Today we’d like to introduce you to Robyn Winder.
Robyn, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My family and I moved here to California eight years ago. We sacrificed everything with our move, left family & friends, sold all our belongings and started over, for our oldest daughter’s dream to pursue a career in the music industry. We have always done whatever we could to help support all three of our children with their dreams & happiness in life.
My husband took a job transfer, and our family was split for a period of time. We lived in poor living conditions, with nothing but four beats up walls, no furniture, we slept and ate on a blow-up floor mattress, I shopped primarily at the Dollar Store, and my children were moved around switching between all different schools. Our family has made (and continues to make) many sacrifices that teach us strength and lessons in life of what’s really important (health, love, and happiness), and to be grateful each and every day for all you have! I had never heard about fairy gardens while growing up and living in New York (may be partially due to the cooler weather there!).
A few years ago here in California, I was in the midst of teaching my class (I am a K-12 Certified Teacher), my wonderful co-worker (and dear friend) came in to show me a craft project she was working on with her students. She had a little miniature Fairy Figurine in her hand, and I thought it was the cutest little thing I had ever seen and soon learned that there is a whole “fairy garden world” out there with all different kinds of adorable fairy garden miniatures and accessories!! I have also always been a nature lover and admirer of miniature plants and beautiful baby tears, moss, and mini flowering ground covers.
I spent some time doing research on how to plant, which plants are sun vs. shade, and what are good pots to plant in. I then began planting and experimenting, letting my imagination flow and just creating all these different mini fairy garden scenes and themes pertaining to my interests and likes! I had so much fun playing around in the dirt, and then adding fairies and accessories and creating these beautiful live mini gardens, that next thing I knew I had a backyard FULL of my creations!
My family kept telling me how cute my mini gardens were, and friends would tell me the same thing, some saying that I should sell them and go into business! I thought to myself that would be something I would LOVE to do but didn’t know anything about how to get started. Later that year (2017), a local garden shop that I frequent had a fairy garden competition! I figured I would enter just for fun, not ever expecting that I would win 3rd place! The following year they had another fairy garden competition! I had so much fun the previous year and admiring everyone’s talents and art with all the different beautiful mini gardens, I figured I would enter again.
With over 80 mini garden entries, I never expected to win again(!), and this time winning 1st Place! What an honor amongst SO many talented pieces, I was truly humbled and grateful. This was my stepping stone to have the confidence of getting out there and displaying my gardens for sale and for people to admire and to bring them joy. I soon after started doing boutique shows as a vendor and would have lines of people at my booth, buying my mini fairy gardens. I did one show after the next, and it reached a point where the people in charge of booking the boutiques would contact me to keep having me back.
I then began receiving online orders through my email, Facebook and Instagram, even shipping my mini gardens worldwide! I received orders for mini Fairy Birthday Gardens which includes a special Birthday Fairy Figurine in a beautiful Birthday themed container, as well as orders of mini gardens in bright yellow smiley face containers to cheer people up who may be sick, and also orders shipped to nursing homes. I created “In Memory Of” mini fairy gardens to help people cope with their losses of family members and friends. I received an overwhelming response to these particular mini garden orders.
Though my gardens typically last longer than a bouquet of flowers (because they are actual plants), I always have the option as well of artificial grass, moss, mini trees, succulents, etc., for people to enjoy, cherish, and last a lifetime! I then began teaching mini garden classes for both adults and children. I conducted mini Garden & Fairy Garden Birthday Parties too for children of all ages. It’s a great hands-on, therapeutic and fun learning experience for kids/adults to play in dirt, plant and use their imaginations to create their own scene and layout of the garden accessories!
Each receives their own pre-packaged mini-garden kit that comes with tin, dirt, plant or ground cover, and 1-2 accessories with an option to add a fairy, or I special ordered characters to match a specific party theme! The joy of these mini gardens is that it doesn’t have to be made with fairies or specific to a fairy theme, it can be any kind of theme pertaining to your interests! I’ve done everything from butterfly, sunflower, zoo, playground/park & beach themed mini gardens to dinosaurs, cars, and sports-themed mini gardens too!
