Today we’d like to introduce you to Jamie Freda.
Hi Jamie, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Growing up, I had a notorious black thumb, unlike my mother who was known for her beautiful gardens and plethora of indoor houseplants. Throughout my 20s and into my 30s, I made several attempts to engage what I thought had to be some sort of genetic predisposition at being adept at caring for plants. Alas, time and time again, I was humbled into realizing that that particular apple seemed to have fallen very far from the tree.
In 2017, I moved onto a small piece of land in Cedar Park, Texas, and took a chance at building my first raised garden bed. This quickly became my “happy place” and where I spent countless hours tending to, talking to, and simply sitting among the plants. Since then, my love of plants and nature has grown into several hobbies, side projects, and job opportunities. I am an ecotherapist by profession, helping others connect with and harness the healing benefits of nature. I also oversee a Food Is Free table that encourages neighbors to grow and share food, and with the help and inspiration of my daughter, created the Litter League in an attempt to encourage litter removal throughout the community as well as the Environmental Club at her elementary school.
Fast forward to 2020 and the pandemic. The lack of social contact during this time drove me to find new ways to connect with others. On a whim, I joined several plant groups on various social media platforms and began amassing a fantastic group of like-minded plant friends, not to mention quite the impressive collection of houseplants! It was through my connections with these fellow plant parents that I discovered just how important plants are to people. Plants can calm the senses, focus the mind, relieve stress, add beauty, cultivate purpose, reinforce patience, evoke gratitude, and teach perseverance. To summarize: Plants make people happy and healthy!
A friend once mused, “I wish there was a one-stop-shop for everything PLANTS.” And thus, the seeds of Vinely Crafted were planted.
For the past year, I have been converting a 2002 Ford E350 shuttle bus into what will become a mobile plant boutique. Starting from a bare metal frame, my husband and I quite literally poured our blood, sweat, and tears into this build. Having no prior experience, YouTube became our ally and we learned more than we ever thought we would need to know about bus construction and maintenance. Despite the process taking significantly longer than initially planned, I hope to launch by Spring 2022.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The greatest obstacle on the road to launching the mobile boutique has been TIME. Aside from being an entrepreneur and novice bus contractor, I am also a mother, wife, artist, and full-time clinical psychologist. Having to balance these many roles and resist the urge to spend all my free time working on the business has been a challenge. Alas, there are only so many hours in a day, and, unfortunately, there are some days (weeks even) that I must walk away from this project to focus on more pressing matters. This has caused significant delays from the original July 2021 launch date, but I remain hopeful as the dust from 2021 settles that I will be ready to host my grand opening in Spring 2022.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Vinely Crafted is an up-and-coming mobile plant boutique in central Texas selling a variety of locally grown houseplants and succulents plus plant-themed creations by local Texas artists, including planters, macrame hangers, textiles, art, decor, jewelry, and so much more. You’ll even find some of my painted flowerpots in stock.
I’ll be traveling around in my converted shuttle bus setting up shop at various markets and local businesses, but what I’m most excited about are PLANT PARTIES! (Insert jazz hands!) Imagine being able to gather a group of friends and family and have exclusive access to a plant boutique from the comfort of your own home! As the boutique becomes more established, my goal is to also offer workshops led by some of our extremely talented artists. Want to learn how to knot a macrame plant hanger or create your very own terrarium? (Me too!)
I am most proud to be a small business and local artist supporting other small businesses and local artists because, as we well know, “when you support a small business, you are supporting a dream.”
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
My greatest advice for those looking to network is to not be afraid to put yourself out there. Ask for what you want. You may be surprised at how willing people are to help.
When I was first considering this business endeavor, I reached out to other mobile boutique owners around the country through Facebook and Instagram. Their experiences and advice helped me gain valuable knowledge, save money, and solidify my passion for this project. I turned once again to social media when it was time to find a group of talented local artists who create plant-themed works of art in a variety of mediums. I spent hours searching through Etsy listings and Instagram stories and directly messaged those who I thought would be a good fit for the brand. To my surprise and joy, almost every artist I contacted was interested, excited, and eager to join the team. I currently carry the works of over 18 artists from all over the state of Texas. I rely a lot on word of mouth to promote the business. Apparently, people love talking about plants and are even more eager to learn of new places to satisfy their plant fix.
Contact Info:
- Email: vinelycrafted@gmail.com
- Website: www.vinelycrafted.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vinely_crafted/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vinelycrafted
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWqaorkJ1OAmughFZnsqIzA
Image Credits
Jamie Freda
