It didn’t take long for sisters-in-law Haley Gaylord and Chelsea Ramsey to realize that a switch from side hustle to full-time job was required.

They opened the first incarnation of Soul Sisters Depot in Clyde in September 2020 in the midst of shutdowns from the Covid-19 pandemic, at a time when people told them it was crazy to open a business.

Luckily, they had a customer base built from their time selling items at craft shows, local markets, and trunk shows. Gaylord sold candles and other items out of a 1960 Shasta camper, while Ramsey sold jewelry. At these events they would talk about opening a brick and mortar space, calling it a “pipe dream” in the beginning.

"Thankfully, we had enough support from our community that did shop with us at markets,” said Gaylord, who worked as a special orders manager for High Country Furniture. “They found out about our shop and it just took off.”

"It could have gone the other way, but we just had faith,” said Ramsey, who was an X-ray technician. “We just knew and by the time Thanksgiving rolled around. We both were like, 'We've got to quit our jobs. This is our job now.'"

The sisters-in-law (who became family in 2005) stayed at their Clyde location for two years before they moved to Waynesville’s Historic Frog Level, using their upcycled items as decor for the new shop. Then, flood waters from Hurricane Helene in 2024 ravaged that space and they had to relocate again.

Soul Sisters Depot now sits at 110 Miller Street in Waynesville. It is a spot that, according to their website, includes “a variety of local handmade items and a huge selection of bohemian boutique clothing, jewelry, accessories and decor. All reflecting a high level of quality, invoking attributes of femininity, spirit, and creativity.”

Gaylord and Ramsey had separately become popular at local events where they sold items. Their families would help each other set up at markets or craft shows and it simply became easier to set up a one-stop-shop instead of two spaces.

Through connections made at events, the duo knew they weren’t alone in creating unique items that would sell.

“We're so fortunate to live where we do that so many people are so talented,” Ramsey said. “So we just filled our space with other vendors and friends of ours that needed a place to sell their things and people really, really loved it. We had more people coming to us and asking if we would like to carry their homemade goods and different items and now we have over 40 local vendors. It's really important to us.”

Connections have been important to Gaylord and Ramsey. Helene could have destroyed their business. “It completely wiped us out. Everything we had was covered in mud and waist deep water,” Ramsey said. “We were going into the shop and trying to salvage anything that we could.”

They pressure washed items and displays in their front yards, then returned to their roots at local markets to sell again. 

“In the beginning markets really shot us into being successful,” Ramsey said. “But then, when we were really in a dark time, markets saved us.”

Their beloved customers came through, too, with some buying gift cards that they didn’t know they could ever redeem just to help. The store also received two grants. Gaylord and Ramsey reopened in a small space for a few months before finding their current location, which was formerly a wine storage area. They remodeled it to fit their needs and when they finally reopened in March 2025, they had patrons come all the way from Florida to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony.

Gaylord and Ramsey have focused their time on the shopping experience in their store. They have an online presence and want to sell some items there, but it is their personal connection to customers that keeps shoppers coming back.

The newest incarnation of Soul Sisters Depot contains a 2,000 square foot showroom area and more space in the back for extra inventory. It’s smaller than the Historic Frog Level location, but the sisters-in-law enjoy the vibe there.

“It's a smaller space, but people come in and they think it's bigger because we have beautiful windows,” Ramsey said. “We're right on the corner, so it's this nice, bright and lively space, and it's more central to downtown, even though it's two blocks away from where we were. People see us more, and we just feel much more part of the downtown.”

At the moment this family business is truly that, as Gaylord and Ramsey are the only two full-time employees. Their mothers work one day a week in the shop to give them a day off.

“This business has really rallied our whole family,” Ramsey said. “We have a really close family anyway, but for them to be supporting us, and really being involved in so many things with us, they just brought all of us a lot of love. They're just ridiculously proud, and we feel so humble sometimes, like we're just doing what we want. This is our dream.”

For more information about Soul Sisters Depot, go to soulsistersdepot.com.