Greenwood Soul Mates – Brantley Snipes
For us, “soul” represents that unique essence each person contributes to their community, weaving a colorful tapestry of stories, talents, cultural experiences, and more. In Greenwood, this tapestry is formed by numerous unique individuals whose captivating stories and deep connections to the region’s food, music and history define our identity as a town and make Greenwood such an extraordinary place to visit. These remarkable individuals are our “Soul Mates.”
“A million little things to solve, or not, I’ll let them all evolve,” Phish sings.
For Brantley Snipes, that lyric from “Evolve” captures more than her love for the band. It reflects her career, her deep connection to Greenwood and her unapologetic love for the Mississippi Delta. Born and raised in Greenville, Brantley has poured her energy into building her own businesses while working tirelessly to uplift the region she calls home.
Her career feels written in her DNA. Her father spent 25 years as a plant physiologist at Mississippi State’s Stoneville Research Station before launching his own research business. Her mother taught art, blending creativity with education. Today, Brantley owns Brantley Snipes Landscape Design and co-owns Half Moon Living, a pool and outdoor living company she founded with longtime collaborator Tommy Walton. Her projects span beyond Mississippi, reaching Arkansas, Tennessee and Alabama.
“There was never another option for what I was going to do,” she said. “It’s in my DNA. And because of what my father did, my self-employed, entrepreneurial drive comes naturally.”
Finding Her Path Back to the Delta
After earning a horticulture degree at Auburn and a graduate degree in landscape architecture at NC State, she imagined a life far from the Delta. “I had no intention of coming back,” she said. But in 2011, during the recession, she returned to Greenville. A year later, Greenwood was seeking a new Main Street director. With her background in historic preservation, Brantley was a natural fit.
What began as a two-year detour became an 11-year commitment. She balanced her leadership role in revitalizing downtown Greenwood with the quiet growth of her landscape design business. In 2023, she stepped away from Main Street to focus fully on her business.
“God knew I wasn’t supposed to work for somebody else,” she reflected. “I have been able to grow my own business while giving back to the Delta.”
Outside of work, Brantley embraces a life of adventure and creativity. She’s an avid turkey hunter, often spending time at her family’s land in Carroll County. She travels extensively, fishes when she can, treasures her yellow lab Archer and has dreams of restoring her 1978 El Camino. She’s also a devoted member of the Episcopal Church of the Nativity, where she finds balance in faith and community.
Music, Travel and Community
Music is another passion. She and a childhood friend see Phish in concert every year. “I was late to the Phish game, but it’s one of my favorite things to do now,” she said. “Much like Greenwood, the people I’ve met through Phish make up a loving and fun community.”
Brantley believes Greenwood is more than a home. It’s a hub for connection and a gateway to the wider Delta. That belief took root when she invited her college friends from Auburn on a girls’ trip. They were weighing big destinations like New York, the Bahamas and the mountains. Instead, she suggested Greenwood. To her surprise, they agreed and it became an annual tradition.
“There’s some small-town magic here that you can’t experience in big cities,” she said. “We’ve packed coolers, gone to the Alluvian Spa, eaten at chef’s tables at Fan and Johnny’s, and sat around the cabin in Carroll County. Where else in the world do you get to sit in the kitchen of a James Beard-nominated chef (Taylor Ricketts) and be treated like family?”
Tourism as Greenwood’s Lifeblood
For Brantley, the Delta’s strength lies in that intimacy which she calls “half a degree of separation.” She explains, “You can meet a stranger and almost instantly find a connection. People care for people here, and that sense of community doesn’t exist anywhere else.”
She sees tourism as Greenwood’s lifeblood. “It’s our greatest industry,” she said. “Without it, Greenwood wouldn’t exist. It’s not just about shops and restaurants; it’s about the feeling people get when they’re here. Tourism expands our economy in ways that traditional methods can’t.”
No matter where she travels, Greenwood always draws her back. “It’s the community and the people,” she explains. “One phone call, and you can fix anything, whether it’s a flat tire or a sore throat. That kind of community doesn’t exist anywhere else.”
Her philosophy in business echoes those values. She lives by a guiding motto from her partner Tommy: “Take care of your people, because your people take care of you.” That principle defines her leadership, her relationships with clients and her loyalty to her team.
When asked what Greenwood means to her, Brantley hesitated. “It’s really not a word. It’s a feeling,” she says. “It’s the feeling of comfort and warmth and community and just goodness that exists. I don’t think you get that feeling until you’ve been here.”
To her, that feeling is visceral. “Soul is like a gut feeling between your heart and your stomach. It resonates. It doesn’t just resonate in your brain; it resonates throughout your whole body. That’s the feeling of Greenwood.”
A Hub for the Delta’s Rhythm
She also sees Greenwood as the heart of the Delta. “Just like the heart is the hub of the body, Greenwood is where you get the full beat and rhythm of life in the Delta,” she said. “You can stay here and get the full taste of what the Delta has to offer and then use it as a hub to branch out and explore. But when you come back, it’s still the same, it’s home.”
Her story mirrors Greenwood’s, a place of change, resilience and revival. “Just like the lyric in the Grateful Dead song ‘Ripple’, there is a road, no simple highway,” she said. “But God had plans for me to be in the Delta, whether I wanted to or not. With Greenwood’s support, I got to create my own path.”
And like the Phish song says, Brantley’s path continues to “Evolve,” growing through landscapes, relationships and a deep love for the Delta’s heart and soul.
Enjoy some of Brantley’s fun things to do in Greenwood!
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