“My shop is my happy place”

Iestablished Fern & Ivy officially in 2021 alongside my job as Head of Languages at a secondary school, where I worked for around 12 years. I taught French and Spanish and still work as an examiner today, alongside running a business. Prior to teaching, I lived in Spain and owned a beauty salon, having qualified as a beauty therapist at college. I think owning a business and working for myself has always been my true calling.

I was looking for my next challenge while teaching and, after having found a passion for plants during 2020, I started to sell on Facebook. There was definitely a demand - not just for plants, but also for knowledge on how to care for them. I’ll always be passionate about learning and educating, and this factors highly in everything I do. I continue to educate myself about the principles of horticulture to provide my customers with the most accurate advice.

I quit teaching in summer 2021 and opened my shop shortly after in October. I’m so glad I took the leap to work for myself. It’s been a journey and I’m always learning, but I enjoy every day. My shop is certainly my happy place.

I undertook a lot of research to find suppliers, and we are professionally registered to receive and issue plant passports, which means we can ship plants throughout the UK. We recently had our first face-to-face plant health inspection, and were thrilled to be reassured that our plants are healthy and thriving, and our processes are robust. We also try our best to keep plastic to a minimum; reusing and recycling as much as we can.

We don’t just sell plants. We also stock a wide range of planters, books, and plant care accessories from suppliers including Ivyline and Sass & Belle. And we work alongside designer and illustrator Lydia Pywell who owns Lydia Alice Studios and creates the most stunning plant-themed stationery and paper goods, as well as designing Love From Lydia Alice wedding stationery. The pairing with Lydia has been fantastic, as we work alongside each other to create a very unique brand, and Lydia’s eye for detail was so valuable when creating our logo and stationery.

We have also dedicated a table in the shop as a small business pop-up space, where we showcase a new, small local business each month. This has been very popular, both with businesses applying to take part and with customers, who are keen to see what’s new.

Another facet to Fern & Ivy is our workshops, which change every month. We host and run terrarium making, plant care, watercolour painting, ceramic painting, and macramé events. These all take place in the shop after hours - and just sitting amongst the plants is calming whilst learning a new skill and meeting new people.

And we host Women’s Circles, where women book to attend a circle guided by Jane Martin, who has numerous years of experience.

She works with an organisation called Woman Within, which is a not-for-profit community of women offering programmes to help other women

These circles provide a space to sit and be heard in a safe and supportive environment.

I’ve certainly seen an increase of interest in plants, not just for homes but for businesses too. We offer home visits to advise on plants for spaces in your home, and last year I was approached by a few businesses and have installed plants and living walls in cafes, offices, schools and more. I offer a maintenance service too, and visit a few businesses monthly to keep their displays looking fresh and healthy. This year, I’m looking to grow this side of my business and offer these services to even more businesses. I’m excited for the future of Fern & Ivy!