Today we’d like to introduce you to Karen Brace

Hi Karen, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?

People always ask me, “Have you always loved opossums?” The short answer: No. I mean, I never hated them, I just never had much of an opinion of them one way or the other. They were just scavengers that came out at night and scared the crap out of you when they hissed and showed their teeth. That was the extent of my opossum knowledge.

I started as a wildlife rehabilitator in 2012 and worked with baby squirrels, bunnies and groundhogs. In 2017, someone brought me a box of eleven 2-month old baby opossums. That was pretty much all it took. With their huge ears, little black beady eyes and gaping little mouths full of super sharp teeth, they were the cutest things I’d ever seen. I was hooked. I was sunk. Little did I know how much that box would change my entire life.

In the course of learning about those little joeys, I found out just how many myths and misconceptions there are about opossums. People think they’re vicious, aggressive, rabies-carrying monsters who can steal your soul with just a glance in your direction. I, on the other hand, was learning the truth: They are really docile animals who have an exceptional defense strategy and who are a vital part of the ecosystem. I vowed that if I ever had an opossum who couldn’t go back to the wild, I was going to start doing education programs with it, to teach the public about the value of these strange little animals.

Enter 2018, and I got two 27-gram opossum brothers that I named Stuart and Mickey, whose mom had been hit by a car and they were the only survivors. Stuart ended up being non-releasable due to having no hip sockets! Although he was able to walk, run and climb, we never knowingly release a wild animal back to the wild with a condition that would place them at a disadvantage for survival. So….I went about obtaining all the state and federal permits and licenses needed to keep and do education programs with a wild animal in the state of Virginia and Stuart and I officially started Awesome Possumz in April 2019. Despite my husband’s claims that “No one will pay to see your damn opossum”, education program requests started rolling in! Schools, libraries, senior communities and many other organizations reached out and we continued to grow. Later in 2019 we added a tail-less female opossum to our education line-up.

Wildlife rehabilitators do not receive any state or federal funding; We do not get paid to rescue these animals, and it can be very costly. So, in addition to charging a program fee, I started to sell opossum-related merchandise at the fairs, festivals and other events we attended. At the time, there wasn’t a lot of “cute” opossum merch out there, so it was fun to see people’s reactions to our plushies, stickers and enamel pins. As the years went by, I added other products to our opossum offerings and the demand increased.

As a child, I’d always loved playing “store”, so in the middle part of 2021 I thought, “Why the heck not?” and started looking for retail space in historic downtown Fredericksburg, VA. People either thought I was completely nuts to want to quit my six-figure, work-from-home-full-time government contract job to open a “possum shop”, or they thought it was a stroke of brilliance. There was no in-between. Regardless, I forged ahead and Possum-bilities opened its doors in March 2022. We expanded and tripled our space in June 2023 and it’s been rocking and rolling ever since!

I now have eight opossum ambassadors (I lost Stuart in November 2021) and a variety of other animal ambassadors who frequent the store. People can come met an opossum each day we’re open, as well as a tarantula, frogs, a variety of lizards and even my silly, dress-wearing pug named Biscuit. We promote not only education about our nation’s only native marsupial, but a variety of other creatures as well. In the two plus years that the store has been open, we’ve grown in ways I’d never expected. We host all sorts of events and have partnered with many other local area small businesses. We have over 50 local artists who sell their art, so we’ve become a vibrant part of the art community as well. I do regular radio shows (talking about wildlife issues), have been asked to speak at events, and have been invited to meetings for people who are affecting their communities in positive ways.

Possum-bilities has become known as a “safe space” which, up until two years ago, I never knew there was a need for! Everyone who loves animals is invited! Don’t like animals? Don’t worry…we’ll convert you! We are a driving force in Fredericksburg (and Virginia) tourism. We’re quirky, fun and we color outside the lines. We bring joy to so many folks and we have fun every day. I’ve never looked back and it’s all because of a box of tiny marsupials!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?

I believe that things happen for a reason, and that you meet the people you’re supposed to meet, when you’re supposed to meet them. So, in that regards, everything seemed to fall into place. However, as I’d never owned a retail store before, there was a lot to learn such as how to hire and pay employees, all of the tax implications (I have the best accountant ever!), juggling all the day-to-day tasks, etc.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?

I never wanted to be a teacher. Ever. But once I started doing education programs with first opossums, then reptiles and our other animal ambassadors, I realized that I really enjoy teaching people. Whether I’m teaching first graders or senior citizens, I feel my programs are engaging, fun and thought-provoking. I am able to present animals that many people are scared of (opossums, snakes, lizards, a tarantula) and get people to see the animal from the animal’s perspective, which usually changes the human’s perspective. Why do opossums puff, hiss, show their teeth drool? It’s not because they are vicious and have rabies, it’s because they are scared and that is how they defend themselves. It is so rewarding to see the shift in someone’s eyes when they connect with an animal.

What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?

Flexibility and the ability to adapt to quickly changing situations. The business owners who grow the most are the ones who are able to see new opportunities and not be afraid to explore them. It is also important to be able to set boundaries and to know that not all opportunities are the right ones for your business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://awesomepossumz.com
• Instagram: @awesomepossumz1
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/possum-bilities

Image Credits

My profile picture: Dale McElhaney