We recently connected with Krystal Garza and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Krystal thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?

I was actually out for a walk one day when I came upon some wild blackberries & honeysuckle growing on the trail. That moment reminded me of my childhood at my grandparent’s house. Instant peace. That’s when the name came to me. Later I went back out and picked those wild blackberries & honeysuckle and started taking photographs for my website. You see, we were in a season in our family where our daughter went off to college at Texas A&M and our son was leaving the nest soon. In the middle of moving, deciding what’s next, adjusting to the new normal, this momma was a mess at times. I started the whole website/blog in the beginning to simply have something creative to do.

When I was a little girl, one of my favorite places to be was at my grandparent’s house. It was the place I felt most peaceful and full of joy. Thinking back, I get all warm and fuzzy. I can still picture their home from the inside out. Going to church was normal on Sundays when you were with them. My grandma always tucked me in and prayed with me at night. I’m so thankful and cherish the time I got to spend with them both. There is something special about grandparents.

Wild blackberries & honeysuckles grew along their fences outside. If you were a kid in the 80’s, you know when the sun was out, you were out. We only came inside for food, water, and bathroom breaks. I loved to pick the blackberries and eat them one by one. I would also walk along the fence line and pick the honeysuckles, pull out the little stem, and suck on the drop of nectar. If you’ve never tried it, you should!

As I got older, I realized the main reason I loved being at my grandparents so much… it was totally and completely filled with God’s presence.

It wasn’t because they had 4,236 different kinds of cereal, home cooked southern food, a playroom with a barbie house or lots of books. They were simply filled with God’s love and grace. Even when I was a messy child, dropped crumbs everywhere when I ate, and ruffled my grandpa’s feathers, they always showed me love and grace. I believe it poured over onto everyone that entered their home.

“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” – Psalm 16:11 (ESV)

This verse resonates with me and reminds me that in His presence is where we find true and lasting joy. It’s not always easy to be joyful and life sure throws some curve balls, but at the end of the day that’s where my joy comes from.

Blackberry & Honeysuckle isn’t just about blackberries & honeysuckles. I chose the name as a reminder of that truth. A reminder of His presence. That day on my walk, I felt His presence.

All along, He has been with us, beside us, all around us. In His presence there is fullness of joy.

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

My husband and I have been married for almost 24 years and our 2 kids are the greatest blessing in my life. We’re empty nesters (hard to believe sometimes!) and our schedules seem to be busier now than when we had kids at home. When our kids come home to visit or stop by in the shop, it makes this momma’s day. Being a wife and momma has been my greatest joy. The love and support from my family means so much to me. I’m especially grateful for my husband’s encouragement and pushing me beyond my comfort zone to pursue this business from the start.

When I’m not curating gifts and working in the shop, I’m a homebody at heart. Home with my hubs and our 2 pups is my happy place. We live on a beautiful piece of property in small town Texas, outside of Texas A&M. I’m a Texas girl, born and raised. We spend a lot of time outside, grilling, golfing (mainly my hubs!), feeding the fish, and just enjoying our time with friends and family. Photography, horses, and the hallmark channel are a few of my favorite things.

My husband and I have been blessed to travel and it’s something we love to do together. I’m always discovering new makers and products wherever we go. Our shop has become a collection of beautiful things, full of stories waiting to be told and memories to be shared. It is a collection of sweet reminders of our time with one another, dear friends and family.

Taking the time to hand select every product I choose to bring into our shop is important to me. I enjoy finding other small businesses, learning their stories, supporting other small businesses, and simply connecting all of our stories together. That’s why I believe the art of gifting is also the art of storytelling & connection.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

We are blessed to have so many incredible customers that have been with us since day one. When we first launched our business online, I would send each new customer a welcome gift in the mail not too long after their online order. It included a wrapped box of our signature Blackberry Jam shortbread cookies and a handwritten thank you card. Just a little way to say thank you and show them we valued them choosing us.

In our shop, it’s important to meet with and talk to our customers and get to know them and their gifting needs. It’s always a joy hearing about their first gifting experience with us.

We try to come up with other ways to be personable and show our appreciation to this day. We utilize social media (especially instagram), our B&H email subscribers, and more to keep in touch with our loyal clients/friends.

We’d love to hear your thoughts about selling platforms like Amazon/Etsy vs selling on your own site.

All of our online sales are done through our website. Building and creating the website from the beginning was such a new thing for me to learn how to do. If I can do it, anyone can! After researching all of my options, I went with Shopify as my platform for selling our gift boxes. I love Shopify and it works really well for our business. It’s pretty easy to embed the codes on my own website.

Once I opened the brick+mortar shop it was a smooth transition to add the Shopify POS system and set up in person sales. So overall, Shopify has been a perfect fit for our growing business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://blackberryandhoneysuckle.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackberryandhoneysuckle/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blackberryandhoneysuckle/

Image Credits
Angela Sostarich Photography https://angelasostarich.com