The Challenge
Willowbrook Manor is a beautiful and successful respite away from the noise of life.
Located in Sedro-Woolley, Washington (near Bellingham), it is an English Tea House, a bed & breakfast farm stay, an events venue, a retail shop, and a destination experience — all rooted in a beautiful historic-looking Tudor-style manor built in the 1990s to feel as though it had stood for centuries.
When owner Terry Gifford came to me, her website was built with her hosting provider’s “website builder.” Visually, it was serviceable — but functionally, it was limiting her business. The platform simply could not support the operational complexity Willowbrook Manor required.
More importantly, the website lacked direction. It did not reflect the scale, sophistication, or growth trajectory of the business Terry was building.
She needed more than a redesign.
She needed a system.
The Requirements
Willowbrook Manor’s website had to support real-world business operations, not just marketing pages. Specifically, Terry needed:
- E-commerce for physical products such as her (fantastic) Sweet Cream Scone Mix, curated teas, and e-gift cards
- A reservations and purchasing system for English Tea services and seasonal events, including:
- Tea & Tulips during the annual Skagit Valley Tulip Festival every April
- Winter Tea
- Valentine’s Tea
- Mother’s Tea
- Harvest Tea
- Holiday Tea
- A lodging booking system for her bed & breakfast, with two-way synchronization to Airbnb
- A content platform to maintain The Willowbrook Word, a blog that mirrors her Mailchimp email communications
- Social media brand assets, including profile imagery and cover art
- Operational flexibility to add new offerings such as historic walking tours and bike tours without rebuilding the site each time
In short: the website needed to grow with the business.
The Solution
I designed and built a custom WordPress website with WooCommerce at its core — not as a simple online store, but as a flexible business engine.
Key technical components included:
- WooCommerce for physical products and digital gift cards
- WooCommerce Bookings to handle English Tea events and specialty reservations
- WooCommerce Accommodation Bookings for lodging and B&B reservations
- Airbnb synchronization, allowing availability and bookings to stay in sync across platforms
- A scalable content structure, making it easy to add new seasonal events, tours, and offerings
As the business grew, the site grew with it — including support for Red Falcon Road, a YouTube channel Terry later launched with her mother in 2025. Episodes published to YouTube are automatically added to the site at: teaandtour.com/redfalconroad
The Outcome
A few years after launch, Terry called me — excited.
“This past weekend, my staff handled all of the tea events themselves. I didn’t have to do anything! And they did a great job!”
That moment marked a turning point. The website had evolved from a marketing expense into operational infrastructure. Terry was no longer tied to every transaction or reservation. The systems were doing the work.
As I told her that day: “Congratulations — you’re now a full business owner, not a hobbyist.”
A Relationship Built on Trust
Terry later wrote a formal letter on my behalf praising my work, professionalism, and integrity — something I remain deeply grateful for.
She later told me, “Paul, you are family.”
In July 2023, Terry invited my family and I to travel to Washington state and stay at Willowbrook Manor for a full week. I even helped build the Willowbrook Manor’s Independence Day parade float. During the parade my family waved from the float (while having tea) and I rode one of Terry’s e-bikes alongside it. What a blast!
This project is not just one of my most comprehensive builds.
It is one of my most meaningful client relationships.
“The website for Willowbrook Manor is the life-blood of my business…
Terry Gifford, Owner, Willowbrook Manor
Paul plays a key role in the success and growth of my business.”
The Result
This project exemplifies my approach to web design:
- Build from first principles
- Design systems, not just pages
- Create platforms that reduce owner dependency
- Treat client businesses as long-term partnerships, not transactions
The Willowbrook Manor website is a good example of how a thoughtful system, built on the right foundation, can free business owners to step back — and let their website work for them.