For Knoxville native and founder of Gather & Gourd, Hillary Teasdale, the drive to create has been a lifelong passion. What began as a childhood love of designing, drawing and crafting has evolved into a growing local business that transforms ordinary entryways into thoughtfully styled seasonal spaces.
Teasdale’s path to entrepreneurship was not traditional. She initially pursued nursing because she wanted a career centered around helping people. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, she realized nursing was not the path she wanted to follow. She has also worked in sales and retail—which helped her recognize how much she enjoyed design, color, scale and creativity.
Teasdale has always had an eye for creating. As one of eight sisters, she grew up in a creative family and remembers designing houses, furniture and spaces as a child. At one point, she even imagined becoming an architect.
That creative instinct eventually found its place in Gather & Gourd. With encouragement from her husband and inspiration from the growing seasonal porch-styling trend, Teasdale began building a business around an idea that combines design with something she values deeply: creating moments for people.
Today, Gather & Gourd takes the hassle out of exterior decorating by transforming porches and entryways into warm, welcoming and professionally styled spaces. Clients do not have to spend hours shopping, nor do they have to figure out how to arrange everything once they get home.
“I’m doing it all, basically,” Teasdale says. “I'm doing the installing and making sure that everything looks designer-custom to their door—it's not just plopping a few things on their door. It's very much a little dance.”
The goal is to create a cohesive design that feels intentional. Teasdale describes her work as interior design for the exterior.
While pumpkins are the catalyst for Gather & Gourd’s fall season, the business is not limited to autumn. Long-term, she hopes to continue growing into high-end, custom exterior design for homes.
Local sourcing is another important part of the business. Teasdale works with Coning Family Farm (which also supplies Dollywood) as her primary source for pumpkins. She hand-selects the pumpkins and prepares them to last throughout the season.
At the end of the season, the pumpkins can be returned to local farms, where they are given to animals rather than simply thrown away. For Teasdale, that process represents more than sustainability. It is a reminder that something can be enjoyed for a season and then return to the earth, creating a natural cycle that keeps the business connected to the community around it.
Perhaps the most personal part of Gather & Gourd is the inspiration behind it. The business is a tribute to Teasdale’s late mother, whom she describes as a dreamer. Her mother dreamed of owning a bed-and-breakfast, traveling and living outside the traditional expectations of life. She also loved bringing her large family together, particularly for Thanksgiving, and took pride in the moments she created for her children.
“She wanted every moment to last.”
That philosophy has become part of Gather & Gourd’s identity. For Teasdale, a beautifully decorated porch is not simply something to look at. It can be the backdrop for families coming home, children returning from college, neighbors stopping to admire a display or loved ones gathering for the season.
Gather & Gourd styled 42 homes during its first year. Now in its second season, Teasdale has set a goal of reaching 100 homes between fall and Christmas.
For someone who spent years trying different paths, Teasdale has finally found a way to bring her lifelong love of design to life. She says she’s in her Martha (Stewart) era.
“I tried a lot of things. A lot of things didn’t work, and here I am in my 30s excited about creating for people now.”
And that is the heart of Gather & Gourd: proving that sometimes the dreams we carry from childhood do not disappear. They simply take a different shape—and, in Teasdale’s case, they are now taking shape one beautiful porch at a time.
Gather & Gourd offers three signature packages: The VOLS Showstopper, The KNOX Classic and The 865 Mini. Each collection includes delivery and setup and can feature pumpkins in a variety of colors and sizes, along with gourds, mums and straw bales. Clients can further customize their doorstep with add-ons such as additional mums, fall foliage and/or a giant pumpkin. Teasdale hand-selects each pumpkin, carefully cleans and prepares them to last throughout the season, then thoughtfully designs every entryway for a polished, welcoming look. The entire process is simple: clients select their collection, delivery and installation date, plus optional end-of-season pickup, through GatherAndGourd.com.