Date: November 3, 2025 | Story: Tiffany Adams | Photography: Rett Peek |
Sisters Meredith Benton and Maggie Counce carry on their family’s tradition of creating inviting settings both at home and in their businesses
Meredith Benton (left) and Maggie Counce
Hospitality was engrained in sisters Meredith Benton and Maggie Counce at an early age. Growing up, the two would visit their paternal grandparents and great-grandparents, who all lived on the same circle overlooking a valley in Helena. “At Thanksgiving, we would come to the table at my great-grandmother’s house where she would stand up, clink her glass, and talk us through every offering,” Meredith recalls. These family gatherings, with cousins aplenty, a menu of favorite dishes, and nothing held in reserve in terms of the table setting, made an impression on the pair—one they feel they have the honor of carrying on today.
As entrepreneurs—Meredith owns the newly opened west Little Rock tabletop and décor store Waverly Wood (which is named after the aforementioned circle in Helena) and Maggie is the co-owner and lead planner at Counce & Co. Weddings & Events—the knack for creating beautiful, inviting spaces and events has transpired. “This is our heritage and it’s what we fell in love with in our childhood, but the two of us kind of went in different directions with what we learned from our mother and grandmothers,” Maggie says.
While Meredith was particularly taken with their great-grandmother Mary Helen Rasberry’s ability to create an inviting home, set a table, and host, Maggie was drawn to their grandmother Helen Benton’s passion for weddings. Affectionately known as “Nene,” Helen spent her career as an esteemed couture wedding gown designer with her name appearing on the Vera Wang label and her dresses gracing the windows of Bergdorf Goodman. “That was the part I fell in love with—the bridal side, the table settings, and the event presentation,” Maggie says. “I feel like Meredith was really drawn to the interiors side and creating a home that is beautiful and inviting. It feels like the right use of our giftings,” she adds. Meredith (who also previously had a hand in the wedding world as a photographer) believes opening Waverly Wood was a natural extension of her passion. “Waverly Wood Drive was the first place I saw a beautiful party hosted and an impeccably styled home. The things that our grandmothers and great-grandmother valued and embraced were witnessed there,” she says.
While Meredith and Maggie have different ventures, they both continue to be inspired by the women in their family who came before them, taking their advice to heart and putting it into practice. In the same way, they continue to lean on one another as a bouncing board for ideas. “Because we are both creative, we can come to each other and say, What do you think of this design? or I’m thinking about doing this funky thing in a wedding, do you think it’s going to come across?” Maggie says. “It’s kind of like having another brain because we have the same tastes and we just sync,” Meredith says.
Well-Dressed Table
Set with offerings available for purchase at Waverly Wood, the fall tablescape features terracotta-hued “Sollevare” chargers from Provvista topped with tea service and plates from Anna Weatherley’s “Simply Anna” and Mottahedeh’s “Sacred Bird & Butterfly” patterns along with Ricci’s “Japanese Bird” flatware and amber-hued glasses. Simple hemstitch placements and a monogrammed napkin are soft, practical additions that can be used over and over.
Their mother, Nancy Benton’s, dining room was the ideal setting for this fall gathering.
The table arrangement, created by Little Rock florist Silks a Bloom, features hydrangeas, autumnal-hued roses, mums, and seasonal foliage.
Pleased as Punch
As children, Meredith and Maggie remember swimming in their grandmother’s pool when she would call out, Who wants a Nene Cooler? Later in life, when they wanted to recreate the drink for family gatherings, they learned the concoction is a mixture of half Sprite and half pineapple juice. The pair suggest adding vodka for an adult version of the childhood favorite.
Menu Mainstays
A few dishes make their way to the family’s table time after time: Celery logs stuffed with pimento cheese, spiced pecans, and orange biscuits are staples for any type of gathering. Meredith and Maggie note the pecans pay tribute to their great-grandfather M.O. Rasberry who was known to carry a sack of pecans in his trunk, which he often shared with friends and occasionally to secure a better parking spot at Razorback games. Orange biscuits are as much a sensory memory for the family as they are a treat. “These just smell like childhood,” Maggie says of the fragrant, citrus bread.
Recipe: Orange Biscuits
SHOP
3 tablespoons butter
¾ cup orange juice concentrate
2 cups granulated sugar
1 can biscuits
PREPARE
Preheat oven to 400F. Combine butter, juice, and sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring the mixture constantly for 5 minutes. Fill the cups of a muffin tin ⅓ full with sugar mixture. Press a hole into the center of each biscuit and place on top of the liquid in the muffin pan. Bake for 12 minutes or until lightly brown. Remove from the pan, placing biscuits “orange side” up on a tray or serving platter. Drizzle the remaining syrup over the biscuits. Serve warm and enjoy!
Tried-and-True Hostess Advice
The women who’ve helped to shape Meredith and Maggie’s lives share a bit of their best advice for hosting friends and family, along with a couple of tips the sisters have learned on their own
“Let your party reflect who YOU are!”
—Munnie Jordan, Great-aunt
“Choose recipes that can be made in advance so you can enjoy your guests.”
—Barbara Hassell, grandmother
“Have a couple of different dessert options and read the dessert menu aloud at the end of your main course. It creates excitement and makes it feel personalized to each guest.”
—Dorothy Lagarde, Aunt
“Plan each step in advance. You can even set the table several days before guests arrive, if needed.”
—Nancy Benton, mother
“Create a small party favor for guests to take home at the end of the event.”
—Barbara Jordan, cousin
“Always entertain with love! Home is where the heart is, and if your guests feel that, then you have thrown a great party.”
—Benton Weinstock, cousin
“A short, fun game (nothing too involved) to break the ice always makes everyone warm up quickly.”
—Maggie Counce
“Do everything you can to set a beautiful table and create an inviting atmosphere, but then set that all to the side. Embrace the guests who walk through the door, and shift your focus to welcoming them and showing true Southern hospitality.”
—Meredith Benton