This whole process has been an amazing and somewhat unexpected journey, and I couldn’t have done it without the support & help from my wonderful husband, three amazing daughters, family and closest friends who love and encourage me with my gardens and with everything in life! 🙂 AND NOW THE BIG “NEW” NEWS… I am thrilled to say that all of this evolved into now currently working on opening up my own little mini fairy garden shop called “Fairy Best Gardens” which will officially open around the end of April 2019!
This all came about from a quaint little artsy restaurant located near the circle of Orange (642 West Chapman Ave., Orange CA, 92868) called Mead’s Green Door (meadsgreendoor.com). My oldest daughter and I stumbled across Mead’s about a year ago as we were looking for a healthy and vegan food place. We fell in love with the artistic indoor feel and beautiful outdoor nature setting, and the food was the most amazing we have ever had!! It quickly became our favorite place!
After dining there for quite some time, we became a “regular” and faithful customer to their business. I decided one day to make them a “Flower pen garden” with a mini scene/replica of their restaurant, with artificial succulents made as pens. Gary, the owner of Mead’s, thanked me for the mini garden I made and along with that, he offered me a business deal(!), to open my own little place in part of his building, and to collaborate with his unique, colorful & creative hand made art pieces; paintings on canvas, abstract art pieces on painted doors, and more!
This literally completed my vision and dream that I’ve always had, and now coming through to reality! I’m beyond thankful for the opportunity and to the owner of Mead’s, an artist himself, who believed in me and offered me a deal I could not resist! As a teacher, I myself value the importance in life to provide people with opportunities and to believe in someone, that they “can do it!” no matter what it is that they want to accomplish in life!❤️ My new “Fairy Best Gardens” shop will be located at 642 West Chapman Ave., Unit B, near the circle of Orange, located right off the side parking lot of MEAD’S GREEN DOOR!
This will be much like a “one stop shop!” with mini gardens, fairy accessories, Gary Mead’s unique art, handcrafted one of a kind wood decor & statue pieces, and a new addition of beautifully handcrafted Jewelry (each piece a true work of art!!) made by Maia Horvath (Maia’s Ethereal Creations: https://www.instagram.com/maiahorvath)!
At my Fairy Best Gardens shop, I plan to sell both live and artificial miniature garden Starter Kits for people of all ages to enjoy making their own mini gardens on site, right out front of my shop where there will be tables & chairs set up with an inviting environment for all to garden and create! My shop will also consist of fairies and accessories for people to pick a pot, and personalize their mini gardens with their interests! I’m so excited that I will now have a great space to host fun and memorable mini garden making and parties! I so much enjoy watching people having fun, “playing” and creating! I never imagined that my dream would actually become a reality!
My Fairy Garden shop will be that little Fairy Garden dollhouse that I’ve always dreamed of, and now for others to play and join me in the fun! How blessed I feel to be able to relate to the phrase “if you do what you love you’ll never work a day in your life.” I’m a firm believer that If you can dream it, you CAN achieve it! Life’s too short so get out there and do whatever it is that you’ve dreamed of doing! Feel free to find me on social media or stop by my shop and visit if you’re in the area! Planning to open at the end of April 2019! SO blessed and thankful. XoXo
Has it been a smooth road?
One of the biggest challenges in life has been with our move cross country and having to start over with everything, in addition to raising our three small children at that time, and moving to a place with no family and not knowing anyone. Another major challenge was my husband having to transfer with his job and taking a lower position in which we sacrificed a lot financially.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Fairy Best Gardens – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
So excited to provide miniature garden (& fairy garden) “starter kits” for sale, for people of all ages to be creative and have fun putting them together, and adding fairies and accessories from my shop! Also booking mini garden making parties, birthday parties, and events!
Pricing:
- Pricing ranges from $5-$20 fairies & accessories
- $15-$25 mini garden STARTER KITS
- $25-$250 art, jewelry, wood art wall hangings
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Facebook: fairybestgardens
- Instagram: @fairybestgardens
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
