If only I could travel back and talk to myself as a young girl...that girl would surely delight in all her dreams coming true! From a very young age, I knew that I wanted to start my own business. Little did I know that the love of my life, Robbie, would open the door to that dream (both figuratively and literally!) While sharing a bottle of wine with friends and deciding on which vintage doorknob we would select for our home, Robbie had the ingenious idea to craft a doorknob into a wine stopper. That idea soon became our first product and KnobStoppers was launched within months at the Atlanta wholesale market in the summer of 2005.

We were very busy sourcing doorknobs and making KnobStoppers! Then we found ourselves in the vintage flatware business. Shortly after that, Robbie designed the first "Spoondelier," a chandelier made from vintage silver-plate spoons. The stoppers and lights continued to evolve and kept our small team on our toes! After our first few years in business, I commissioned a friend of mine to illustrate a dinner plate, fork, knife and spoon. This artwork evolved into our first paper placemat, The Perfect Setting, and the rest you can say “is history."

Over the past 20 years, Hester & Cook has rapidly grown to offer everything from handcrafted chandeliers to beautiful greeting cards. Today, we are best known for our paper placemat pads and table runners, having grown that first paper placemat concept into so much more.

What started as a simple idea for a one-of-a-kind product has grown into a company that pioneered a new category in fine paper into a concept for easy entertaining. Since bringing KnobStoppers to the wholesale market 20 years ago and the launch of the paper line for tabletop, our products can now be found in over 3,000 retailers worldwide. In addition, the past ten years have seen the opening of our three Nashville, Tennessee area retail locations in the White Bridge and Hillsboro Village neighborhoods, and our flagship store in Franklin, Tennessee. Most recently we have also acquired the Bang Candy Company that produces delicious chocolate confections! We also have a Bang Candy store in downtown Nashville.

Through it all, the Hester & Cook focus remains creating attainable beauty for the table. It is our core belief that we exist to serve our customers and each other. We want to create products that elevate experiences that create meaningful connections.

Our company has grown from a team of two to a powerhouse team of over 40 employees. We are grateful for the people both past and present that have worked alongside us to grow Hester & Cook. We also have a dynamic sales team that supports our wholesale accounts across the county. We are extremely proud of all our amazing teams and honored to work with each one of them.

Most importantly, Robbie and I are deeply grateful to you – our loyal and supportive customers. In celebration of this hallmark year, we raise a glass to the last 20! We look forward to all the beautiful things to come.

This is a toast to you, our wonderful customers and the best team that a girl could ever have dreamed of!