DENMARK, Wis. (NBC 26) — As a husband-wife duo, Ian and Jeni Snell started selling their woodwork five years ago to help pay for family trips to Disney. And a little extra money turned into a store.
"Especially as a small business in a little old town, our hope is that more people will see us," Jeni said.
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But with the price of materials skyrocketing amid supply chain issues, the Snells say their business has been hit hard. And they're fighting to provide reasonable prices for shoppers.
"The amount that the wood has gone up is astronomical," Jeni said.
So they decided to bring Christmas to Northeast Wisconsin in October.
"We expanded this year into a new space and had a little more room," Ian said. "So we decided to open up our 'Winter Wonderland.'"
S Home Creations in Denmark got into the holiday spirit early this year, rolling out handcrafted home decor before the end of last month.
"We wanted to get a head start, a jump on some of the big businesses that put it out super early," Ian said.
Prior to Halloween, the family started producing homemade holiday signs, cutouts and candles. Normally, their sale wouldn't start until November.
"We've gotten a great response so far," Ian said. "The first weekend we opened up, we were super busy."
Ian and Jeni hope the popularity of their 'Winter Wonderland' continues.
"We do this year-long, so it's kind of a forever thing," Jeni said. "People keep coming back for more."
And though it's a business, they say it's also a passion.
"You hope that people like them," Jeni said. "And then once people come and they actually respond and like them, it just is really awesome."
S Home Creations is hosting a craft fairon Dec. 4, and Santa will be making an appearance.
