Repost: Interview with The Faces of New Market MD
Jessica and Lindsay have been best friends since second grade and have always had a love for all things creative in both our personal and professional lives. Our long history of friendship, entrepreneurial drive, and passion for plants was the basis for how BUDS was formed. During the early phase of the pandemic, we found ourselves with some extra time to delve deeper into the world of plants, succulents, and plant care. It was during this time that we realized there was a need for a local plant shop that could also carry local artisan crafts and gifts in our community. We like to say that BUDS was one of the good things to come out of the pandemic!
Q: Please tell us a little bit about your family. Lindsay is married to Chris, a Fire & Explosives Investigator in Montgomery County. They live on the Frederick County side of Mt. Airy, and have a 13-year old son who has a new passion for baseball, and a 10-year old daughter, who has been a competitive cheerleader for 4 years. They have two 6-year old dogs, one of which is an arson canine that goes to work with Chris, while the other gets to relax at home every day. Jessica, her husband, two children, and two dogs live in a historic home on Main St, New Market. For the past 13 years, Jessica has also been running another local New Market business, Jessica Neumann Photography.
Q: Please tell us about your current, past, or future career. What do you love most about what you do? Lindsay has a background in graphic design and marketing. I love what we have created at BUDS because I did not do well sitting in a cubicle all day staring at a computer screen. At BUDS, there is always something creative to do, and being surrounded by beautiful living plants and getting to hand pick what we carry in our boutique makes it easy to come to work every day. My background in marketing has helped a lot with our social media, newsletters, advertising, and helping to get BUDS established as a new local business. Jessica has a background in Economics through college, IT staffing after college, but most recently, her photography business for the past 13 years, which she continues to do as well. This background has been beneficial for her regarding all aspects of getting BUDS off the ground and running. Her history in customer service, creative arts, finance, and marketing has made for a seamless transition to her role as co-BUD.
Q: How long have you lived or worked in our community? Lindsay has lived in Mt. Airy for 10 years. Jessica has been in New Market for 8 years, but before that was just down the road in Ijamsville.
Q: Who is the most interesting person you’ve met here in our community? One of the amazing things about this town is how many unique and interesting entrepreneurs there are. Ellen at The Original Childrens Playhouse stands out for a number of reasons to BUDS on a personal and professional level. Not only does she run an amazing business for this community, which we have personally enjoyed, but we have also forged a fantastic partnership through kid fairy garden workshops. Ellen’s patience, kindness, and creativity is rare to find. There is something to do in every corner of TOP and it is fascinating to me that you can be 10 or 1 and have fun there!
Q: What advice would you give to people? Our biggest advice to anyone starting a new small business would be to go with your gut, dream big, be open to change, and always keep trying new things.
Q: What is something on your bucket list? Lindsay – African Safari, Ride in a helicopter
Jessica – vacation in the Maldives, explore Europe with her husband
Q: What is your favorite thing or something unique about our community? We love to see the community grow– from new businesses to new homeowners to the evolution of our actual Main Street. The history is rich, and we are so happy to be a part of it.
Q: Where do you see yourself in 5 to 10 years? We would love for BUDS to grow both in our physical shop space and as more of an online presence, so that customers who are not local to New Market can also enjoy our products. We love partnering with local businesses for workshops and hope that our outreach continues to grow.
Q: (Even for friends or family), what is something interesting that most people don’t know about you? We have been friends since 2nd grade, but we didn’t become friends on our own. Our older brothers are the same age, and became friends when they were in 4th grade. Our moms decided to send us to play too whenever the boys hung out, so we always joke about how our “forced friendship” lead to a lifetime of friendship!
Q: What is the most beautiful place you have ever been? We actually had the opportunity to travel to Hawaii 3 years ago and it was one of the most amazing places we have both been to. We fell in love with the gorgeous views, the food, and of course, the plants!
Q: Favorite month? favorite holiday? and best single day on the calendar? Lindsay – I love July…summer is my happy place! 4th of July is my favorite holiday because everyone is just so happy, you can enjoy fireworks anywhere you go, and there is no pressure to cook or give gifts…and there’s usually good food! Jessica – ditto! Really though, my birthday is at the end of June and there always seem to be endless activities and gatherings this time of year!
Q: What would you rate a 10 out of 10? We would both agree: Poutine or fries in any form, crab feasts, and doggy snuggles.
Q: What person, event or experience has made the greatest impact or inspiration in your life? Lindsay – I have a passion for travel, and without some of these experience, I don’t think I would be where I am today. I was lucky enough to live in France for a few months, and got to travel throughout the country, visit Spain, and the French Riviera. Traveling to places like Israel, Hawaii, and Mexico have been incredible experiences. Jessica – Having children changed everything for me. It changed my priorities personally and professionally, forced me to evaluate my faults, and helped me challenge myself to grow year after year.
Q: Finally, what 3 words or phrases come to mind when you think of the word HOME? Lindsay: Comfort, Safe, Love
Jessica: Dogs, Family, Comfort