The Good Tree is a special and rare place where people walk in as customers and leave as friends, which is fitting because the store is rooted in the dream of three friends, owners Amy Galyon, Angie Dishon, and Cheryl Bates.
Friends of 15 years, Angie and Cheryl had started a business together before, but it was when Angie met Amy that the idea for The Good Tree really started to take shape. Angie discovered that the entrepreneurial spirit that she shared with Cheryl was also alive in Amy, as they teamed up to create a thriving “spirit store” at their children’s school. Angie served as the conduit who connected these two friends and a girls’ trip to the beach led the three creative entrepreneurs coming back home with a dream of opening a home décor and gift business. With Angie’s degree in interior design and her background in events and retail, Cheryl’s marketing degree, and Amy’s experience as both a teacher and a partner in her husband’s construction business, the trio each had a different expertise that when brought together produced the perfect foundation to launch their new endeavor.
After two years of planning, hard work, and many prayers, they brought their vision to life as they opened The Good Tree on April 1, 2021. In addition to being filled with hand-selected items from small businesses, it sets itself apart from other stores by offering customizable items that make the best gifts. “With my background in interior design, I love finding unique items we can share with our customers,” shares Angie. “I love when a customer says we have items they haven’t seen anywhere else."
Before their doors were even physically open in their Franklin storefront, the women behind The Good Tree were hard at work partnering with local realtors to put together personalized closing gifts for their clients. Whether it is for a corporate client or an individual customer, The Good Tree offers customizable items such as frames, cutting boards, and coasters that make the perfect gifts for anyone on your list.
“Creating personalized gifts are one of our favorites, especially when someone brings in a handwritten recipe, poem or note,” explains Amy. “We take that very personal handwritten item and laser engrave it onto a variety of items in our store to create a family heirloom. We feel honored to be a part of this process.” When it comes to customizing items, the options are endless! From family last names and initials to photos of homes and business logos, The Good Tree can engrave these special images onto many surfaces including wood, marble, glass, and slate in a variety of fonts, making customers’ gifts truly tailored to any style.
Taking the personal touch even further, The Good Tree doesn’t outsource this engraving service, instead everything from the artwork to the engraving is done in-house so that the customer can be completely involved in the process of creating their truly custom-made gift.
Not only do they offer unique engraved gifts but also gift baskets filled with hand-selected items fit for each and every occasion. “We find joy curating personalized gift baskets for our clients,” says Cheryl. “By sharing details about the person receiving the gift, we are able to help [customers] find something unique and special. Being able to help someone walk through the process of picking out a gift is one of the things that we love doing.” TheGoodTreeTN.com