Meet Jill Joyner | Florist, PCUSA Minister, Healing Touch Practitioner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jill Joyner and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jill, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I am from Decatur, Georgia. My parents are both first generation college graduates. Education was and is a strong value in my family of origin. I have three master’s degrees and I absolutely love going to school. It has been an interesting process to get to where I am today as a full-time florist. I had to reckon with the fact that I was not “using” my master’s degrees as a florist. However, I use my counseling and divinity degrees every day as I interact with clients. I did get a certification for floristry, which not only gave me necessary skills, but personally “validated” my new career.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I have always been creative. As a child, I sewed and did crosstitch/needlepoint/quilting. I was part of the Creative Memories scrapbook craze in the 1990s and early 2000s. I have always been a gardener, since a child, I would plant flowers and vegetables alongside, my mom and her mother. In 2018, I was asked by a woman in our church to join our newly formed flower guild. I got basic instruction from her. I quickly found that I was naturally gifted in flower arranging and at the age of 49, found something I was passionate about. My career as a florist began when I was giving away flower bouquets to friends and family and they started asking to buy them, “I don’t sell flower arrangements” is what I told them and they insisted. At the time, I was a full-time hospice chaplain and was selling flowers as a side hustle. In August 2019, I donated a kidney to a family friend. I was home on medical leave for a month. During this time, I recognized that life is truly short and that I wanted to be a full-time florist. The house we lived in required two salaries. My husband and I decided to put the house on the market, so I could follow this new dream. My last day of salaried work was January 31, 2020. We moved in February of 2020 and then the pandemic happened. I imagined that I had made the worst mistake of my life, however, due to sheltering in place, people began to send flowers to loved ones because they could not attend in person events. I worked out of my home until August 2021, when my business grew to the place of needing a studio. I had owned a consignment store in my early 30s and knew that I did not want to keep shop hours or hire employees. I have a studio space at Little Tree Art Studios where I am surrounded by loads of talented artists with a landlord who keeps rents reasonable for artists. I want the world to know that I am working harder than I ever have, making less money than I ever have and I could not be happier with my choice to take a leap of faith and change careers.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I live in Avondale Estates, I am a lifelong resident of DeKalb County and I love to have out of town visitors. A hike either up or around Stone Mountain is a great experience with the opportunity for a discussion on the complicated history of the park and surrounding area. A visit to MLK Center and Sweet Auburn Ave. for more history and amazing food. As a foodie, my favorite restaurants are Cafe Lily, Sushi Ave., Bones, Skips Hot Dogs, Kimball House, anything on Buford Hwy and Vietvana. We don’t drink alcohol, so I would need to consult with friends on the best drinks in town. A couple of nights in Blue Ridge Georgia, to show off our beautiful mountains, lake and booming small town stores in Blue Ridge. As an urban hiker, Beltline walking, Doll trail, Sweetwater, and other hikes along the Chattahoochee.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My matriarchs have been the foundation of all of my life choices and accomplishments. Both my maternal and paternal grandmothers were smart, independent women, who believed in higher education and making your own way as a woman. My mom is amazing. She has taught me how to run a house, how to be an involved and caring parent, how to be a faithful member of a church community and how to have lifelong friends. The “church ladies” throughout my life, who shared not only their faith, but showed me how Christian women can still have a lot of fun. Most of all, my husband, who is always on board for whatever my next “new venture” is going to be. He has been in the same career since college, being married to me is always an adventure.

Website: www.popupflowersavondale.com

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Image Credits
Joanne Kent