Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrea Cima.
Hi Andrea, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
The story that lead me to creating Garden Nook Box is probably pretty similar to many small businesses that started as a result of 2020. We were like many families, stuck inside and without a lot to do. As a mom and nature lover, I started exploring ways to teach our young children about nature from indoors. We started propagating Rosemary and other plants we already had in our yard and slowly began filling our home with plants we had bought or propagated ourselves. It was fun, therapeutic and educational for the whole family. I could feel the peace and healing that tending to our houseplants was creating internally even as the world seemed to become increasingly chaotic. I knew I had to share this slice of wellness that an indoor garden had brought to my life. That is when Garden Nook Box was born, and we set out to create a box that embodied plant-focused wellness.
Life is never simple even with a simple goal. Shortly after creating the business, my husband was offered a great new job and our family decided to make the move from Maryland to Florida. Though this was an obstacle in the start up process, it has also opened many doors for a small business to grow. There is nowhere better for a plant-based business than Central Florida!
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?
Moving was obviously our main obstacle, mostly because it was so easy to lose focus even though it is my dream to help people create their own houseplant garden.
The specific obstacles I’ve experienced is the simple act of shipping plants. They are living creatures and have their own requirements to tend to. I have gotten to know the USPS system better than I could have ever imagined and now I actually really enjoy the process of figuring out the best box to meet my needs while being cost-effective.
The next main obstacle is getting your product in front of the right people for this, I have learned a lot about my audience and their needs. I’ve learned so much about the diversity and depth among the plant enthusiast community and I’ve loved every minute of getting to know them better.
As you know, we’re big fans of Garden Nook. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Being a plant person is a lifestyle. It’s more than just a “potted plant” in a room. It is interactive, it is an evolving and growing piece of living art. There is so much healing that comes from watching something grow that you have quietly and consistently cared for. And the best part is that it only gets more beautiful and complex with them.
By creating a subscription box that serves as a membership, our community of houseplant gardeners are on journey together. Each month we build on our garden together, I like to post updates on how the plants from past months are doing so members get a chance to ask questions and share their progress.
In addition to just plant and pot, I also include wellness products to pamper the gardener. These products are always made by small businesses to continue our mission to lift each other as a community. This subscription box serves as a complete experience for our beloved gardeners and we hope to continue spreading plant love and wellness for many years to come!
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
Community matters most to me. I feel like a garden is like a kitchen table, we come together there and slow down as group. I think stopping to enjoy the beauty that surrounds us is a pivotal part of a happy and healthy life. I want to instill a love of growing things and of gathering in my children, I take that same approach in curating these boxes each month. I put myself in the place of the member and think about what I need in my houseplant garden and what would make me feel nourished as a gardener, I don’t stop working on the box until it makes me smile to open it.
I believe learning every day is means to stay content and healthy, a thriving garden provides an opportunity to learn and slow down every day yet they ask for very little in return. From creating inner peace by feeling your hands dig into soft soil to growing your own food to nourish your body, I believe it all starts with the growing plants as a community.
Pricing:
- $36 a month
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.gardennookbox.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gardennookbox
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gardennookbox
