Seed & Soil “sprouted” from a small antique shop where designer Whitney Pope was selling refinished furniture and vintage home goods. “I started under the name ‘The Vintage Nest’ and I began experimenting with making botanical jewelry,” she recalled. “It was well received, so much so that I stopped the furniture and home goods aspect and just focused on expanding my jewelry.” In January 2019, Pope rebranded under the name Seed & Soil. “After much thought, I decided on Seed & Soil because of the powerful metaphor of the seed and the potential that is possible with a single tiny seed and some soil! I want my business to be a force for good in the world, a little space where I can encourage others in their own potential.”
With some careful planning and nurturing, Seed & Soil is now blossoming. The small shop offers gold and silver plated necklaces, pendants, earrings and rings featuring pressed flowers and seeds. “I have always loved flowers. It is such a joy to work with beautiful bits and pieces of nature and preserve them in such a way that others can enjoy them and wear them,” Pope exclaimed. “I am having a lot of fun with some of our new earring styles, especially the sun shower hoops and the fern drops.” For brides, Seed & Soil produces beautiful bridesmaid gifts and custom bridal bouquet preservation, so you can wear a piece of your wedding day everyday. Pope named her mustard seed necklaces, however, as her top sellers. “I love the demi lune (half-moon) shape mustard seed necklace because it is classic but also a little modern.” The mustard seed, a symbol of faith and the power of small beginnings, provides her with encouragement as Pope continues to develop roots. “One thing that is really important to me is giving back to my community, so we donate a percentage of every sale to local non-profit Miriam’s House in the organization’s fight to end homelessness in our city.”
While nature noticeably influences the Seed & Soil jewelry designs, Pope also finds “fruitful” ideas simply by experimenting. “I enjoy playing around with colors, plants, and shapes to find designs that are be current and fashion forward but also last for years of wear,” she explained. “At first, I had a very simple line of necklaces. Now, I have everything from earrings to rings, fun shapes, and different colored backgrounds.”
This
summer, Seed & Soil has been hitting the road (and hopefully seeing the
green). “I will be traveling on a market tour – from coast to coast! I hope to
introduce Seed & Soil to more people and meet a lot of new friends,” said
Pope. “I don’t have a lot of new designs planned yet, but I am always playing
and creating so maybe I will have some new products to share too.” In the
meantime, check out the garden of different Seed & Soil jewelry designs on
the small shop’s website and Facebook page here.
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