We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Gladys de la Peña a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Gladys, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

Arts, crafts and decorations have always been passions of mine. As a young child, I was always looking for ways to put items together to decorate my room. I was very good at repurposing ordinary objects and assembling them into something decent to decorate with . It’s no wonder why wreaths captured my undivided attention. I was not only fulfilling my passion, but developing my gift.

One Christmas I decided to make my family and friends wreaths. After doing this, I was given so many compliments of how professional my wreaths looked. You have to understand that I had never made wreaths before, other than watching my grandmother assemble them when I was a teenager. Someone even suggested that I should start to sell them.

That is when I knew that I had a gift that I had to share with others. I would not only help others with decorating their homes, but I would share the joy I experienced while making these beauties.

Observing people’s faces and being a witness to their reactions as they look at these creations, especially when they are personal wreaths (such as for funerals or graduations), speak volumes of the work that God has allowed me to be part of.

As a nurse I understand that our health, to include mental health, is of utmost importance. Making wreaths and opening my business to help others in this way gives me purpose in life. I know that I am making a difference in the health of others.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

As a child growing up, I was always taught to show kindness towards others no matter the circumstances. Little did I know that these acts of kindness were such a powerful tool. Whether it was showing kindness to my grandmother by spending time with her, helping my mother by doing household chores and babysitting my younger siblings or teaching Sunday School. All these were very rewarding and brought fulfillment and feelings of joy like no other.

Wreaths kindled those same feelings for me. As a teenager, watching my grandmother make floral wreaths for our church sparked that joy. Her act of kindness to make our church a beautiful place was such a life lesson for me. I wanted to do the same. I wanted to keep experiencing that joy and to share it with others. Not just during church time, but everyday and everywhere.

After graduating with my Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing, becoming a Registered Nurse, getting married, having a child of my own, and working as a school nurse, these feelings became stronger and my desire to share them did too. I wanted to pursue this in all aspects of my life. I have shared this before and will share again. Picasso once said, “The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” I want to live a life full of purpose. For me, making wreaths and sharing my gift with others gives me purpose.

As far as the wreaths themselves, they come in all shapes and sizes and are made from high quality materials. These materials can also include personal items that a person wants to add. For example, on a graduation wreath, I made ribbon from a uniform skirt. This added a personal touch to the wreath. I also added a graduation card with pictures. This made the wreath more special. A memory wreath is what I call it.

Another example was a wreath made for one of my brother’s friends. This lady asked for a wreath with a cardinal. I added the birdhouse in the center. When the wreath was delivered, she broke down crying. You see, her husband had just passed and he would always refer to himself as the cardinal. He would tell her that “The cardinal always comes home.” She was reminiscing his words when my brother delivered the wreath to her. In her heart, her husband was speaking to her through the wreath. What a beautiful story!! I too, started to cry when my brother shared the story.

I am most proud of the fact that I can custom make wreaths. When someone gives me an idea of what they are looking for, I will do my best to create exactly that. Sometimes what a person is looking for to match their home decor cannot be found at the store. I can create that for them. I have many happy customers that have given me this opportunity.

So you see, my wreaths are not only material objects made for decoration, but they are spiritual ones, too! I want my customers to know that these are designed from the heart, made with love and assembled with expertise. I take my time to make sure that I deliver a quality product.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

The most effective strategies for growing my clientele have been social media, craft shows, word of mouth and family. I want to say thank you to my husband Jerry for helping fund my business and my brother Mike and daughter Bianca for helping with marketing my business. From designing my business card, helping me open my Facebook business page and creating Tik Tok videos to help market my product. THANK YOU!!

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I think what helped build my reputation within this market were my family and friends. Each and everyday, I thank them for believing in me and helping me to believe in me!

Contact Info:

• Facebook: Wreathsbygladys
• Other: [email protected]