As one business owner stepped into retirement, another quit teaching & left the classroom to pursue a new dream.
30 years ago, Beth Harnist achieved a dream of opening Adopt a Plant Greenhouse & Garden Center. She built a strong business, rooted in high-quality plants and forward thinking, persevered through times that challenged her dream, and created a unique space that customers have enjoyed for many years. As one of those customers, and an employee, I personally view Beth as an icon (yes Beth, an ICON!) and role model. This year, she has achieved another dream: retirement.
Retirement is a dream that we all have and it is also a big change, one that most of us look forward to. But it also requires letting go of a dream that has already been achieved, which is not an easy thing to do. Beth brought to life a beautiful dream, and anyone who has been a part of her journey and business over the years would agree that it would be a shame for us to lose what she accomplished. Can you imagine NOT being able to visit the space that she created? The impact that she has made goes beyond the walls of the greenhouse she built—it permeates our community, which is better off as a result of her work.
Beth's experience working with plants started well before she established Adopt a Plant. She started doing greenhouse work at the young age of 10, and her love of growing plants sprouted from there. Back in the 80s, she came up with the idea of Adopt a Plant with her good friend Gina, when they were selling tropical plants together. The idea evolved and was set into motion. She took down the old greenhouses on her family's property and built the production greenhouse 30 years ago--and in iconic fashion, she was pregnant when she accomplished it. Strong women build many amazing things.
Over the last couple of years, Beth and I have had many talks about this moment. Our very first talk happened in my garage when she was on an evening walk with her husband that took her past my house (back when it was normal to have gatherings in 2013). For me, this event was a moment of great importance and serendipity. It felt like the start of something, and indeed, it was.
When I was young, my grandparents, Phyllis & Dick Frankenstein, owned a greenhouse so plants are in my blood. I was very close to my grandpa and earlier that year he passed away. On the day that Beth stopped by, I was drying seed from the last order he and I placed together with the premise that I would have a long line of seed still connected to him over the years. She saw the seed sitting on the table and said, “Someone here knows something about plants.” We then had a two hour conversation about everything under the sun, she asked if I wanted to help out at the greenhouse, and the rest is history.
When Beth started talking about retirement a few years after that, I expressed that I would love to continue her work, but honestly I felt that it was a pipe dream. In the years since then, I have experienced a lot of change in my life that has shifted my perspective on life in a major way. Now, what was once a “maybe” is my dream being brought to life, forged from the ashes of dreams that have been achieved and let go, by both Beth and my grandparents.
Beth and I have a lot in common, including perspectives on what should and should not be happening in the world and how it relates to the environment & nature. As I take the reign of this business, I aspire to be like Beth when it comes to growing plants. There will be many learning curves for me, and there have already been many, but it is part of the process of change. I have big shoes to fill, and I will have to grow into them.
I ask that you join me in this process to keep our dreams a reality as I work through this transition, to continue to bring high-quality plants to your life in my own way, as I work diligently to become the master that Beth is. I am honored to simply have this opportunity, and to have Beth's trust and support on this journey.
I look forward to this growing season, with all of its ups and downs, and am excited to be a steward of nature, growth, and change as the owner of Frankenstein’s Nursery at Adopt a Plant Greenhouse.
-Stefanie Frankenstein
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