Why a heart? 💜

Sometimes, life leads us down unexpected paths, and in those moments, we have a choice: to resist or to embrace the journey ahead. After closing my retail business of 20 years, I found myself at a crossroads. For so long, I had poured my heart into something I loved, but when that chapter came to an end, I needed to rediscover what truly brought me joy.

Though the dream of growing lavender truly began on the day our business closed, it took many years before this dream began to come true. Looking back, a lot needed to happen first! For several years, I worked at my children’s school, which allowed me to be close to them while still getting a monthly paycheck—both things that didn’t always happen as a small business owner. Working in a small school, I found myself wearing many hats: marketing, website building, graphic design, advertising, communications, social media, and photography. This hands-on experience gave me many new skills that prepared me for launching HappiMiss!

As my children grew and moved on from this small private school into high school, I was ready for a change, too. And lavender farming was still on my mind. Though I had thumbed through the lavender book I had bought on the day we closed our store, I hadn’t carefully read it cover to cover. So, I truly began my lavender journey by reading this book and others, hoping to learn as much as I could. Determined to plant, I began looking at a field just up the hill from our house. In previous years, it had been used for grazing cows and sheep. Most recently, a tree farmer had asked to lease this land from my parents. I was so sad, as I knew in my heart that this would be a perfect place for a lavender farm. Luckily, my parents were beyond kind and saved this area for me.

Though I had the space, a planting guide developed, and even had the soil tilled, I still wasn’t ready to put plants in the ground. The area just seemed so large and maybe just more than a novice farmer should take on. A year passed, and the once-tilled field began to look just as rough as it had before it was plowed. A bit distraught and overwhelmed, my husband suggested a small grass field right in front of our house. My first thought was no—I didn't want to give up on my field. But I quickly realized this was the perfect place to start. It was literally steps from my front door and had easy access to irrigation. Plus, for many years, this grass field looked messy and unkempt, as we never had the time or money to truly do all the landscaping our house needed. This was the perfect solution! To top it off, the most special part of this area was that it was in the shape of a heart! Could anything be more perfect?

Once we made this decision, everything else just sort of fell into place. With the support of a longtime landscape friend, we planted 165 Provence lavender plants in this .11-acre plot of land. Jake had another brilliant idea—instead of planting concentric hearts that I had envisioned, we planted a heart-shaped labyrinth, creating the most amazing path to wander and enjoy the lavender.

The heart shape wasn’t just a design choice—it has always been my favorite shape, a reflection of love, resilience, and new beginnings.  Every plant, every row, was placed with intention, a reminder that even after endings, new dreams can take root. Since planting, I have nurtured each lavender sprout with care, and in return, the garden has grown into something magical—an enchanting space where lavender and love flourish.

From this garden, HappiMiss was born. My lavender-inspired perfume brand is more than just a fragrance—it’s a heartfelt creation, infused with the essence of my journey. Every bottle carries the scent of my garden, a reminder that love, in all its forms, is worth cultivating.

I hope that when you experience HappiMiss, you feel the same sense of warmth and joy that my heart-shaped garden has given me. Because at its core, this isn’t just about lavender or perfume—it’s about embracing life’s twists and turns, finding beauty in the unexpected, and always following your heart. ✨

From my heart to yours, xo Missy