GREENWOOD, Ind. — A few years ago, Greenwood resident Darlene Eastes-Suter started making brightly colored wreaths for the holiday season. Her side hustle soon blew up so big on social media, she's now making wreaths year-round for her business, Wreath Therapy.
"I come from a very crafty family," Eastes-Suter said. "My mom sews, and my dad is a woodworker. When I started to do it, I realized that it was like therapy because it just took out a lot of stress."
Soon, the wreath orders started pouring in.
"I just started getting requests and the next thing you know, it just kind of blew up," Eastes-Suter said. "I was like, 'Wow, I kind of have something here, like a little side hustle."
To call her wreath creations unique would be an understatement.
"I think one of the most unusual wreaths that I've made so far is the Bigfoot wreath," she said. "My favorite wreath would be the gingerbread girl I make."
Darlene now makes wreaths for every holiday, from Easter to Halloween, and of course, Christmas. Most of her wreaths are sold from her Facebook page, but she sells a handful of wreaths from an unusual brick and mortar location: Don's Butcher Shop.
So why did Don Caraway and his wife Betty decide to sell wreaths inside their family-owned butcher shop?
"It was holiday time, and it fit in," Caraway said about the wreaths on his walls. "They're very popular. Ladies come in to see them. Of course, my wife has about five wreaths."
Eastes-Suter said she befriended one of the workers at the meat shop and told her she makes wreaths. That's when the employee got the idea of selling them in the store.
"My first thought was like, 'Nobody's going to buy them there,'" Eastes-Suter said. "Like, you're not going to go to the butcher thinking, 'Hey, I think I'll buy some home decor!'"
Eastes-Suter admitted she isn't getting rich in the wreath business, but she loves driving through south side neighborhoods and seeing the creations hanging from people's front doors.
"It's the best feeling in the world," she said. "It's truly like a ministry to me. The money is not the priority. I honestly probably wouldn't keep doing this if it wasn't that I truly enjoy it."
Eastes-Suter's wreaths cost anywhere between $65 and $100, depending on how intricate the design might be. Check out her designs on her Facebook page. To see the wreaths inside Don's Butcher Shop, head to 8028 S. Emerson Ave.