Hi there!
We're so honored you're here! Thank you for your interest in IvyMay & for stopping by to read our blog. For our first post, we figure we'd introduce the IvyMay Team & share our story. 

Prior to the pandemic, we loved to hit the road to go camping & explore the mountains, beaches & deserts. Often jamming out to Lord Huron and shuffling through their top hits, we would make our way into new unfamiliar landscapes. However, once the quarantine was put in place, we really missed traveling & the outdoors. Every day, more houseplants would appear in our home... as if we were trying to bring the outside, inside with us, until we could be out exploring again.

(PC: @tesslaureen)

Our inspiration came from so many angles that it almost seemed like undeniable fate to launch a houseplant delivery business. Being houseplant lovers ourselves, we noticed that shopping for houseplants wasn't quite as easy as it should be. From which houseplants would work best in our home to transporting them, and keeping them alive, there were barriers that could be eliminated in between. We also noticed that plants gave many close to us happiness during a crazy time we've never experienced before - plants gave us something to nurture and watch grow; a sense of hope during the pandemic, if you will. So we wanted to create something that would make all of these things easy & more accessible so that more in our community could learn about & love houseplants. 

So, we launched IvyMay during the COVID-19 stay-at-home orders. Some might call us crazy for launching a business during a pandemic - not going to lie, we would probably agree.

We moved quick. We uprooted our entire lives in a matter of one week & hit the gas pedal hard. We sold one of our cars to buy a van to fulfill orders. Our 800 sq. ft. apartment in Pacific Beach was suddenly up to our waist in plants & legal documents, but it truly all seemed to happen in a blink of an eye. 

Ivy is a plant and Vy is Tammy's middle name. May is Cody's grandma's middle name and the month we started this business. 

And that's how IvyMay was born.

We currently have three employees. Meet the team!

Cody, Co-Founder, Operations & Business Partnerships
From a young age, Cody has always had the entrepreneurial itch and a lifelong passion for boxing. In high school, he & another classmate started a holiday recycling company to help the San Diego community responsibly dispose of their Christmas Trees. After college, he tried his way with many different career paths. Everything from working as an EMT, to starting a B2B lending company all while competing in USA boxing matches in his free time. In 2017, Cody decided it was finally time to pursue his dream of becoming a full-time boxing coach in hopes to open his own gym some day. However, three years later, Cody needed to pivot, yet again. As COVID-19 began closing down the community, and eventually shutting the doors on his career, he wanted to start a business that would continue to raise the spirits of his fellow San Diegans. Cody can now can be found strategizing for IvyMay & taking care of the majority of things on the operations side. Buying plants, transporting inventory, packaging up orders & delivering them to your doorstep! 

(PC: @wearepb)           

Tammy, Co-Founder, Marketing, Branding & Public Relations
Opposite of Cody, Tammy has taken a much less "risky" route up until now. She comes from a branding & social media content world for large corporations. Tammy said she would never start a business because life should get easier, not harder. May of 2020 changed everything. Too much comfort wasn't exciting anymore, and there's a lot of excitement still to be had when you're young. Somehow, she found herself with two full-time jobs with her 9 am - 5 pm & IvyMay as her 5 pm - 2 am & weekends. Did life get easier? *nervous laughter* Tammy manages most of the digital aspects such as the website, social media, email communications & public relations.

(PC: @wearepb) 

Cohen, Intern, Stress Reducer, Professional Distractor
Cohen's day begins by rolling over for belly rubs & begging for five more minutes. When he is awake & properly fed, he happily helps us package up plants for delivery. But his main job is ensure that all pups of San Diego have plenty of pet-friendly plants to choose from in the IvyMay selection. Oh and, he already demands a promotion to Chief Plant Officer. Maybe when he stops sleeping on the job & muzzle punching us for attention on the clock, we'll consider it.

If COVID-19 taught us anything, it's that even in the strangest, most uncomfortable & unsettling times, embrace it. Make the most of it. Make the most of today, no matter how far the light at the end of the tunnel seems.

Welcome to IvyMay Today.

With love,
IvyMay & Co.