“Every day is a new adventure,” Jamie Pursell, Proprietor of the Birmingham garden center, Leaf n’ Petal said.
“Leaf n’ Petal was started by a Birmingham couple in 1974,” Pursell said. “We bought Leaf N’ Petal from the couple.”
Pursell said Leaf n’ Petal is a brick and mortar plant retail shop, though they occasionally deliver and make container arrangements.
“In 2007 we expanded to three stores,” Pursell said. “Through (our) relationships with the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, (we) entered into an agreement to take over the giftshop.”
Pursell said in 2018, Leaf n’ Petal opened their new store in the back of the Summit.
“This store replaced the (one) we had outgrown,” Pursell said. “It’s a smaller store, we only run it with one employee, we call it our ‘deal depot’.”
Pursell said any of the merchandise that is not bought during the holidays is sent to the “Deal Depot” where it can be bought at a lower price. Pursell said this allows for the company to stay fresh and new.
Pursell said Leaf n’ Petal is also heavily rooted in Southern culture and the Southern identity, with many of Pursell’s employees referring to customers with a “yes ma’ am,” or a “yes sir,” and encouraging each other to open doors for ladies. Pursell said these old-fashioned Southern manners are a nod to his late grandmother.
“A lot of Leaf N’ Petal is a representation of her,” Pursell said. “We spent a lot of time walking in nature, gathering moss, gathering lichens-she just had this appreciation for finding beautiful, interesting things in nature.”
Pursell said his appreciation for nature and being wired not to sit still are what drove him to the gardening business.
“Business is kind of like surfing, you’re cruising along but it doesn’t take much to trip you up,” Pursell said.”
Pursell said that while Leaf N’ Petal has been more busy with people social-distancing in their homes, he was forced to lay off employees to follow safety guidelines, increasing the workload and hours for the remaining employees.
“I worked ninety-four out of ninety-five days this spring,” Pursell said. “But that’s just what you do when you have a business.”
