Searcy studio helps crafters, fundraisers tackle projects
SEARCY — Donna Cleveland is a crafter at heart. She and her husband, Tim, started making signs to sell for craft shows, and Donna realized that many people loved the signs, but they wanted them customized with their names or other images.
“So we started doing custom work,” Donna said. “We started hosting do-it-yourself workshops where they could make their own signs, and it turned out great for kids and adults.
“It is a good all-around-purpose DIY.”
A year ago this March, Donna and Tim opened Whispering Wood Studios in Searcy. She described it as a fun place where friends and family can get together and create beautiful pieces for their home.
“It is a good time to have with friends or for birthday parties or special events, or for small groups such as churches and clubs, or it can be an open event,” Cleveland said. “This week, we have several different couple sets who are coming in, including sisters, moms and friends. It usually takes about three hours for one workshop.”
Donna and Tim Cleveland were both born and raised in Searcy and have been married for 24 years. They have three daughters: Tiffany Barrentine, who works for the Bald Knob School District; Rachel Dowell, a first-grade teacher in Fort Worth, Texas; and the couple’s youngest,
Ninoska Cleveland, who will be a senior this fall at Searcy High School.
Donna said having the workshop has been a new adventure in their life, but they both still have full-time jobs. She is a respiratory therapist in the neonatal unit at Baptist Health Medical Center in Little Rock, and Tim works for Searcy Water Utilities.
“It is always fun seeing people have such an interest in this shop,” Donna said. “People are always looking for something to do, and they have so much fun once they get here.
“They learn they can be creative and don’t even realize it. It is just a craft, but it is their spin on the craft. Everyone is so proud of [a sign] when they are done because it is something they accomplished themselves.”
She said the studio has lots of options on its website, www.whisperingwoodstudios.com.
She said guests have to preregister so Tim and Donna can prepare materials ahead of time, such as the wood and the stencils. Then guests are able to customize their signs and paint them however they want.
“We will have it all prepared for them when they get here, and we have tons of options, such as colors and the techniques they can use,” Donna said. “I just give them the options, and they go from there.”
The studio is at 117 N. Spring St. in Searcy; for more information, call (501) 230-3229.
“Before the pandemic of COVID-19, we were starting to do more birthday parties and a lot of fundraisers,” Donna said. “The organizers would earn a percentage of the sales. We have done fundraisers for schools and other organizations, and it started taking off before the pandemic hit. It’s a great way to earn money for events.”
Because of the pandemic, Donna had to postpone some of the fundraisers she had scheduled. One was the fundraiser for the Riverview Raider Band, originally set for April 10. In the meantime, the studio has fulfilled custom orders and take-home projects. She said she was genuinely surprised by the number of custom orders she has received.
“That has done well. My custom orders picked up through word of mouth and that kind of thing,” she said. “If someone needed a specific sign for a gift or a wedding or a baby being born — I was super busy with custom orders.”
She said she only received about half a dozen take-home orders. Donna said that part of the business has not been as successful as she would have liked, but she said some of that is because her business is still new and relies mostly on word of mouth.
“I don’t think people get the concept just yet,” she said.