We had the good fortune of connecting with Claire Howell and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Claire, can you share the most important lesson you’ve learned over the course of your career?
Honestly, I feel like one of the biggest things has been learning to be flexible and how to respond to failure. When you start your own business, even with a team like we have, there are still a million things no one has ever done before, and you just have to figure it out and pivot quickly when things don’t work. I really don’t like failing, and as we have built Balcony Box, that has been something I just have to get used to. My business partner, John, told me once to look at failing with some excitement – it’s real-time, personalized feedback that can help instruct your next move. That has been such valuable and true advice, not only in our Balcony Box world, but in life in general!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
For me, it boils down to seeking to be a restorer of the way things were supposed to be in God’s original design. People were meant to be in relationship – with their food & how it’s grown/raised, with the land & creatures, with other people who supply goods and services they need, with their neighbors, etc.!

People were meant to be nourished by interacting with nature & each other. My goal in Balcony Box, as in my other endeavors, is to work to restore these relationships to the way they were supposed to be and invite others into the freedom that that brings. With Balcony Box, we teach people how to grow and use food in whatever space they have. You’d be shocked at how that touches something deep inside people and changes them! Getting to see the transformation that that brings in people’s hearts keeps me so pumped about our mission!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Well, the food is one of the best parts of Dallas, so I would definitely be taking them to make the rounds to some of my frequented spots, especially those sourcing from local farms & producers! Some favorites are Parlor’s Ice Cream, Davis Street Espresso, and Cafe Momentum. If it were in the summer time, I would take them down to Mars Hill Farm for some flower cutting, or out east for some blueberry picking. Otherwise, we would definitely spend some time at our community garden and walking through some shady neighborhoods when it’s cool. Nice and chill!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Absolutely!!! I have been so inspired by MANY that have come before me who have been willing to ask hard questions and search for truth. Especially in the food justice & agriculture realm, some of those people would be my teammates on our Balcony Box team (John, Quincy, Preston, Soluto & Jess), and some from different communities as I have read their books & followed their journeys – Ron Finley, Michael Pollan, and Wendell Berry.

Website: www.balcony-box.com

Instagram: @balconybox

Facebook: @balconyboxdallas

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutDFW is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.