We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jessica Birmingham a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jessica, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

It was important for me to have a business that serves a purpose in our community other than just selling things. I’m grateful that when challenges come our way, we have a strong purpose and “why” to keep us moving forward.

Jessica, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I opened Happy Day Plants in November of 2021. I had always had a dream of opening a plant shop, but the timing was not right for our family until this point. Our oldest daughter, Bailey has Down syndrome, and graduated from high school in 2020. She was ready to join the work force right away, but we were not able to find many options for her. She was fortunate enough to find a job a local clothing boutique whose mission was to hire and train adults with disabilities. When I saw their model, I thought maybe I could follow what they had done and open Happy Day Plants.

I am so happy to say that we now have 8 employees, all with different abilities and gifts that they bring to the shop. We offer a wide variety of plants and gifts. We also have a workspace in our shop where we teach workshops, host events and field trips for schools and various other community gatherings.

Our community and our customers have been so supportive and loyal. We will be launching a new program in March that gives other local businesses the opportunity to partner with us by having our plants in their spaces. We continue to grow and change, but our mission of supporting adults with various disabilities stays the same and keeps us focused on the work we have set out to do.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of my work is seeing the growth in my employees. I also find it rewarding to see the community embrace my employees and open their eyes a bit more to people with all different abilities.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Owning a small business can at times deliver unexpected financial challenges. We’ve become very creative with how to bring in revenue to meet the changing costs of owning a business. Our workshops and programs offer customers more experiences in our shops while at the same time bringing in a new source of revenue.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.happydayplants.com
• Instagram: happydayplants
• Facebook: happy day plants