A Woman Owned Business / August 2007
Whispering Wisteria House
 Patty Hager
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By Pat Lawrence
Patty Hager was a nurse, a teacher, and for seventeen years, a single mom struggling to take care of her family. Life was complicated and often difficult.
Today, she is the Wisteria Lady, proprietress of a charming country boutique, surrounded by the quilts and candles, flowers and furnishings she loves in a place that has become far more than her home. Life is still complicated, and often, still difficult. But, Patty has a place that is uniquely her own, one that gladdens more hearts than her own.
September will mark her twelfth year in the decorative business of what she calls “country good stuff!”. How she got there still surprises her.
Although she had intended to pursue a degree in art and hoped to teach it, Patty says, “I was divorced, had two children, 3 and 7, and needed a way to support my children.” She put herself through nursing school in 1977. “We moved in with my parents in Richmond, VA. I was so grateful to them!”
By 1985, she was able to try school again. “We moved to Fairmont, to a three room house that had been my grandparents’. The house had electricity, but no running water, no indoor plumbing. My Dad built us an outhouse - with wall to wall carpeting. It was one of the best times in our lives!” In May of 1990, she graduated from Fairmont State with a teaching degree. “I worked that summer as a nurse to raise the money to move to Hurricane.” But, full time teaching jobs were hard to come by. She did substitute teaching as often as it was offered, “They would call at 5am that morning and I’d jump up and go.” She augmented her income with part time nursing. In 1992, Patty married again. She kept teaching, when the calls came, until 1994.
She and her husband James enjoyed going to craft shows. Dismayed at the unavailability of full time teaching positions, when he said ‘We could do that!’ Patty promptly agreed. “In 1994, we were in a craft show and did very well. We took $500 of the money we made and invested it.” They turned what had been Patty’s 9’ x 20’ sewing room into Whispering Wisteria House, named for the flowering vine in the front yard. “We filled the truck with antiques and started small.” Patty painted Hoosier cupboards, displaying them along with hand selected linens, pillows and stitchery from Pennsylvania, Ohio and Georgia. “After the first year, it was clear the area was going to accept ‘country’ so I begged my husband to give up his carport. I didn’t want to move all my painting supplies!”
Their second year, they enlarged the shop to 500 sf. and, four years later, expanded to 1100 sf., enough room to give visitors a full scale sampling of unique country wares. Patty says, “I worked ‘inside’, did the buying and painting and met customers. James repaired and refinished furniture and did all the ‘outside’ things.” When they had the opportunity to purchase the property across the street, with plenty of room for parking as well as the shop, they moved everything and used their original space for painting and furniture refinishing.
But, James was diagnosed with cancer. They put the new place up for sale and moved the shop back home. Patty says, “It was very nice that I could be so close when he was ill.” James died last July.
Patty has just started painting again. “I paint country scenes, or country houses or angels. I once did nineteen kitchen cabinet doors!” She sells new furniture now, but still handles prints, lamps, specialty candles and an abundance of interesting, unusual finds. She says, “I wanted to be a teacher - I never thought I wouldn’t have a teaching job. It was so difficult to find a permanent position and so stressf.ul to have a temporary one. I’m not a ‘business-minded’ person, but I put my art talent to use, learned a lot through the years and it all fell into place. Neither of us ever thought this is what we would be doing. We didn’t start with a dream, but it became a dream as we realized how much we loved it.”
Patty shares decorating tips though she declines invitations for interior decorating. “I don’t have the energy! But I do use my art background for ideas and color suggestions.” She says, “My life revolves around country decorating and helping people make their homes more welcoming in the styles they love. Naturally, there are slow times, but at the end of the year, it’s a good year. I’m as excited now as I was twelve years ago, to open the door and see customers come in.”
For more information, please contact Whispering Wisteria House, 3222 Morning road in Hurricane, 304-562-6941 or visit WhisperingWisteriaHouse.net.
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