Y’all Open?
We feel so grateful for your continued support over the years, and we knew we had some explaining to do when you started asking if we were still open for business. So first of all, let’s just clarify that yes, we are still open with regular business hours!
We are sharing our story with you as an offering, so it may inspire you as it inspires us to be optimistic and keep pushing, even when the future looks bleak and uncertain. If you have been wondering ‘what’s going on with Serengeti?”, we’re about to explain.
You may know that we are a Black-owned family business, and as it turns out, we can’t tell the story of our business without telling the story of our family. And we can’t tell the story of our family without telling you the story of our matriarch.
“More than just a story, we hope to offer you a glimpse into the nuances of operating a family business. “
Family and Business: The Birth of A Third Generation
By 2016, Wisson’s vision, coupled with the youthful energy of his two business-minded daughters had taken the Gallery to a next level. While one daughter curated events, the other managed the Gallery’s online presence. Then the inevitable happened: the daughters started families and began to usher in a third generation.
Naturally, the daughters’ priorities shifted. They endeavored to pick up where they had left off, but motherhood had other plans. One daughter left the gallery. At the same time, Mary’s health began to slowly decline.
What’s Eating Mary?
Fast-forward to 2019, and Mary had lost an alarming amount of weight. Her health was at an all-time low. She and had undergone every imaginable test, yet her doctors could not determine a diagnosis for her mysterious sickness. One day that August, she was rushed to the hospital. Physicians were flummoxed.
Christopher’s Prayer
In the days that followed, Mary’s friends and family gathered by her hospital bedside in what seemed to be her final hours. June, one of Mary’s longtime friends, brought her son Christopher.
Now 30, Chris hadn’t seen Mary since he was a teenager. He confided that he had a prayed over many ill people who went on to make miraculous recoveries, and some that had not. He asked if he could pray over Mary. Grateful, we accepted. In the hospital room, with bowed heads, Chris prayed over Mary’s semi-conscious body. Within hours, Mary began to suffer a series of strokes.
Hanging On
Mary was rushed to the intensive care unit, where she continued to decline. Our family was informed that she may not make it through the night—certainly not at this particular facility. They initiated a transfer and a medical transport crew arrived within the hour, moving swiftly and reiterating that Mary may not survive the ride. She was airlifted to Georgetown MedStar hospital, where doctors and nurses got to work on her immediately.
Doubts
Was Mary’s survival even possible? She had been declining for years at this point. To her daughters, this all seemed like an inevitable end to her long suffering. But Wisson had the responsibility to make medical decisions for Mary, and after 35 years of marriage, he was not done fighting for her. He’d only known her as a fighter.
With Wisson’s authorization, Georgetown’s medical team pursued every available treatment: from brain surgery to dialysis and an extensive list of interventions, doctors assured the family that when they lost hope, they would make it plain.
“Sometimes it seems like things are working against us, but in time we understand that even so-called “bad” things are pushing towards our redemption.“
A Picture Starts to Form
Georgetown’s medical team determined that the cause of Mary’s prolonged sickness had been norovirus. Norovirus is similar to a flu, as there is no cure, and the body typically knocks it out within days. The virus is not considered fatal, yet it’d had a deadly grip on Mary.
When Mary had a stroke that night in August, it left her body in crisis, but it also prompted the norovirus to flee—she was no longer an attractive host.
This all happened within hours of Chris’ prayer. Coincidence?
Whereas we thought of the stroke as a low point, what we witnessed was a modern day miracle; the rock-bottom Mary needed to begin healing.
Exodus
A year later, Mary’s health was considered stable enough to be discharged into the care of a rehabilitation center. She underwent speech, occupational and physical therapy, and after two months, she was over it. Mary demanded to be taken home.
Mary had lost her ability to walk and had yet to regain her neuro-cognitive abilities, but she couldn’t care less about the logic of it all—she was determined to get out of the nursing home, and right away. Wisson was drained – splitting time between operating the Gallery almost single-handedly and venturing to care facilities daily for over a year. He acquiesced.
Days after Mary’s discharge, talk began to circulate about a coronavirus sweeping the globe; it was being labeled a pandemic. As we watched the news coverage, we were stunned to hear reports that the virus was running rampant, especially through nursing homes and rehabilitation centers, claiming the lives of several in-patients. Ignorant to the fact, Mary had forced her way out of the facility in the nick time. Wow.
Sometimes it seems like things are working against us, but in time we understand that even so-called “bad” things are pushing towards our redemption.
Perfectly Mysterious
And so ends the story. Mary is making a miraculous recovery, and through countless plot twists, Wisson keeps his Gallery doors open—inviting the community into his therapeutic oasis, where anyone can come as they are to experience a slice of beauty, enlightenment and tranquility.
The second generation is making its way through the ups, downs, and screeching halts of motherhood and entrepreneurship, taking cues from their parents. One daughter continues work with the gallery, and the other operates an events agency.
Our third generation of entrepreneurs hit the ground running, and has been and shaking things up ever since. Precocious and energetic, the children continue to make an impression on us all.
More than just a story, we hope to offer you a glimpse into the nuances of operating a family business. When the family hurts, the business hurts. We can’t thank you enough for your continued patronage and care through it all.
For rooting for us, riding with us and staying tuned to see what’s next, you give us a great gift. You have been the through-line of this saga, offering positive energy and motivation to keep going. We are overwhelmed with gratitude.
So Much Love,
Serengeti Gallery
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