Meet Michelle Robinson: Owner of Pumpkinvine Gardens Flower Shoppe

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

Hi Michelle, what do you attribute your success to?
I have created Pumpkinvine Gardens Flower Shoppe with one key factor – providing flowers that are easy to maintain and have stunning color along with whimsical garden decor. I want our Flower Shoppe friends to have a green thumb!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
For over 28 years, I was a healthcare marketing & pr executive. In the spring, I would pass the landscapers working outside our corporate office, and I would tell them – One day, I’m going to be playing in the dirt like you and not sitting in meetings all day.

My life took an abrupt turn when our department was restructured and 49 of us were suddenly let go in January 2018. I was devastated.

I knew I did not want to go back to the corporate world. I gave at the office! My kids were grown, and it was time to fulfill my dreams.

When we would visit our son in Montauck, I fell in love with all the roadside flower markets. We didn’t have anything like it in our community.

With the tremendous help from our family and friends, I made my dream a reality! I became a certified Master Gardener from the University of Georgia extension program and found the perfect location nestled in our community.

It all started with a 20 ft storage container! My husband built a structure around it with a tin roof and shade cloth. On April 13, 2019, we opened Pumpkinvine Gardens Flower Shoppe and received overwhelming support from our community.

We’re a seasonal flower market open April – July and October – November. We specialize in flowers and plants that will enable you to have a green thumb.

Our gorgeous tropical flowers, custom made hanging baskets bursting with color and unique garden decor have become a recipe for success!

In the fall, we transform our space and offer pumpkins, cornstalks and fall flowers. We’ve become the neighborhood pumpkin patch!

Three years later, our flower market continues to grow with many new Flower Shoppe friends, as I call them, and regulars that love to stop by and visit.

I am incredibly proud how I can transform an empty space each season into a garden oasis. It’s a challenge to constantly have Pumpkinvine Gardens Flower Shoppe filled with new product. I continue to learn the art of logistics, which has been the biggest lesson learned.

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?
We live 45 minutes northwest of Atlanta in Acworth, so we have many fun places close to home! Lake Allatoona is near us, and we love to take friends on our boat and eat at restaurants on the lake. Ozark, one of my favorite series, was filmed on Lake Allatoona and has become a popular spot. And rafting down the Etowah River is always an adventure.

There are many charming cities close by such as Cartersville and Chattanooga. Local shopping in the square and dining at small restaurants would be on the list!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are two people deserving a shout-out. My Mom and my former neighbor, Pat.

I inherited my green thumb from my Mom. Not only did she instill the love of gardening, she demonstrated how you can have a successful career while raising a family. She always encouraged me to pursue my dreams.

And Pat was our neighborhood character – she always had beautiful gardens filled with whimsical yard art including an actual wrought iron bed frame filled with flowers – her version of a flower bed! She taught me how to be creative with flowers.

Website: pumpkinvinegardens.com

Instagram: Pumpkinvine Gardens

Facebook: Pumpkinvine Gardens

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