We were lucky to catch up with Brina Jones recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Brina thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?

In mid-August 2023, I had a routine medical procedure that went awry and I ended up requiring major surgery on my achilles tendon. This was just two months after opening my cafe, and a few weeks away from a full wedding season, (I’m also a full service event florist). My life was turned upside down in literally a minute. I was crushed. I have some health anxiety to begin with, and this did not help. I was in a wheelchair for eight weeks. I had no idea how I was going to run my business, or even get by day to day. And that is when my community stepped up. One of our vendors, turned friend, came to be with me every Friday evening and make us dinner so my husband could take a break from being my 24hour caregiver. Someone from every corner of my life made us dinner, mowed our lawn, asked about me. And my team took care of everything. They ran the entire business during one of our busiest seasons of the year.
But the kindest thing? Our customers sent us food. We didn’t need to cook for weeks. People who are literal strangers to us, took care of us in our biggest time of need. I can’t even explain how much that meant to us. How much it still means to me, eight months later when people ask how my recovery is going. We’re building a community within our business and it’s the most important part of all of this for me.
Come as guests, leave as friends.

Brina, 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?

Plant Box Co began as an online succulent gift box shop during the height of the pandemic. We always say we’re with people on their best days and their worst. Building a business during the pandemic was hard, there were masks and special precautions, and getting supplies was difficult, but it was the two of us and we figured it out. We saw a lot of success pretty quickly, because what we were doing was unique and needed at the time. A way to say, “I love you” from more than six feet away. Since then, things have changed. A lot. We are a full service event florist, and the only houseplant cafe in Central Pennsylvania. We still offer gift boxes, but as people were able to come back together, we changed things to allow for that as well. By opening a cafe, we were able to welcome people and their loved ones back into our store. Six feet became less, and our space has been filled with laughter, chatter, and happiness ever since.
When we’re not at the cafe, we’re helping people at their beautiful weddings, all through Central PA and Northern MD. We have had to opportunity to do some truly incredible things with flowers, and we are honored when any couple chooses us to assist with their day.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

We have changed from succulent gift boxes, to a much larger in person presence. It’s been a huge learning curve. Neither of us come from the restaurant industry, but we really feel like hospitality is in our blood. Taking care of people, it’s just what we do. Who we are.

We’d really appreciate if you could talk to us about how you figured out the manufacturing process.

We had no restaurant experience prior to opening our cafe, but we LOVE food. We watched every video we could, we joined every Facebook group, spent hours on Tiktok and Instagram, and tasted a lot of food. We visited every coffee shop within two hours and even stopped at new ones on vacation just to have a different experience. And we’re always trying to make our menu better. We pride ourselves on serving NYC Bagels and making our baked goods in house. We serve locally roasted coffee, and have over twenty-five small women owned businesses in our store.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.plantboxco.com
• Instagram: @plantbox.co

Image Credits
First Image: Amanda Zeiders Photography Second Set: Soul Focus Media LLC