People see an online mercantile and assume it started with a business plan or a dream of entrepreneurship.
That's not how ours began.
Our story started with life changing—slowly at first, then suddenly.
When Everything Shifted
Back in 2004, my wife survived a stroke and a ruptured brain aneurysm. Over the years, the cognitive decline crept in: memory slipping, processing slowing, confusion showing up in moments that used to be simple.
By 2021, she couldn't work anymore.
Then in December 2024, doctors found a second aneurysm. In March 2025, she went through another brain surgery, and that's when we learned she has missing brain vessels and will always be able to regrow aneurysms. Today, she lives with deficits in five executive functions.
This is our reality. This is the life we build around.
When things got harder, I changed jobs so I could take care of her. We adjusted everything—our routines, our expectations, our future.
And in October 2025, I looked at her and said: "Let's start a small mercantile. Something we can build together."
Why We Built This
Not because we were chasing a business dream. Not because we wanted to "be our own bosses."
But because we needed something that fit the life we have now—something meaningful, flexible, and rooted in who we are.
We had already been creating woodworking and folk art pieces for local summer markets, but I wanted us to build something bigger. Something that didn't depend on her brain having to run at full speed. Something that let her contribute without overwhelming her. Something that honored our Appalachian roots.
So we partnered with a collective of U.S. makers—small companies and small-batch artisans. That allowed us to build an online mountain mercantile offering clothing, gardening and homestead supplies, baking essentials, hiking and camping gear, fishing items, and everyday goods for people who love the mountains.
Everything ships directly from our partners. Everything is curated by the two of us. We run this business from our home in the mountains of North Carolina.
How We Work Together
We were both raised in the Appalachian mountains—she in NC, I in PA—and those roots shape everything we do.
I handle the day-to-day operations: the structure, the logistics, the things that require fast processing and organization. She helps choose products, shapes collections, and gives ideas for marketing and social posts—in ways that fit her abilities without pushing her past her limits.
This isn't a traditional business setup. It's a partnership built around real life, real challenges, and real love.
Our Truth
We built Mountain Made Mercantile because we needed a way to work within the life we have now. We built it because we wanted to create something steady and honest. We built it because the mountains raised us, taught us resilience, and showed us how to keep going when life gets hard.
And we built it because we want everyone to enjoy their mountain range, wherever they are.
Our shop wasn't born from perfect timing or perfect health. It was born from adaptation, survival, and two people choosing to build something together out of the life they were given.
This is Mountain Made Mercantile. This is our story.
And we're grateful you're here.
