10/06/2026
**Long Post Warning **
❤️ Six Years of Whiffle Tree Mercantile — Our Story
Believe it or not, October 1st marked SIX YEARS since we officially became the owners of the building and Whiffle Tree Mercantile. Looking back at these pictures from 2020 brings back a whole lot of memories, so we thought this would be a good time to reintroduce ourselves and share a little of our story. We’re Bobby and Heidi Krum, and in October 2020 we took one of the biggest leaps of faith of our lives. We bought Whiffle Tree with big hopes and dreams of creating something our community could be proud of, while giving local vendors, makers and small businesses a place to grow and succeed. We also wanted to honor what Whiffle Tree had already meant to Monticello for so many years.
One person who made the beginning especially meaningful was LeeRoy Moots, one of Whiffle Tree’s original founders. LeeRoy didn’t simply sell us a business and hand us the keys. He spent time with us, trained us, answered our questions, shared the history of Whiffle Tree and helped mentor us as we figured out what in the heck we had gotten ourselves into. 😂 Looking back now, we’re even more thankful for that time with him. LeeRoy helped make the transition something we’ll always remember, and we’re proud that we were given the opportunity to carry on something he helped start back in 1992.
And we definitely didn’t just unlock the doors the next morning! 😂 We spent about six months remodeling, cleaning, painting, moving, planning and completely reworking the store before officially opening our version of Whiffle Tree Mercantile on April 1, 2021. Some of the pictures we’re sharing with this post show what Whiffle Tree looked like when we first took over. It’s pretty incredible to look at those pictures today and see just how much has changed.
When we started this adventure, both of us were still working full-time jobs while spending nights, weekends and just about every spare minute at Whiffle Tree. Heidi still works a full-time job today while helping behind the scenes and somehow keeping everything—and usually Bobby 😂—headed in the right direction.
My own journey has taken a turn we certainly never planned for. Over the last several years, my health has changed dramatically. Eventually, I had to step away from my full-time career, and today I am disabled. I wish I could say that meant I was able to work full-time at Whiffle Tree, but the reality is that my health doesn’t always allow that either. Mornings can be especially difficult, and some days my body simply decides what I’m going to be able to accomplish. I use the good hours when I have them, do what I can around the store, work on ideas and marketing, help our vendors and customers, and keep pushing this dream forward the best way I know how.
That’s probably one of the hardest things for me personally. I’ve always been someone who wants to work, build, create and be involved in everything. Learning that sometimes I physically can’t has not been easy. There have been frustrating days, painful days and days when Heidi has had to carry far more of the load than either of us ever imagined when we signed those papers six years ago.
But through all of it, Whiffle Tree has given us something to keep believing in.
And we absolutely could not have made it these six years without our vendors and our family. Our vendors aren’t just people renting space inside our building—they are a huge part of what Whiffle Tree has become. Their creativity, hard work, friendship and faith in what we’re trying to build are what make this store special. Our family has also been there through remodeling projects, crazy ideas, difficult times and everything in between.
And then there is YOU. ❤️
Every person who walks through our doors, tells a friend about us, shares one of our Facebook posts, brings family from out of town, buys a bag of candy, finds an antique treasure or simply stops in to say hello has helped keep this dream alive.
Six years haven’t gone exactly the way Bobby and Heidi pictured them back in October 2020. Life rarely follows the business plan. 😂 There have been struggles, health challenges, tears, plenty of stress and probably a few times when we both wondered what we had gotten ourselves into.
But there has also been a whole lot of good.
We’ve watched Whiffle Tree grow. We’ve watched vendors succeed. We’ve met people from all over. We’ve watched kids discover toys their grandparents remember playing with. We’ve heard customers say, “I haven’t seen one of these in years!” We’ve made friendships we never would have made otherwise. And we’ve watched this old downtown building continue to be a place where memories are made.
We’re still dreaming. We’re still changing things. We’re still trying crazy ideas. We’re still learning. And we’re still working toward making Whiffle Tree a place that our vendors, our community, and hopefully LeeRoy would be proud of.
So when you look through these old pictures we’re sharing, you’re looking at more than an old version of the store. You’re looking at the beginning of our chapter of the Whiffle Tree story.
Thank you to everyone who has been part of these first six years. ❤️ We truly couldn’t have done it without you.
Here’s to whatever the next six years bring.
We’re Bobby & Heidi Krum, proud owners and caretakers of Whiffle Tree Mercantile. And as always… See y’all at the Mercantile! 🇺🇸🦝❤️
