Festive gnomes made from brushes at Treasure Room in Seymour.
Macrame hangers made by Annette Johnson at Treasure Room in Seymour.
A Christmas gnome at Treasure Room in Seymour.
A memory shadow box for the family of Timothy Ray Bean is made with flowers preserved and the box design created by Annette Johnson of Treasure Room in Seymour.
Annette Johnson preserves the flowers and arranges them and mementos from special occasions in a shadow box. The one she is holding is a wedding memory box for Kamy Royalty.
Annette Johnson preserves the flowers and arranges them and mementos from special occasions in a shadow box. This one is a wedding memory box for Kamy Royalty.
Christmas decorations at Treasure Room in Seymour.
Christmas decorations at Treasure Room in Seymour.
From wreath forms to silk flower wedding arbors and hearts to craft supplies, Treasure Room in Seymour sells it all.
Silk flowers for arrangements and bouquets as well as frames for arbors and other wedding necessities at Treasure Room in Seymour.
Treasure Room is at 7795 E. County Road 200N, Seymour.
Treasure Room is at 7795 E. County Road 200N, Seymour.
Treasure Room is at 7795 E. County Road 200N, Seymour.
Annette Johnson poses at her business, Treasure Room, in Seymour.
A Christmas ornament at Treasure Room in Seymour.
Annette Johnson stands inside her business, Treasure Room, in Seymour.
A selection of mini pot hangers and other items created by Annette Johnson at Treasure Room in Seymour.
A cabinet full of embroidery floss for sale at Treasure Room in Seymour.
Decorative uses of flowers at Treasure Room in Seymour.
Annette Johnson poses for a photo at the counter in front of the shelves holding ribbons at her business, Treasure Room, in Seymour.
Two purses crocheted by Annette Johnson at Treasure Room in Seymour.
Candles and a selection of items crocheted by Annette Johnson at her business, Treasure Room, Seymour.
Macrame hangers made by Annette Johnson and other decorations at Treasure Room in Seymour.
A welcome wreath made by Annette Johnson at Treasure Room in Seymour.
Cross at Treasure Room in Seymour.
The season of giving is upon us, and sometimes, it may be difficult to find that perfect gift for someone special.
A trip to Treasure Room in Seymour may help you find that one-of-a-kind gift you’ve been looking for, but it may take a little bit of planning.
Most of the store’s items are custom-made or can be customized, so it’s important to know a little bit about the person’s preferences when considering buying a gift.
The 44-year-old business focuses on flower preservation, custom macrame plant hangers, table runners, home decor, custom-made silk flower arrangements, wreaths and more.
“The macrame went out for a while, but now, it is back in,” owner Annette Johnson said.
Macrame is a hanging flower basket that includes jute as the basket with a strong yarn as the material used to make the hangers. Johnson designs and hand makes all of the hangers for the baskets. Some can even hang with two baskets.
The shop isn’t just limited to gift giving and arrangements for weddings, funerals and occasions. It also can get you in the holiday spirit with all of the Christmas decorating supplies and custom-made items.
“We tie a lot of bows for trees and large ones that people place outside,” Johnson said.
Two rooms fill the store with options for bows and other Christmas decorating supplies to get customers exactly what they need. There also are ornaments, trees, decor items, Nativity scenes, signs, Santa Claus decorations, wreaths and more.
“I do love the rooms with our Christmas items in it,” Johnson said. “We do sell a lot of the wreaths, and the best part is we can make them custom for people.”
Johnson also offers custom mantel decor for people. They can be made to fit different mantels and include whatever a customer wants.
“We do a lot of that for people,” she said. “It can be made exactly to what you envision for your mantel.”
One service the shop offers is drying flowers for preservation. Those are popular with brides who want their bouquet preserved and for funeral arrangement flowers.
“We preserve them and can frame them in a frame box or a dome, which is a great keepsake,” Johnson said. “That work keeps me busy.”
A couple of days after a wedding or funeral, customers will bring the flowers and Johnson will get to work right away by taking the bouquet apart and drying each flower individually with a powder that is later dusted and brushed off.
“You have to put that powder in between each individual petal, and they’re then sprayed with a sealer, so it’s about a month-and-a-half to two-month process,” she said. “We then arrange them in the frames, and people love them. I love doing it.”
The craft of preserving the flowers is something she enjoys, but nothing beats seeing satisfied customers who get what they envisioned.
“We see a lot of happy brides and people who are touched by the funeral flowers,” she said. “Of course, they are sad, but when they see it, then it’s a good memory.”
Not only does the shop provide a great selection of products, but it also is housed in a barn that Johnson’s grandparents constructed.
Her father lived on the property and her grandparents built the barn that houses the business in 1928. There’s a higher level as customers walk in with stairs on each side. Johnson said the higher level is where the feed trough was for the horses and cows that were on the family farm. One lower level was for horses, while the other side was for cows.
When her mother and father moved to the property, her mother started selling items from her back porch. The couple decided she needed space for a shop, so they cleaned the old barn up, and Treasure Room was born.
“I grew up in this business,” she said. “Mom was always into crafts and making anything and everything.”
Her mother, Vera, still comes in and helps with the business and helps babysit grandchildren to free up some of Johnson’s time to dedicate to the business.
Johnson remembers spending her youth helping with weddings every weekend as customers wanted just the right decorations for their special day.
“We made so many arrangements for weddings and funerals back then, and we’re still making those things today,” she said. “People order it and we make it.”