2 pm, one day before Mother's Day. Parrish said it will be a great opportunity to shop for mom (maybe some nice flowers?), listen to live music by Steve Christie and enjoy a snack or a specialty beverage. Additional events being planned for this summer include bringing in some unique performers from other areas, weekend bands, post-parade events, vendor-related events and smaller events such as painting and crafts.
Specialty coffees and lattes may also be on the horizon for the Twisted Branch, but Parrish acknowledges that she doesn't have any barista talents, so that may be a recruitment opportunity. An outdoor check-out station for nursery purchases is being added this year to avoid bringing those items into the gift shop. At a minimum, she will need at least one person working outside and one working inside.
Parrish said, “You learn what works and what doesn't, and what you want to be a part of versus what you don't want to be part of.” Developing that knowledge helps drive the business in the right direction. All in all, Parrish is very excited about this season and being outside. “We made it another year and are really looking forward to a much better year than 2020.
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