We were lucky to catch up with Joy Somerville recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Joy, thanks for 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.
Thank you for inviting me.
I’ve had many “great ideas”, mostly hobbies that didn’t amount to much. One day I was listening to Gary Vaynerchuk’s podcast. He said something about selling leaves. I’m an avid gardener so it stuck in my mind. A few months later while on my way to Santa Barbara with my daughter Megan, I mentioned it to her. She quickly started googling the things I grew in my garden. She encouraged me to try selling them on Etsy.
I was reluctant to pursue another “great idea”. I had invested almost two years in the last idea with an Etsy store, Somerville Clothing and Sewing that had 125 sales. Who would buy my Rosemary, Lavender, Sage, Roses and Eucalyptus I grew in my garden? Yes, I was proud of my garden, but it was just a hobby. A month later after doing lots of research on what products I could make from my garden and sell, I opened a new Etsy store Somerville Gardens on October 26, 2019 and an Instagram account. I messaged a few friends and went on an errand. Within 20 minutes I received my first order! Three years later I have had over 7,500 sales from my Etsy and Shopify stores.
I provide products for brides who want natural products to make their wedding unique with Olive and Eucalyptus leaves for their wedding toss, Eucalyptus bouquets to decorate your home to make it warm and inviting, and smudges for cleansing and self care. I’m always thrilled when I receive reviews and photos from brides sharing their special day.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I’ve been in the fashion industry for almost 40 years as a pattern maker and a teacher for almost 20 years at FIDM a fashion school in Los Angeles while raising three children. The fashion industry is highly stressful and can be a toxic environment so gardening has always been my form of self care. Pruning and digging in the dirt to take out my frustrations of the work week is a great stress reliever and growing roses, tomatoes and herbs is so satisfying.
I’ve had many great ideas throughout the years that I thought would be a great business, one of which was selling patterns through my first Etsy store, Somerville Clothing and Sewing. I thought it was a no brainer, I was an expert after all. I can’t say my first Etsy store was a failure, people are still buying my patterns, but I can say it was a great learning experience. It was scary and intimidating, but I learned so much from building the Etsy store. From marketing on Instagram to building a Shopify store and all the work that goes behind the scenes like shipping. So when I finally did decide to open Somerville Gardens, it was easy. Marketing is the key. You can have the best and most beautiful product, but if no one knows about it, no one will buy it..
Rosemary from my garden was the first product I listed. I had an abundant supply from overgrown bushes in the front yard. It smells lovely and you can cook with it, hang a bunch in your kitchen and make it into a smudge. We’re lucky in California that we can grow year round. So a lot of the orders I receive are from colder climates that need Fresh Rosemary.
One of my top sellers are Eucalyptus + Lavender Shower Bouquets. They are fragrant and beautiful. What really helped sales was an Instagram and TikTok trend of placing the bouquets in your shower. So I suggest to take the time to search Instagram and TikTok to find out what’s trending for ideas.
I didn’t originally market towards weddings or brides, they found me. I noticed that brides started contacting me if I could fulfil orders for their wedding. I would get special requests like, can you add Baby’s Breath to the eucalyptus bouquet? Of course the answer was always yes and then I would figure out how to fulfill the order. Eucalyptus + Baby’s Breath Bouquets are in the top ten products I sell. So I listen to my customers because they provide the best ideas.
Branding is important. My aesthetic is “Simply Elegant Decor” so my logo and colors always follow that look and feel. White or kraft paper brown. White ribbon, brown twine, white or brown boxes, bouquets wrapped in white paper and tied with twine, and all orders have a handwritten note with a sprig of fresh Rosemary.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
As a teacher, I always have had multiple streams of income including freelance pattern making. When I opened my Somerville Gardens Etsy store in October 2019 I didn’t have a lot of expectations. At the end of 2019 I had grossed $471. It was another hobby business. when the pandemic hit, I lost my two biggest streams of income because of the shutdowns. Surprisingly the sales increased almost immediately from the Etsy store. Stuck at home I could tend to my garden, fulfil orders, and drop them off at the post office. If it hadn’t been for Etsy, I probably would have been homeless.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
Most of us have many hobbies or interest we are experts at. Mine are pattern making, sewing and gardening. Somerville Clothing and Sewing is focused on pattern making and sewing. Had I not followed my first instincts and doubt, I wouldn’t have opened another Etsy store.
Finding your target market is sometimes not that obvious. Once I opened Somerville Gardens, I originally thought my customer was someone who loved to cook with herbs and liked burning sage to cleanse their home. As I introduced more products into my store, my customers turned out to be brides or mother of the bride and home decorators, I learned who to focus my advertising and Instagram posts towards that target market.Contact Info:
- Website: https://somervillegardens.com/
- Instagram: @somerville_gardens
- Facebook: @Somervillegardens
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/somervillegardens/
- Other: email: hello@somervillegardens.com TikTok @somervillegardens
Image Credits
All photos were taken by me, Joy Somerville