BLOOMFIELD – A Wausa native and her good friend have planted roots as the new co-owners of a blooming Bloomfield business.
Alex (Cunningham) Wiebelhaus, rural Wausa, and Kaydee Alexander, Bloomfield, opened the Growing Grace Garden and Greenhouse on May 1.
They took over ownership of the downtown Bloomfield business at 108 N. Broadway St. from Amber Horton, who owned and operated the Fieldcrest Greenhouse and Market at the same location.
“We both have known the previous owner for several years and have a love for plants and gardening,” Wiebelhaus said. “When the business came (up) for sale last year, we pondered it, but didn’t really act on it.
“With a little push from our husbands, our families and several supportive friends, we both decided to look into it seriously and the rest is history,” she said.
Wiebelhaus described what she and Alexander are hoping to offer Bloomfield and the surrounding area with their business.
“We hope to provide a local place to purchase garden plants at a reasonable price that are desired by the local communities,” Wiebelhaus said. “Our goal is to make it so people don’t have to travel far for high-quality plants. We are fortunate to have such a utopia of services in this community, and are honored to be part of that.”
Wiebelhaus and Alexander are planning to provide a wide selection of garden flowers and plants on an annual basis through their business.
“This year, we are working on our raised garden beds in the back of the property, hoping to offer fresh produce options through a farmers’ market in July, August and September,” Wiebelhaus said. “We also look forward to some fall and winter events that we hope to offer as our business grows.”
Wiebelhaus described the origin of the name she and Alexander came up with for the business, Growing Grace Garden and Greenhouse.
“We thought of several names and really just came to a conclusion on this name since both of us have strong faith and wanted our values to reflect our business,” Wiebelhaus said.
“We both know how much we have grown career-wise, personally and professionally in recent years,” she said. “It is all through grace and grace alone that we have been so blessed in all things. We want to continue to help and support others to grow in grace as well.”
Outside of co-owning a business together, Wiebelhaus and Alexander each have other jobs.
Wiebelhaus works as a crop adjuster for the Great American Insurance Group, as well as helps with the family business, Wiebelhaus Tree Service, which is owned by her husband, Trevor, and her father-inlaw, Herman.
Alexander works for Terraplex, an agricultural drone company. She also stays busy farming and operating a small cow herd with her husband, Ty.
Both women also are mothers to young children – Wiebelhaus and her husband have a 3-year-old daughter, Sutton, and Alexander and her husband are the parents of Tate, their 4-year-old son, and Chloe, their 2-year-old daughter.
Wiebelhaus, who went to and graduated from high school in Wausa, and Alexander, a rural Edgar native who graduated from Sandy Creek High School near Fairfield, have known each other since their high school FFA days.
“We were friends through college and really leaned on each other while we both taught high school agriculture classes in neighboring towns,” Wiebelhaus said.
“As we have become mothers, our friendship has just grown. We have very common beliefs and values and lean on each other’s support, so running a business together seems to work really well for us, too,” she said.
The Growing Grace Garden and Greenhouse opened on May 1 in downtown Bloomfield and will be open through July 1 for the regular greenhouse season.
People are encouraged to follow the business’ Facebook page for hours of operation and special events to come.
