HURON — Erika Cotton of Volga shows her creative flare through woodworking and painting, and this year her booth was named “Best Indoor Display” at the South Dakota State Fair.
Cotton’s business, “June’s Wildwood,” named after her dog, “June,” and the 1929 June Carter and Johnny Cash song, “Wildwood Flower,” was started in May 2016.
“It started as a hobby and then people started wanting pieces and it just exploded through social media,” said Cotton. “I really enjoy the woodworking part of things. I’ve always been an artist and my grandpa was a woodworker.
“I’d say I got my woodworking skills from my grandpa and my painting skills from my grandma,” she added.
Cotton was all booked for her summer shows back in the spring, but in May when she was deployed, she had to give up her spot at the State Fair.
The deployment was cut short and she arrived back home at the end of July with no idea she would be setting up her booth at the fair.
“I thought, ‘what are the chances that a booth had opened up at the State Fair,’ so I emailed; I knew it was a long shot, I was sure I would be told no, but I received a call the next day, Aug. 26, and was told ‘Yes, we want you here,’” said Cotton. “I worked hard on my inventory for two weeks until I had enough stuff for the show.”
It was a last minute set up, and Cotton took the space she had and turned it into a beautiful gallery of her works.
“Someday I’m going to have my own boutique, I want to convert an old barn into a store,” Cotton explained. I love doing shows but I’d really like to have my own homestead.”
Not only did Cotton put all of this together at the last minute, she also offered her customers and fair- goers the opportunity to watch her paint while she would run her booth.
“I have been working as the fair has been going,” said Cotton. “I like to keep busy.”
Looking toward the future with a positive attitude, Cotton added, “You never know what’s going to happen, so you have to take chances.”
