HAYGROUND ORGANIC GARDENING
Jimmy Williams (323-216-0379) started HAYGROUND ORGANIC GARDENING in 1996. His first garden was a friend’s rooftop garden in Manhattan. Today, he operates out of his backyard in Los Angeles. Aside from selling his products at the Hollywood Farmers Market, he also creates gardens for his clients, doing the designing, growing and maintenance. Since he didn’t have a car when he first started, he would travel to his clients’ homes by bus, his bag of tools on his shoulder.

Jimmy currently has a patent pending on his extremely popular Goosecreek Heirloom Tomato plant. These plants have been passed down for generations since Jimmy’s great grandmother came from the Caribbean as a slave, she smuggled the seeds in her pocket and planted them in Goosecreek, South Carolina. Because he lacks a large space to grow his plants and vegetables, this has been challenging for Jimmy. Finding a way to grow beyond his small backyard garden would benefit him in the long run. Jimmy currently has 13 employees and a diverse collection of plants and vegetables. In the future, Jimmy hopes to purchase more land and two greenhouses to expand his growing capabilities.

DEVYNN'S GARDENS
Cyndi Romero-Turk (562-592-2610) and her husband David Turk, a former construction worker, always wanted to own a business. The day David’s construction tools were stolen they learned that a flower shop was for sale. Cyndi’s initial plan was to quit her job and be a stay-at-home mom for awhile. But once they bought the shop, both she and her husband embarked on the new business venture. In its early days, there were quite a few struggles. After they bought the shop, they found out the building was infested with termites. The building itself was also run down and had not been inspected before escrow closed. Without taking out any loans and using David’s construction skills, they rebuilt the shop.

After building their clientele, they renamed the shop DEVYNN’S GARDENS. They currently have a second location and business continues to grow. Much of their business comes from special events and corporate accounts, and a delivery service which has helped the business flourish.