ABOUT
POLKA DOT WREATH CO.
Polka Dot Wreath Co. specializes in seasonal and FUN wreaths for you and for your business or home. We are a small, Veteran owned business in Southwest Missouri that got out start in a basement on Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. We are here to bring some beauty from the outside in with our gorgeous wreaths and home decor. We love what we do and it shows!
TAMMY’S STORY
I am Tammy Hodges, the proud owner of Polka Dot Wreath Co. I am a Wife, Mother, Nana and a US Army Veteran. I love to laugh and dance through life singing to my own tune, as I am seriously tone deaf.
We were stationed at Fort Bragg US Army Base in North Carolina and people began to ask me where was getting my wreaths that were on my front door. I had learned to make them after seeing them at a local Carolina Pottery store and then I purchased a program to learn the ins and outs of making them.
I knew I was onto something when I had a knock on the front door after PT one day at 6:30 and Polka Dots & Primitives was born with the simple “My wife wants to know where you got your wreath?”. I explained that I made it and I would be happy to make them one too just for materials. (**People, I was asleep!!!)
In 2011, my husband was injured in Afghanistan. I was going to go back to teaching the next year as that is what my degree is in, Secondary History. However, God had other plans.
I became a Floral designer by a fluke! Literally. Anyway, one became two and then after we moved home to Missouri, orders and requests started flooding in. I was floored at what just landed in my lap. I began to learn because keep in mind, I was to be a TEACHER, not a florist!!!
I began researching and learning a craft and still learn something new every single day. I have learned that in all chaos in life, in every single unexpected turn, there is a blessing.
There were days during those first three years, I had NO idea where our next meal was coming from. We were fighting for benefits for my husband through the VA and my floral work kept us fed. At that point, I knew I would NEVER turn my back on it. My little hobby became a passion and now it’s my full-time job. Five years after the start, I have finally landed on my feet, after hundreds of orders and thousands of customers (yes, very literally). We are very excited to take you on this journey with us as well.
I am still very active in the Veteran Community and sit on advisory boards and volunteer my time when I can to Veteran causes, especially in Missouri. I have participated in The Creative Brain Trust with Damon Oates as well as being a part of the Creator’s Roadmap with Jennifer Allwood. This industry is about community not competition and I love my clients that I have been able to serve the last five years. I look forward to so much more with Y’all!