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Why the ginkgo leaf?

Writer's picture: Patti McWhorterPatti McWhorter

Updated: Jan 28



When I started my first ""side hustle" business decades ago, I knew then that the ginkgo tree was the official tree of Athens, Georgia. Since I fell in love with ginkgo trees when I first became a student at UGA and later married and settled here, it was an easy decision to start a business called the "Ginkgo Tree."


My original Ginkgo Tree business was devoted to hand painting different items, mostly for children. Frames, t-shirts, onesies, baby shoes - I found a small, loyal wholesale audience for these items and fulfilled the orders outside of my work days as a teacher. The money helped me pay tuition for a doctoral program in English Education, and when I finished that doctorate, I decided to devote myself to the profession in which I had worked so hard to advance. The Ginkgo Tree was officially closed.


Fast forward many years, and I found myself at a local jewelry making class for simple Memory wire bracelets. The seed was planted. Then, a few years later, I was able to help a friend in her jewelry making business, and I found myself engaged by every aspect of the business - design and marketing. When she decided to wind things down, I knew I was hooked on creating jewelry, but I needed to expand my knowledge and skills.


For a few years in the Athens area, jewelers and creatives could find classes and materials readily available at Gone With the Bead, a local bead store owned by Mary Ann Kelly. Mary Ann, who recently passed, was an avid bead collector and filled her shop with every imaginable kind of bead. Her artisan glass collection was legenday, and she frequently acquired inventory from bead shops that were closing their doors.


Gone With the Bead was a unique and special place, and Mary Ann hosted jewelry classes of all kinds. I learned basic metal work, jewelry stringing and construction, polymer clay techniques, and wire work from the variety of instructors she brought to the shop. I knew enough to be dangerous, and I decided to launch a small creative business, that could include jewelry and other items.


Naming a business without a clear focus is not an easy task, so I engaged the expert help of my son, Seth McWhorter, the founder and owner of McWhorter Creative. It took Seth no time to turn me back to my original entrepreneurial endeavor, and he suggested "Ginkgo Creations" as the name for the new business, a name that would allow me to go in any direction with my creative interests. He set to work designing my logo and original typeface, and I was off and running.


So now, when people ask about the ginkgo, I first mention the official tree of Athens, but I also like to tell people that the Ginkgo Biloba is one of the oldest living species of trees. In my research into this special tree, I read that it is often called a "living fossil." Even more interesting is its spiritual meaning which is to find hope, to persevere, and to stay rooted. The leaves are often mentioned as a symbol of peace and hope.


I think I can live with that message. Thanks for reading!



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