Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Powell.
Ashley, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Our story is one of joy, suffering, healing, and how the Lord brought beauty from ashes. In 2016 my husband, Daniel, and I had our firstborn, Hunter James, and our hearts were overjoyed! We were surprised months later with becoming pregnant again, but our hearts were shattered when we lost our baby boy, Sage Boone, at 15 weeks. The delivery of Sage was very difficult and I almost lost my life. 2017 was a really difficult year for our family- the most difficult we’ve ever experienced. January of 2018- exactly 1 year after we lost Sage, we became pregnant with our rainbow baby. We were thrilled! Unfortunately, our hearts shattered again as we hoped to find out the gender at our 16-week appointment, but instead found no heartbeat. We delivered our precious son, Oliver Beau, in April of 2018. Sage and Oliver were both born into the arms of Jesus.
After this, my husband and parents helped me design and plant a beautiful garden in the backyard- it became my therapy. It was healing to see fruits and vegetables grow- to see life growing all around me. I found a new love and hobby that brought healing daily.
Financially, we needed to discuss my going back to work, but because of my newfound anxiety from the losses, I couldn’t fathom being away from Hunter. I had a new love of plants and decided to see what need we had in the area. I realized that the local market didn’t have a succulent vendor- so the summer of 2018 it became my mission to learn how to become an entrepreneur and run my own little side business. We started Magnolia Thyme on Labor Day weekend of 2018 at the local Soda City Market selling succulents! We gifted a succulent arrangement to a local business, and 1 month later we were asked to do a commercial plant install for them, and our business has grown and thrived since then! We now provide commercial and residential plant installation services as well as preserved moss art and logos throughout Columbia and Charleston, South Carolina!
We have seen great joy in our son Hunter, we’ve experienced deep sorrow and suffering in the loss of both Sage and Oliver, and we continue to heal and now see great joys! God walked with us through our greatest sorrows, and He helped us heal by showing us His beauty through gardening. He was faithful in providing us with a business that has helped our family financially. The Lord used our faithfulness and Magnolia Thyme to help us grow our family in 2020! The generosity of family, friends, and the community and the business Magnolia Thyme had helped provide the funds needed to adopt our beautiful baby girl, Adelynne Elizabeth. God provided in ways we could never imagine- and we are so thankful we kept our faith and have continued to grow our faith in Jesus through both the good and difficult times.
Hunter is now 6 years old; Adelynne is 18 months old, Magnolia Thyme turns 4 in September, and we are about to embark on our largest commercial project yet this summer! Our family has grown, our business has grown, and we have a good and faithful God that has, and continues to bring beauty from ashes.
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?
One of our biggest business obstacles was having to quickly change part of our business model when covid entered. We had fully stocked for our spring Soda City markets, and the day before we were making our spring debut at market again, the world shut down- and Soda City Market announced they would not be opening the market. We scrambled to figure out what to do with our inventory, and we’re so thankful we had our web designer help get our website updated to include sales! We photographed and listed our inventory online, and were able to safely meet clients for plant pickups, and even began shipping our moss art and adoption market bags! It was hectic- but we managed to get up and going in new and unique ways!
Another challenge we face is running a business while homeschooling young children. It’s been quite a challenge learning to manage our time with growing the business while being fully invested in the education of our children. It’s always a challenge weighing the priorities of the moment. I love running my business, and I know that there will come a time that I can invest additional time to really grow it in the future, but right now I’m soaking up every sweet snuggle, cuddle, book read, long bike ride, and fun adventure with my family. I’m so thankful that I’ve had amazing clients that honor our business practices of family first. It’s been a joy to share with clients that some days it’s a family affair during an install, and I love that they get to see that their plant investment is truly done in love and joy! So yes, running a business and homeschooling is a daily challenge, but I’m so honored to share all the lessons of entrepreneurship with my kiddos at such a young age.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
We are a botanical design company that helps create living and breathing installations in your space. We want you to reconnect with life and beauty from the inside out. We provide design, installation, and maintenance services for commercial and residential indoor plants. We are also known for our creative and beautiful preserved moss art and logos around Columbia, SC, and Charleston, SC. We sell beautifully potted houseplants to the community at local coffee shops like Loveland Coffee in Irmo, SC, and Blūm Coffee in Cola, SC. We even enjoy creating fun and joyous holiday decor for clients!
I am most proud that our story has made an impact to others in the community, and that through our work and the generosity of so many we were able to bring our daughter home! I get the privilege of working alongside my husband on installations and I have the joy of teaching my children daily to love God, love their family, and work hard as the local “plant lady”. I’m proud to have my plant boy and plant girl working with me every day, and that I have the support of my proud husband!
Any big plans for the next 5-10 years?
We are honestly leaving our hands wide open for the opportunities the Lord will provide over the coming years. My little ones will be more independent by then, and I definitely think that opens the door to allow more time to grow our business and seek out more opportunities. We are so thankful that word of mouth throughout the community has given us plenty of opportunities during this season of being home with littles. We couldn’t have imagined 4 years ago that we’d be where we are today, and we are so excited to see where the Lord leads us in the next 5-10 years!
Contact Info:
- Email: Ashley@magnoliathyme.com
- Website: www.magnoliathyme.com
- Instagram: @magnoliathyme
- Facebook: @MagnoliaThyme
Image Credits
Lyndsey Chavous
