VANDERGRIFT — Three years ago, when Koree Bayer’s mother fell ill and moved in with the rest of the family, time felt uncertain. Wanting to create lasting memories, Koree began crafting ornaments for their Christmas tree. What started as a heartfelt hobby soon ignited a deeper passion, giving rise to her art business, Wooden Whiskers.
“I’ve always been doing some type of crafting … I was afraid that if I made it into a business, I wouldn’t enjoy it as much. It was an outlet for me. I have a stressful job. I had an emotional situation with caring for my mom,” Koree Bayer remarked. “I just needed an outlet to relax, but so far, two years into it and, although it’s stressful at times, the stress is enjoyable and manageable.”
What began as Koree Bayer’s creative outlet for selling surplus handmade ornaments has flourished into a vibrant, multi-faceted business. From magnets and interchangeable bases to suncatchers, night lights, bottle openers and car charms, her Wooden Whiskers brand offers a delightful array of handcrafted treasures.
These small wooden creations, once a simple passion project, now embody Bayer’s love for art and have become a family endeavor, uniting her with her husband, Eric Bayer, and her three children in a shared creative journey.
For years, Koree and Eric Bayer worked with the same company until Eric’s retirement. While Koree continues her career as an accountant, Wooden Whiskers has evolved into a true family affair. Koree takes the lead on artistry, meticulously designing and hand-painting each wooden piece with care. Eric has embraced the role of quality control, ensuring every item meets their exacting standards before reaching customers. Their son, Connor, brings designs to life, skillfully operating the laser cutter that transforms simple wood into intricate works of art.
It doesn’t end there for the Bayer family; the Bayer daughters also help out. The couple’s second daughter, Kelsey, has started to help in the painting process while living in Conway, South Carolina. She has worked five shows in that area just this year. The eldest daughter, Kara, works with the business when needed and has begun investing thought in the upcoming social media presence for the Wooden Whiskers brand.
“It really helps to have such supportive children, and I would love to see what started as my hobby turn into a business that all three of our children had a role in,” Koree Bayer said.
After establishing a customer base that continues to grow, Koree wants the Wooden Whiskers brand to mold itself into a brick-and-mortar store in both the locations where her daughters reside. Although the family hasn’t done the research quite yet, Koree Bayer would like to see the business head in that direction in a perfect world.
“We would sell the things that we’ve made and possibly make it a consignment for other small businesses that couldn’t afford a storefront of their own,” she said.
If one thing is certain about Koree’s project, it’s that small businesses such as her own continuously support other small businesses. Koree tries her best to source most of her materials, such as wood and paint, from small businesses and has even used multiple designers from Etsy.
“The one thing that just saddens me is when you drive through the main street of the town and you see half of the storefronts are closed up. When I grew up that’s where we went weekly to shop,” Bayer said. “I do try to support small businesses whenever possible. That’s been pretty much who I am. If I can buy an appliance from a local business as opposed to going to one of the box stores, I’ll do that. I might pay a little bit more, but I know that money is back into the community.”
With her values lying with small business empowerment, Koree and the Bayer family have developed a brand that represents the spirit of what the People’s Choice Art Festival is all about: Local vendors with homegrown ideas that solely do it for the passion of creating something valuable.
Find Wooden Whiskers at the 2025 People’s Choice Festival, online at wooden-whiskers.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/thewoodenwhiskers.
