Today we’d like to introduce you to Ina Musgrove.
Hi Ina, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I guess my story starts during my childhood. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been interested in plants and the natural world. Both of my parents are avid gardeners so there’s never been a time in my life when I wasn’t giving attention to the cycles of the plant life around me. Before I started Flourish, I worked as a naturalist at a school here in Atlanta and I deeply loved sharing my passion for nature with children, but I always found myself dreaming of starting my own business and creating something bigger. I’ve been collecting and propagating house plants in my home for well over a decade so it just felt natural to start there, and that’s how Flourish East was born.
I’m lucky in the way that I’ve had a ton of support from my family and community. When the idea of Flourish first came about, my lovely mother started helping me by providing extra space in her home for my plants, and that slowly evolved into her also propagating and growing plants for my business. Out of a passion and need for sustainability, we started scouring thrift stores looking for unique containers for our plants to find a home in. Once we built up a bit of an inventory, a close friend helped me with the opportunity to start selling plants at the local farmer’s markets and that evolved into larger sales at local art festivals and pop-ups. We also do in-home and school consultations for house plants and outdoor porch planters. The goal is to one day own a little shop in my neighborhood, East Atlanta, and find new ways to support my community through my business.
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?
In some ways, it has been a smooth road and in others, it has not. Owning a plant business that thrives at outdoor art festivals is very seasonal and if I’m honest, the market is saturated with places to buy house plants. The constant struggle is finding a way to follow this dream while continuing to make ends meet. On the other hand, Flourish East is unique in the way that all of our plants are grown in East Atlanta, donated, or rescued from dumpsters and all of the containers we sell them in are thrifted, so it’s incredibly sustainable and hyper-local. We also partner with and source from local nurseries if there’s something we can’t provide ourselves. I think people respect that aspect of our business and it’s something you really can’t find anywhere else. I like to say that if you’re going to bring the natural world into your home, it’s important to do it in a way that supports the ecosystem that created it.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
The goal of Flourish East has always been to have a minimal if any, environmental impact. After years of building a deep connection to the natural world, I’ve clearly seen the accelerated impact that capitalism and consumerism is having on global warming and inevitably our ecosystem. That’s something I think about a lot as a business owner. I’m very proud of the work we do and the thought we put into keeping Flourish as sustainable and local as possible.
On the other hand, creativity is a huge part of my life. My favorite mediums are painting, drawing, metal smithing, and photography. I’m really interested in using materials from the natural world to create tools for visual art. I make my own charcoal, paints, paper, clay and I even built a wood fire kiln once. I bring a lot of that creative energy into the gardens I create at home and naturally, it flows into my business through landscaping and the plants I choose to put together, as well as the containers I pair them with, and even the way I present my business through social media and photography. I’m also very proud of this creative element of my business. Our inventory is always very eclectic and it stands out.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
My advice would be to keep moving forward even when it feels really hard. When I’m struggling with my confidence I try to remember everything I’ve done this far and how genuinely proud of myself I am. I also try to remember that monetary value is not the same as value. It’s not easy to start something from scratch, whether it’s a business or a relationship or your whole life. So, knowing that just taking that first step is an accomplishment within itself is really important.
Pricing:
- In-Home/Classroom/Office Consultation – $45
- Small-Medium Plants – $15-$45
- Large Plants – $50-$100
Contact Info:
- Website: www.flourisheast.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flourisheastatl/
