A Family Legacy Since 1944
Three generations. One mountain community. A craft that’s never gone out of style.
Where It All Began
In 1944, Shirl Compton opened The Wood Whittlers in a one-room log cabin
on Roaring Fork Creek — at a time when the Great Smoky Mountains National
Park had only been open a decade and Gatlinburg wasn’t yet an incorporated
city. As visitors poured into the mountains, the town grew, and so did
The Wood Whittlers.
By 1968, the shop had outgrown the cabin and moved to its current home —
a building that’s welcomed craftspeople and visitors every day since. In
2020, the City of Gatlinburg confirmed what locals had known for years:
The Wood Whittlers holds the oldest retail business license in the city.
Today, the shop is still owned and operated by the Compton family. Our
craftsmen create art the same way Shirl did in the 1940s — everything
from tiny Christmas ornaments to large fireplace mantles, made right here
by hand. You can watch carvers work in real-time, and if you’re lucky,
catch one of them for a chat about their work.
Some pieces come from local mountain craftspeople we know by name — never
a factory, never a warehouse. Just honest work from people who love what
they do. With proper care, what you take home can become a family heirloom,
passed down for generations — just like The Wood Whittlers itself.
Hear It From the Family
Three generations of the Compton family have dedicated their lives to this craft. Hear from our own family about what it means to carry on Shirl’s legacy — and why handmade will always matter.
Come See Us in Gatlinburg
We’re located in the Great Smoky Arts & Crafts Community —
the largest gathering of independent artists and craftspeople
in North America. Come watch our craftsmen work, browse one-of-a-kind
pieces, and take a little piece of Gatlinburg history home with you.