Once a hobby, Byron woman opens storefront as part of her farmhouse furniture business

When sharing about making furniture, Heather Peebles likes to say she “grew up with Jesus and the sounds of tools and the smell of sawdust.”

Her father is a carpenter and a preacher.

But just two years ago, the 42-year-old realtor said she decided to try making furniture herself.

Her first project was a traditional farmhouse table. She next crafted a farmhouse door. Both sold.

Next thing she knew, she was taking orders for furniture and Penelope’s Farmhouse Furniture was born.

She also posted about her online business on Robins To-Go, a popular Facebook page created by April Bragg, president and chief executive officer for the Robins Regional Chamber.

“It just blew up,” Peebles said.

Orders for hand-crafted furniture came pouring in. So much so that Peebles enlisted the help of her sister, Tiffany Gordy, who also left her full-time job to pursue furniture making.

“You get to hang out with your best friend and work at the same time,” Peebles said.

They’re usually booked about 10 weeks out with orders for custom-made furniture, not only for the home but businesses as well.

The Cottage

This week, Peebles is opening a storefront for Penelope’s, which she affectionately calls The Cottage, at 102 East Heritage Blvd. in Byron across from the red caboose at the train tracks.

At The Cottage, Peebles offers home decor in a converted house that once served as a clinic in the 1930s for Dr. J.B. Kay. He and his wife delivered more than 3,500 babies, according to the Byron Convention & Visitor’s Bureau’s website.

The storefront also houses The Shabby Peach Boutique, originally an online business started by her friend, Victoria Austin. The boutique will have a room of its own inside The Cottage.

Also housed under the same roof is Peebles’ own property management business, Main Street LLC. She worked for others as a realtor before she began making furniture.

In the mornings, Peebles concentrates on her property management business, and in the afternoons, she’s usually in the shop making furniture.

When the storefront opens, her 14-year-old daughter, Paetyn, who is home schooled, will work there in the afternoons

In the future, Peebles said she would like to showcase some of her wares at another location, where she also plans to offer classes on furniture making. She plans to call this location, The Shop.

Additionally, Peebles also has two Main Street properties that combined once housed a bank. She’d originally planned to open Penelope’s there, but the properties weren’t suitable.

With a bank vault intact at the Main Street properties, Peebles said she knows she wants to develop those properties but she’s “on the fence” at the moment on about how to go about it.

Right now, she’s concentrating on a ribbon cutting and celebration of her storefront Friday from 4 to 8 p.m. with acoustic music by Jason Taylor Hobbs and a food truck provided by Salsa’s Mexican Grill.

“If people are there and they want to buy something, of course, I’ll have people there to help,” she said.

The storefront will open for regular business hours starting Saturday. Those hours will be 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. The Cottage will be closed on Sundays and Mondays.

All in a name

Penelope is a nickname of sorts.

About 20 years ago, Peebles and her sister were hanging out, and Peebles said she didn’t want to give out her real name. So when asked, Peebles said her name was Penelope.

Years later, a friend of her boyfriend’s could never remember her first name, so one day, she told him her name was Penelope and that stuck. A lot of her friends today call her “Penelope” or “P” for short.

Peebles makes the furniture she sells by the order in a shop outside her Byron home about two miles away from the storefront.

She’s learned by trial and error. If she doesn’t think she can make something, she’ll refer a customer to someone who can.

Peebles said she never dreamed she’d have the success that she’s had making furniture.

“I honestly thought it would just be a hobby and just something to do,” Peebles said. “I’ve always loved tinkering with stuff. I’ve always loved tools, sawdust, all that kind of stuff. And then when I started doing it, I really enjoyed it.

“For me, when I’m in my shop, it’s an escape. I can just go out there, have the music blaring, occasionally, I’ll have a drink, and I’m just: I can unplug. It’s like an escape from reality, and then orders just started coming in, and they just kept coming in and kept coming in.”

This story was originally published January 12, 2022 at 11:48 AM.