Polly with her
husband Mark
and daughter
Gabby.
ABOVE Polly’s decorating talent really shines when she does weddings and parties. When her daughter recently married, she designed
a “Kate Spade” bridal shower (left) because she wanted to do something “out of the box.”
Into the Present
Polly wasn’t trying to make
something happen. She wasn’t planning
on starting an interior design and décor
business. But when the time was right,
her gift made a place for her.
“I was over at the Dollar Store and
stepped into a hair salon on McIntosh
Street in Vidalia to speak to one of
my classmates, Latwainda Drummer
Beal.” Latwainda told Polly that she
was getting ready to move out of the
building. “She said, ‘Polly, you’re good
at decorating. You should take this
shop.’ I immediately explained that we
had just moved back from California.
We were broke. I couldn’t start a
business at this point. But she insisted
that I think about it.”
A month later, Latwainda brought
Polly the keys to the building. “She
told me ‘I spoke to the owner, and he
just told me to give you the keys. He
said you could go in and set up and just
see how it goes. He doesn’t live here.
He’ll be back in a month or two to see
how you’re doing and see if you want
to take the building.’ And that’s what
I did,” said Polly. “I started ordering
small things and going to estate sales. I
also upholstered chairs. It wasn’t always
easy, but we stayed at it.”
Polly refused to use credit cards
or incur debt in any way. When she
sold an item, she used the money
she made to buy new merchandise or
materials for floral arrangements and
other items she made. Five years later,
Polly relocated to Jackson Street to
accommodate her growing business.
Once again, her friend Latwainda
gave Polly a push. “She asked me if
I knew anyone who wanted to buy a
house. I said, ‘No.’ She then asked if
Mark and I would just take a look at
this house. Again, I told her there was
no way we could buy a house at the
time, but Latwainda was persistent.
Finally, we agreed to look at the house.
The woman who opened the door at
the house looked at my husband and
put her hand on her hip as she said his
26 Toombs County Magazine