Today we’d like to introduce you to Sherry Smith and Kevin Christ.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Sherry has a Master’s degree in Horticulture, so we garden all year. We got tired of the heat and humidity, though, as well as fighting weeds and bugs, so we started looking into more indoor gardening options. When we first became interested in hydroponics, we went to the shops closest to us in Houston, but quickly realized that there was nothing for beginners. Not only that, but the people running those shops really couldn’t give us any good information on growing herbs and vegetables hydroponically, so we turned to the internet and YouTube. We learned how to grow our vegetables and herbs hydroponically by trial and error, but in the back of our minds, we began to get an idea.
Why not open our own hydroponics shop? One more geared toward the beginner? At the time, Sherry had resigned from working in the public school system, so we decided to open our own small shop. We originally thought to do only hydroponics supplies, but Sherry wanted to also carry seeds and things that can be used for both indoor and outdoor gardening. She had made several miniature fairy gardens for friends and decided to stock things for those, as well. As we worked on our store concept, we decided to make it both a garden shop and a garden-themed gift shop so that it would be more inviting to all types of people, not just those interested in hydroponics. Our original vision of a shop that carries hydroponics supplies has manifested into a shop that carries supplies for all types of indoor gardening, unusual garden-themed gifts from both local and Fair Trade artisans, as well as a very popular line of jellies made from old-fashioned herbs and flowers.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Opening a shop isn’t easy. Realistically, we knew that the first year or so, we wouldn’t be making any profit. Advertising is the hardest part of starting a business. Getting your brand out there is a constant struggle. We were limited in the types of signage allowed by the city. We put out flyers and put ads in the local papers. We work the monthly Market Days in town and also had a booth at the town’s Frontier Days. We have a Facebook page, as well as Twitter and Instagram for the shop. We have a website, too, but it is a simple one, for now. Being a small business, a new business, also makes it difficult sometimes to get in as much stock as we would like, but we manage. Probably the biggest challenge, though, is letting people know we are here. Once we get them in the door, they inevitably love what we have, and we have many loyal return customers.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the House Sprouts story. Tell us more about the business.
We are the only shop that carries hydroponic supplies in our area, plus we are the only one that caters to beginners. We are also a one-stop shopping experience since we carry the supplies for the hydroponic systems, the seeds, and the seed-starting supplies. Not only that, but with a trained horticulturist, we can provide our customers with information on how to grow the things they want as well as diagnoses of their plants when they are not so healthy. What really sets us apart, though, is our dedication to providing unusual things that nobody else carries. We have candles in plantable boxes, birdhouses carved out of coconuts, everything you need to create and grow your own miniature fairy garden, jelly made from such old-fashioned flavors as honeysuckle, sunflower, and lavender, and wall art made from dried plants. Our shop is one of those places where you never know what you will find and you always find something new every time you come in. We take pride in really getting to know our customers and providing them with everything they need to be successful in their gardening endeavors.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I don’t know if it was necessarily good or bad luck. I suppose it depends on perspective. After the election, Sherry was going through the interview process with the USDA for a position in research. When they put in the hiring freeze, that process stopped. In that regard, it could be construed as bad luck since she didn’t get the job, but it was her being unemployed that gave us the opportunity to follow our dream of starting this shop, so when put in that perspective, yes, it was a stroke of good luck. However, I don’t know that it was necessarily the luck itself, as opposed to our tendency to see each stroke of bad luck as a new opportunity, but we approach every situation with an attitude of optimism and an idea of “what can we make of this?” and it seems to all work out in the end.
Contact Info:
- Address: House Sprouts
2625 S Bypass 35
Ste. 163A
Alvin, TX 77511 - Website: www.house-sprouts.com
- Phone: 2812456949
- Email: sherry@house-sprouts.com; kevin@house-sprouts.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/housesprouts/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/gardeninginside/
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/HouseSprouts/
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