Brenda went to work part time for her
friend, Peggy Matheson, at Panache, a great
gift and home decorating store in Vidalia
(now closed). The store provided the perfect
setting for Brenda’s creative spirit and helped
her stay in the know with fashion and design
trends.
While Brenda was busy with family and
life in South Georgia, Susan joined the army
right out of high school following in the steps
102 Toombs County Magazine
of her father. “In 1981, I was stationed at Fort
Stewart,” said Susan. “When I set my foot in
Georgia, I knew I was home. I had to go to
South Korea for a year, but the minute I got
out in 1985, I visited my parents and then
moved to Buckhead.”
From 1990 to 1996, Susan served as a
Deputy Sheriff in Cobb County. After the
structured environment of the military, it
was work she enjoyed. “I liked being able
to protect the public,” said Susan, “but the
politics of the job were enough to make you
want to pack up and move to the mountains
and open up an antique store.” We all laughed
because that’s exactly what she did.
Susan opened Trevor’s Antique Store,
which she named after her cocker spaniel.
“I buried my head in the sand for several
months. I didn’t even open a newspaper or
turn on the TV.” Susan poured herself into
building displays, buying and selling antiques,
and sketching. “I would sit in the back of a
mule sled, and people would bring their dogs
for me to do pencil sketches of them. I must
have done at least one hundred of them.”
Six years later, Susan sold her antique
store and went into the plantation shutter
business. By that time, she had quite a
collection of animals, which included llamas,
miniature donkeys, dogs, and a miniature
pet pig named Sophie. If sketching was
her escape and creative outlet, nature and
animals were the connection with the world
that kept her rooted. In 2012, Susan found a
1920s farmhouse in Metter, Georgia, in great
need of repair that included land enough for
her four-legged companions. “The idea of
saving the old farmhouse with its high ceilings
and beadboards took hold of me,” she said.
As Susan brought the rooms of the old
farmhouse back to life with antiques and
pieces of primitive folk art, she realized she
had all this stuff in storage that didn’t fit. “I
had all this bear, moose, and fish stuff from
North Georgia. I didn’t want to put it in
storage so I decided to rent a booth from one
of the antique stores in Lyons.”
Brenda’s friend, Marla McDonald, had
rented a booth at the same antique store.
“She told me, this is something you will love.
You need to get a booth,” said Brenda. Marla
For years, sketching was Susan's creative
outlet, and she would often sketch
customer's animals at her antique store in
North Georgia. At the French Flea, she set
up an easel and began painting with oils
and acrylics. Many of her works are found
for sale throughout the store.