Meet Jaclyn Paige | co-owner, Pollengenesis

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

Hi Jaclyn, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I pursued a creative career because nothing else felt right. After degrees in Psychology and Student Affairs, I job hopped for 10 years, trying to find something that fit. Everything in my career field felt stifling and other positions were ultimately unfulfilling. I could never fully be myself while working for someone else, and I often felt unchallenged and underutilized.

This creative career I’m making in Pollengenesis is the first that’s felt true to who I am. My business feels like an extension of myself because I have the power to use all of my talents for good. I’m artistic in the styling behind our plants, in our branding, and in my paintings. I’m organized and assertive, which are both traits and skills necessary to be the effective COO that I am (someone please tell Andrew that I just gave myself that title). I’m knowledgeable about houseplants and intensely curious , learning everything as I can. I like to create with my hands. I’m passionate about making the spaces I inhabit feel light, which for me means houseplants. For me, all of this adds up to a career I’ve created because of a deep desire to be authentic in every area of my life.

What should our readers know about your business?
Our name, Pollengenesis, comes from the idea of recreation, of rebirth, of making things new again.

In the Greek language, ‘palin’ means again and ‘genesis’, birth, and to us, there is beauty in starting anew. In growing forward, onward, upward. After birthing our new baby and losing my job in the global pandemic, I had to take a deep breath and figure out how I was to start anew. The answer was houseplants.

My already-abundant plant collection breathed life into our home both literally and figuratively. As our family quarantined, the collection grew and our house became even more full and alive. Friends, neighbors, and Instagram strangers all commented on the indoor jungle and the positive, inspiring vibes of our home and I realized that all I wanted to do was to share this experience. That maybe I could start a business from sharing my way of making a home.

At Pollengenesis, we grow and propagate plants from seeds, bulbs, inherited plants, and personal plants. We are selling you parts of our home. This is rebirth & recreation; this is Pollengenesis. We source pots and containers of all kind to repurpose into plant vessels: rebirth & recreation. We design Interior Landscaping installations using greenery to breathe new life into an old space: rebirth & recreation. We build beautiful, practical Plant Fixtures from both old and new materials: rebirth and recreation. We make a living from selling houseplants: rebirth & recreation.

We want your home to be as full of life as ours and we hope it’s as full of love. We’re here to help, whether that means finding the right plant(s) for your life, the right Plant Fixture for your space, or something even bigger. We are growing alongside our plants and we want to share that with you.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We live in East Dallas and, like true city dwellers, prefer to stay with a couple blocks from home. Charlie’s Star Lounge is a favorite bar, so much so that we do a monthly pop-up market there selling our plants. Cosmo’s and the Landing are dive bar staples too. Benny’s for a bagel, Jimmy’s for a meatball sub, Taboo Tattoo for a tattoo, maybe a show somewhere in Deep Ellum if anyone good is playing; sounds like a great day to me.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I was happy nowhere else because I needed to be here. I’m so thankful to my partner, Andrew, for seeing that before I did and supporting me in this pursuit. Building Pollengenesis and building our life together has helped me to find myself.

Website: www.pollengenesis.com

Instagram: @pollengenesis

Image Credits
Frances Anne Photography