By Daniel Enyart
Just off of State Highway 6 in Raymond live Jim and Desir'ee Wildhaber. The couple founded their own business, Wild1s, last November, and it's one that epitomizes the old saying, "One man's trash is another man's treasure." The husband-and-wife team call themselves "professional foragers."
Desir'ee, 57, moved from San Bernardino, Calif., to Washington at age 8. After teaching crafts with 4-H for 17 years, she last held a position as an office assistant at the Raymond Senior Center. Her husband, Jim, is a 63-year-old Willapa Valley native who retired after 43 years of serving in a variety of roles with Weyehaeuser. Together they have three daughters, two grandchildren, and one grandchild on the way. They've been married for over 35 years now.
After being laid off from her last job, Desir'ee decided it was time to do something she loved rather than the usual nine-to-five grind, namely the creative repurposing of used items. Having raised three girls, she says she's always been the kind of person who's been able to see value in things that most people just discard. That mentality has carried over into what she now calls her "hobby job."
Using items like old cabinet doorknobs, along with other little baubles purchased from thrift stores and garage sales, as well as driftwood the couple collects from beaches in the summer months, they masterfully create beautiful
pieces of art -- everything from driftwood signs that you can hang on a wall (inside or out) to jewelry to handmade pillows and women's purses. If Desir'ee can imagine it (or see it on Pinterest), she'll find a way to recreate it in her own unique style. According to Desir'ee, Jim is the muscle of the operation while she's the brain behind it all.
"I'm in businesses around the area, in Pacific County. I'm consigning. I put my stuff in there, they take a percentage, and that's how I sell my stuff," Desir'ee explained of how she gets her work to the public.
Currently her wares are in shops all around Pacific County. Jane's Art Nest off Highway 101 and Elixir Café and Floral Design in South Bend; Nelson Crab in Tokeland, and Home at the Beach in Long Beach all carry her merchandise. Her creations are also available at Sea Gypsy in Astoria, Ore.
"In the winter I'm in the house sewing," said Desir'ee. "That's pretty much how I do it. Then, during the summer, [Jim] and I go to the beach [to]get the driftwood ... or we go to the garage sales or the thrift stores trying to get all this stuff, because I like to reuse everything."
One of their most popular items is called the HABERsack. In the literature that comes with the HABERsack it's described as providing "comfort for sore, achy bodies." This item is a heating pillow of sorts. It's a handmade sack that is filled with wheat, which is sewn into three different compartments. Just toss it in the microwave for 90 seconds and you have your own personal, organic heating pad. It is recommended that you discard the HABERsack after six months of use, but for only $15 you can't go wrong!
Wild1s can be found on Facebook.