What could be more appropriate than an angel store to sell paper angel wing wreaths?
That question was easily answered when Tabitha Turnbow and her husband Adam discovered Angela’s Angels in January.
Store owner Angela Christensen was immediately in agreement and became the first authorized retailer for the Paper Wreath Company, and its collection of angel wing wreaths.
After a training session with Turnbow, the Angel Wreath Creator, Christensen and her assistant Erica Adams have mastered the technique and can customize angel wing wreaths in either the eight-by-eight-inch, the 12-by-12-inch, or the 24-by-24-inch size. “This is a wonderful way to memorialize a loved-one,” Christensen pointed out. “The angel wing wreaths are made with hymnal pages and can have a photo, flower or a meaningful item such as a sports memorabilia, or cardinal in the center,” she said.
Currently, Christensen is one of five retailers to offer angel wing wreaths. Turnbow said the four other retail operations are all at least 25 miles apart from each other. Her goal is to have 25 authorized retailers throughout the region by year’s end.
“I could only begin this retail program when I found a Detroit production company able to develop a kit to my specifications, allowing others to make the angel wing wreaths,” Turnbow explained. Those kits just became available in January, shortly before the Turnbow’s meeting at Angela’s Angels.
A long-time floral designer, Turnbow made her first paper wreath using book pages for a decorative item in her home over 10 years ago. “I just happened to post a photo of it on Facebook and immediately someone offered to buy it,” she remembered.
She quickly realized an opportunity and continued to make and sell round wreaths filled with book pages and The Paper Wreath Company was born.
 As that first Christmas season approached, she began to think of adding evergreens to her wreaths. “However, I had a God-inspired vision to shape angel wings, some filled with evergreens and others with hymnal pages. I sold out very quickly,” she recalled. Now, evergreen-filled angel wing wreaths are only available in November and December, and hymnal page filled angel wing and round wreaths continue to be very popular.
As each wreath is very labor intensive, Turnbow’s entrepreneurial thinking led her to consider mass production. “However, each wreath I make is filled with love and I did not want to lose that element,” she lamented. Another vision brought the “DIY” concept to mind along with an idea to have trained retailers in place offering the finished angel wing wreaths. Finding the right production company was key in bringing Turnbow’s vision to reality.
“We love being able to create these beautiful memorial pieces,” Christensen offered. “Each of the 100 hymnal pages is well marked for us to make the cones to fill the wings. Our customers who have ordered angel wings are quite pleased,” she noted. “Erica and I are very excited to be able to offer this beautiful product.”
“And Adam and I are delighted to have Angela as our first authorized retailer in this area,” Turnbow said.
According to Turnbow, the angel wing wreaths can be mounted on an easel or encased in a frame or shadowbox. “We have found this to be a peaceful treasure that people cherish.”