Wilder Way Threads adopts a plan with heart - This Is Alabama
For Morgan Terch, owner of Wilder Way Threads, business is more than just the bottom line. It’s gotta have heart. That’s why her shop, which sells vintage textiles, donates 25 percent of its proceeds to adoptive parents and families.
The story of Wilder Way began in 2020 when Terch and her husband and co-owner, Jeffrey, were on their own adoption journey. They were trying to bring their daughter, Eden, home from India and needed help to defray costs. Having both worked for a local adoption agency, they were aware of how difficult, and pricey, the process would be and knew they would need to get creative. Terch recalled a supplier in Turkey, whom she had bought pillow cases from for her home, and decided to reach back out to him. She purchased a small order, did a sale on her Instagram account, and sold all 40 items in an hour. Coincidentally, it turned out the man had been orphaned as a child, creating even more of a connection. From there, the seed of an idea blossomed into a plan and things seemed to fall into place. What if they could create a small business to help other people on the same path?
“I thought…let’s keep doing this,” says Terch. “I love looking at these textiles. I love that we’re supporting this man in Turkey…and his small business…that’s a win-win. And then we’re also helping make a way for us to provide a home for our future child.”
According to Terch, a typical adoption, international or domestic, can take years to finalize and cost upwards to $40,000. However, she goes on to highlight, it’s important to use a licensed, Hague-accredited service as it ensures that the proper, legal steps are taken.
“On one hand, that is probably a barrier that keeps a lot of people from adopting,” says Terch. “But, on the flip side, having worked in an adoption agency, I really see the benefit of [it] being expensive. The fees ensure that the adoption is done the right way.”
At present, Wilder Way Threads is helping their third family and continues to be on the lookout for more. All are welcome to apply, via the shop’s website, and it’s not a requirement to be based in Alabama or even the United States. Terch sees this side of the business as its “heartbeat” and hopes their platform will help ease the way for those who’ve answered the call of adoption. In fact, the shop’s name comes from a bible passage that resonated with their mission: “I will make a way in the wilderness and the rivers and the desert.”
The store currently sells rugs, Christmas stockings, and pillowcases but Terch has big plans for the future of her young business. She’s working to expand, and rebrand, and be able to offer a variety of merchandise for every budget. On a personal level, her growing family has set out on yet another ‘way in the wilderness’ – a sibling for Eden.
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