Winter 2008

Cashing in on Country

Rags Make Riches

If there is one lesson retailers can learn from Deborah and Gerald Branson, it is this: Perseverance pays.

Deborah has always been a crafts person, so more than 13 years ago she decided she would make a few crafts and sell them at a church in Springfield, IL. The sales results were disappointing: Branson did not sell a single item at the show. “I was determined. I made more things and went to the next show,” Branson says. She was ecstatic when this time around, she sold a couple of items.

That was then. Today, The Ragged Fence has a thriving retail (and wholesale) business at a brick-and-mortar store inside an early 1900s house in Springfield. The Ragged Fence also does a lot of business online and ships to international addresses. “We have had customers from as far away as Australia visit our shop,” Branson says. The state fairgrounds are down the street from the store, and special events help feed store traffic. The store opened in 2003 and employs two.

The Ragged Fence sells items that the Bransons make and country products from vendors. Deborah makes all kinds of primitive dolls, and a variety of stuffed animals including snowmen, sheep, cats and more. Faux food items such as apple pie and carrots made with muslin are also very popular. Gerald Branson, Deborah’s husband, makes wood shelves, cabinets and other small pieces of furniture. The handmade goods have been so popular that the Bransons now sell these items wholesale to fellow retailers. “With a shop and a website, the days are filled with creating orders, helping customers and keeping up with daily tasks in the shop,” Deborah Branson says, adding that sometimes she and Gerald work such long hours that they forget what day of the week it is. The store occupies four rooms, and the basement serves as the workroom.

The biggest challenge to running the business, Branson says, has been keeping up with the demand for the handmade items. “People love our work, and many come for the handmade things, especially during the holidays,” she says.

The Bransons are delighted with their store’s success, calling it their biggest reward. “Just knowing that we have been truly blessed and, most of all, the wonderful compliments we get when customers visit our shop, has been great,” Branson says. She is also happy that she gets to meet a variety of people. “We have several out-of-state customers who make the time to find our store during their travels,” she says. Branson says local people visit often, and that many have become good friends. One such friend, Fran Hawkins, who owns the online business Star Dust Wishes, also sells her products at The Ragged Fence.

The Bransons have help from their immediate family: daughter Stacy and even 7-year-old Tyler, their grandson, who lives with them, jumps in and helps with chores, Branson says.

Branson says she and her husband have always loved the old-time look that is country decor, adding that it is also what draws her customers to the style.

“It brings us back to a time most of us do not remember, a time when life was simple and the days were not as hurried and rushed as they are today,” Branson says.