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A SOUTHERN LAKES NEWSPAPERS LLC PUBLICATION • 2021 EDITION
A fusion of passions
BELLA BOTANICA COMBINES PLANTS, GIFTS AND A NURTURING SPIRIT By Sandra Landen Machaj CORRESPONDENT
Tracy Hankwitz spent years working with plants and garden materials, celebrating creativity, and looking to help provide comfort for all. Her ultimate goal was to create a shop where she could combine all these passions. To carry through with this goal Hankwitz knew that she would have to find a special place for her business. It would have to be a place that provides a special vibe. She found the perfect place in modest structure at 1787 Walworth St., Spring Prairie, that was built as an Episcopalian church in 1865. “The Episcopalian community used this simple building as a church for many years, possibly until they outgrew the space,” Hankwitz said. Things changed in the building around 1940 when a farmer purchased it and used it to store hay. According to Hankwitz, it is believed that local children would find a way into the building to play in the hay. The building was restored as a church in the 1950s when the Methodist community of the area purchased it. They made massive improvements, adding stained glass windows, large light fixtures, a front entryway and a choir loft. When the area Methodists outgrew this church, it remained empty for approximately 30 years, according to Hankwitz, except for some community gatherings. The building was purchased around 1999 by the father of Kym MoyesDavidson with the plan to open an antique shop. Her store was creatively named “Pray for More Stuff.” She also added a kitchen and made the building her home. After her retirement from the antique business, Moyes-Davidson moved her residence from the church building and the space was used as a yoga center. A designing woman For years, while raising her family and working as a manager at Burlington Garden Center, Hankwitz enjoyed designing gardens and nurturing plants in the house and in the yard. She is an adjunct professor at Gateway Technical College where she teaches landscape design, herbaceous plants, and other plantrelated classes. But her dream was always to have her own store with products to provide a sense of peace and beauty for her customers.
Tracy and Neil Hankwitz, owners of Bella Botanica, say they enjoy helping customers find unique items for themselves or for gifts. The store, which has been open since April, continues to add new products. SANDRA LANDEN MACHAJ Women in Business
Prior to the store’s opening on April 1, Hankwitz and her husband Neil spent many hours transforming the building from a yoga center into the warm and welcoming place where customers would find a peaceful space with beautiful things. Neil came up with the name Bella Botanica. “The name is easily translated as Pretty Plants but it is more than that,” Tracy Hankwitz said. “On further study we found that botanica in Hispanic countries means a plant store that sells healing herbs or religious goods. And while bella means beautiful in Italian it also means promise of God. It soon became apparent that this was the perfect name for our special store located in this building that had served as a church for many years. We hope for this space to become a sanctuary within a sanctuary.” Where less is more For Hankwitz, it was the perfect
location for her store, a place that would project the feeling of peace while still serve a practical purpose with a variety of fine quality products. Her products are beautifully displayed in small groups, never giving the feeling of being piled together as is often seen in many stores where quantity rather than quality is the goal. Most items are displayed on antique tables or desks with other items that will work well together. The wall hangings offer a reminder of all the good in life. Hankwitz’s goal is for Bella Botanica to be a place where there are “plants that heal, words that inspire, gifts that encourage – a place to be creative, and the essence of fine horticulture.” She has followed this goal in the development of Bella. A variety of products are offered that are designed to add beauty to any home. Many of them are handmade by local artisans. These include handcrafted
beeswax candles in the shape of a dahlia. Or maybe a candle of an expectant mother is the gift that will bring a special smile? On the same table, for the flower growers, there is a book about growing dahlias along with a book about honeybees. Beautiful vintage puzzles of bees, butterflies and garden flowers are perfect for indoor time at home. With 1,000 pieces in each puzzle, it will require the work of the entire family. Pottery is displayed throughout the store – some of it created by local artisans. These include beautiful plates, serving pieces or mugs to add beauty to any table. There are also terra cotta pots to fill with plants. “With so many artistic people in the southern Wisconsin area, it is not difficult to find new and beautiful pieces, created by these local artisans, to offer to our customers.”
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