Take 5 with Michelle Woo

photo c/o Hearts & Spade

Like a garden different in its offerings but singular in purpose, MICHELLE WOO has used her curated background to create a total package through her business, Hearts & Spade.

Pieces of her past, like her time spent abroad in Jordan, then later working as the executive director of the Spanx by Sara Blakely Foundation, and even perusing through her grandmother’s garden as a child are the sum of her parts—memories sown together that are now blooming into a formidable business.

“I think our surroundings have a way of communicating to us,” Woo says as she reminisces on time spent in her grandmother, Mac Mac’s, garden and home. “There was really just this sense of feeling welcome in Mac Mac’s house, she was a really fabulous host, and everything was always very thoughtful. It wasn’t until much later in life I was able to look back and see what an impact being in such a beautiful place made on me.”

For Woo, the main impact was in wanting her home to be a place of welcome and viewing her garden and business as an extension of that. Her original interest in cut flowers began with the desire to deliver an arrangement worthy of the beauty and warmth her grandmother instilled in her. Her garden in Atlanta blossomed, yet at this time it was just a side hobby alongside her full-time corporate career.

She spent a decade at the shapewear company Spanx, beginning in branding and transitioning to lead the Spanx by Sara Blakeley Foundation. During that time, Woo oversaw the launch of the Red Backpack Fund and The Mindset Series, a curriculum instilling an entrepreneurial mindset in students across the country.

Woo founded Hearts & Spade in 2020 after the birth of her third child and took the business full-time because she says the calling and timing felt right. Although she started with specialty cut flower arrangements, today Hearts & Spade has expanded to offer workshops, custom garden design, original artwork and garden supplies.

“It (gardening) has been quite the journey, it brings me so much joy and a lot of frustration, so much of what I learn is through failure, it is a part of gardening,” she says. “It’s so analogous with life. I could write a book about all of the different ways I’ve seen life portrayed in the garden.”

Since the inception of Hearts & Spade, Woo and her family relocated from Atlanta to Wilmington. She left her blossoming garden in Atlanta for unknown territory but views the challenging climate, soil, and conditions of Wilmington as a new opportunity learn and grow her business offerings.  

“I just finished my master gardener coursework and learned so much about native plants and the climate here. I wanted to learn about local topography and also understand the microclimate of my surroundings,” she says. “As I design my own landscape, the notion of ‘right plant, right place’ is top of mind. I’ll be incorporating lots of natives while pushing the envelope and continuing to experiment with cut flowers.”

Woo notes two main seasons for growing flowers: cool and warm seasons. Cool season, planted in the fall, are what you see in bloom now. Her garden is filled with heirloom daffodils, anemone, ranunculus, peonies, muscari, hyacinth – and others like poppies and sweet peas soon to bloom. Her warm season flowers include dahlias, cosmos, zinnias, sunflowers, and amaranth. Woo’s garden is a work in progress, but she is creative with the space.

“I am growing everything in one raised bed area and in grow bags, crates and pots,” she says. “It’s all very temporary but it’s amazing the amount of flowers you can produce in a small space, I’ve harvested hundreds of stems.”

A focal part of her business also includes custom artwork by Woo, including botanical prints showcasing stems and blooms from her garden, as well as original artwork depicting garden and home vignettes. A large part of her business is focused on helping refugees, inspired by her year spent in Jordan where she grew close to several refugees and learned their stories.

“The very first product I launched was a calendar I painted, and it was inspired by the garden and intended to help people to garden and know what to do with a monthly tip and hand-painted scene of what’s going on in the garden,” she says. “Ten percent of profits I had given from the beginning were to support organizations that are supporting refugees. I also hired a refugee carpenter to create wooden stands the calendar sits in.”

Woo has seen immense interest in garden consults and custom garden design. Through this, she offers a spectrum of services ranging from one-hour consults and workshop ideas to full-blown refined design, custom drawing, execution, installation, and care. She sees this new extension of her business as a way to launch Hearts & Spade into a sustainable enterprise providing work to refugees.

One of her favorite parts of her business is the act of gifting flowers. “It doesn’t matter where you fall socioeconomically, or your background, you have a story about where flowers showed up in your life,” she says. “Beauty speaks to us at a heart level and points us to the things that are most true. In a world of chaos and confusion, flowers are these beacons of beauty and goodness.”

Michelle Woo, founder of Wilmington-based Hearts & Spade, moved to Wilmington about a year ago. In her previous home of Atlanta, she worked as executive director of the Spanx by Sara Blakely Foundation.

In her role there, Woo oversaw the launch of the Red Backpack Fund and The Mindset Series, a curriculum instilling an entrepreneurial mindset in students across the country. And before that, she spent five years working in brand/marketing at Spanx.

“I spent a decade at Spanx, the revolutionary shapewear brand founded by Sara Blakely, the world’s youngest self-made female billionaire,” says Woo, who shares details about her move to Wilmington and striking out on her own entrepreneurial plans.

Can you describe Hearts & Spade?

“Hearts & Spade is a social enterprise that spreads the joy of gardening and supports refugees. Through our home and garden shop (heartsandspade.com), hands-on workshops, and custom garden designs, we empower home gardeners to enjoy cut flowers: yard to table.”

What inspired you to start it?

“I started gardening to access specialty cut flowers to arrange with and to paint. My garden became a place of refuge – especially during COVID – and I launched Hearts & Spade in 2020 to share this hope-filled hobby with others.”

Can you talk about moving from a corporate job to becoming a small business owner?

“Leaving the corporate world wasn’t easy – it was definitely a step of faith. For a decade, my work involved empowering female entrepreneurs to dream big, trust their gut, and cultivate courage – and I knew it was my turn to make the leap.”

What draws you to gardening?

“Flower arranging was my gateway to gardening. When my beloved grandmother got sick, I went to send flowers, but the delivery options available seemed more suitable for hospitals than for ‘Mac Mac,’ whose home and garden radiated warmth, style, heart, and soul. My journey into cut flower gardening ensued.”

Can you talk about the support you’ve done for and plan to do for refugee populations?

“This has been at the heart of the work since the beginning. While traveling to Jordan, I was touched by the hospitality of many women who had been forced to flee their homes. Their kindness and resilience sparked my passion to do what I can to give back. I’ve hired refugees when possible, donated a percentage of profits to refugee support organizations, hosted wellness initiatives – like flower arranging classes – and am currently helping start a community garden for local refugees in partnership with Rise Up Community Farm.”

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