Ashley’s Adventures: Mary’s Gone Wild

SUPPLY, NC (WWAY) – If one man’s junk is another man’s treasure, Mary Paulsen hit the jackpot.

In her backyard you’ll find an antique store, an art gallery and several small houses.

It’s called Mary’s Gone Wild and it’s all made from what other people don’t want.

“People call me Wild Mary,” she said. “Because I’ve always been able to be creative with any and everything.”

It started 37 years ago, when Mary said she brought the first yard sale into Brunswick County.

It, however, did not stop there.

“I used to build doll houses,” she said. “Then [God] told me, ‘Now go out in the front yard and build them on a larger scale, so people can tour them and leave the money for Feed the Children.’ So I did.”

Then He spoke to her again.

“I was fixing to wash my dishes in the house one Saturday evening, and here came a vision right before my face. He was showing me exactly how to come out and layer the paint to do reverse side paintings.”

That’s how her famous paintings got started.

Now you can visit her antique store, art gallery, miniature houses and doll baby village seven days a week.

While she doesn’t charge an admission, she does accept donations.

Over the past three decades, Paulson says she’s donated tens of thousands of dollars to charity.

“I’ve seen days where I didn’t have a dollar. So you know, just having faith in God, that He was going to supply because His word says so,” she said.

Click here to learn more about Wild Mary, her garden and her charity work.