115 WEST CALIFORNIA STREET

They say to be careful what you wish for.

Five years ago, Jo Parker told her husband, Jacksonville Review publisher Whitman Parker, that she needed a change. After a lengthy career in marketing and title insurance, she was tired of sitting behind a computer all day. “It just wasn’t me,’” she says.

Asked what she’d prefer to be doing, Jo responded spontaneously. “I told Whit, ‘I could buy WillowCreek.’”

It was a joke. At least, that’s how it was intended. They both knew that WillowCreek, a small local jewelry/gift store at 115 West California Street, wasn’t for sale. But apparently, the spirits were paying attention, because a month later, WillowCreek’s owner, Susan Stanley, mentioned to Whit that she was thinking of selling her store.

“Whit came home that night,” recalls Jo, “and he said to me, ‘I don’t know if I should even tell you this…’ And about two months later, I owned WillowCreek!”

Jo laughs. It’s still hard to believe. Despite being light on retail experience, she quickly came up to speed on what it took to operate a store. “I read and researched,” she says with a wry smile. “I listened to my friends in retail. And Susan was an invaluable resource.” The former owner provided a crash course on managing the store. Local interior designer Cheryl von Tress provided professional merchandising and staging assistance (and Cheryl continues to design the store’s eye-catching window displays each month).

Over time, Jo began to tweak WillowCreek’s product line. “I kept the tried-and-true: the sterling jewelry, the Pre de Provence shea butter soaps, and pottery made by local artist Ray Foster. And I expanded on local and regional products. This year, I have things from thirty-five local artists! I get great bags from a woman in Portland, beaded jewelry from Washington state, and my store has become known for carrying the wonderful typewriter key jewelry from an English lady in Central Point.”

She even had the logo on the Jacksonville t-shirts designed locally. “That kind of thing sets you apart,” Jo explains. “I know that when people come in, they won’t say, ‘Oh, I just saw this at a department store.’ The goal is to have something unique, so that people know it’s special.”

Along with the lotion massage candles, whimsical glasswork frogs, and endless variations on scarves, WillowCreek receives praise for its friendly-priced jewelry. The display cases hold a dazzling array of earrings, necklaces, and rings, organized by the color of their semi-precious stones.

“It’s an eclectic mix,” Jo acknowledges. “But that’s what I want—to have something for everyone.”

Which is why WillowCreek’s customers now can get what they’ve wished for.