I don’t know about you, but if I had to sum up my own experience of 2024 in a single word: exhaustion quickly rises to the top.
We tackled a lot of big, heavy, and important things in the past year, and as I reached the end of 2024, I could feel the deep, deep burnout setting in, right to the core of my soul. We’re talking no fumes left in the tank, fully drained, nothing left to give, dragging my body across the finish line. It’s no way to work, and certainly no way to live.
Much of my holiday break has been about starting to unpack those feelings: the why, the how, and the what’s next. I knew, for sure, that I needed to rebalance, to thoughtfully consider what worked last year – and especially, what didn’t. What warrants moving forward, and what needs to change?
I’ve been resisting the idea of writing a 2024 Highlights (like this one), simply because a) it didn’t feel like I had much to celebrate, and b) I couldn’t stomach “faking it” and being performative. “Because everyone else is doing it,” has never, ever been a good enough reason for me to do anything.
But - that was the burnout talking. When I was finally able to slow down and rest (and full disclosure, I’m back to maybe 25%… still a long way to go to be back to 100), I realized two things.
1) We moved a lot of big, heavy, and important things forward this year. The exhaustion was justified, but it didn’t mean there weren’t things to celebrate and be grateful for, too, and reframing 2024 in this way has immense value.
2) I think we culturally expend far too much energy attempting to produce an image we think people want from us. Nothing makes us feel smaller than when we’re comparing ourselves against the apparent success of others, and the idea of acknowledging our accomplishments without also acknowledging the toll it took, would be disingenuous - and only half the story.
If all you did in 2024 was “just get through it” - I feel you. Deeply. If, though, like us - in this process, you managed to move closer to your authentic self - that also deserves to be celebrated. I’m proud of you. I’m proud of us.
As I think about what I’ll bring forward in to 2025, prioritizing joy, rest, and community feel like things that will matter most. Balance, especially, will be mission-critical. We can’t show up when we’re depleted. However you need to take care of yourself right now - do it. It matters. You matter.
Before I get to the 2024 highlights, there’s a few important notes and updates to share, starting with…
NEW WINTER HOURS
Wednesday - Saturday | 11a-5p
Sunday | 11a-4p
Monday & Tuesday | Closed
AFTER CHRISTMAS SALE
Continues through this weekend, and
Sunday, January 5 is the final day!
20% off plants, pottery, and plant care
30% off gifts
40% off seasonal and holiday items
I’ll be back in a few weeks to share some of the things we’re looking forward to in 2025.
No matter how you show up for us, thank you. We can’t do it without you. It takes a village, and I remain grateful you’re ours.
With Gratitude,
Ben | Botany Founder & CEO
Friday, March 29: Cultivating Place Live kicks off in South Bend
If you don’t already know them, allow me to introduce two of my favorite humans. On the left is Jennifer Jewell, the creator, writer, and host of Cultivating Place. Jennifer is based on the west coast, in northern California.
On the right, Myriam Nicodemus, a filmmaker and photographer based in South Bend (technically just a few blocks away, also in the Near Northwest Neighborhood, actually). Myriam is a dear friend and fellow business owner, and our paths crossed shortly after we returned to South Bend and way before Botany was even a thing.
I’ve been following Jennifer and her powerful storytelling since 2019, and we started chatting about a visit to South Bend in late 2023. One thing led to another, and Jennifer decided to launch her new documentary project, Cultivating Place Live, during her visit here, and I was privileged to introduce Myriam and her partner, Khoa Huynh, to Jennifer as a potential fit to help bring the project to fruition.
Throughout 2024, Jennifer, Myriam, and Khoa have been traveling around the country, documenting the stories of other folks who are intentionally cultivating their own places, embracing the many super powers of gardening. I highly suggest checking out this 6-minute extended preview for the project.
I am so proud of these humans. All are a powerhouse of vision, compassion, creativity, and care. I’ve been an eager witness to a mere fraction of the “behind the scenes” as this project has evolved, and I’m beyond excited for what they’re creating. It will change the world.
It’s perhaps also worth noting that I myself have a new and ongoing role to look forward to within the “CP Universe” (as I’ve started calling it), as a regular guest host of the weekly Cultivating Place series - an NPR show and podcast. My latest episode with farmer and artist Bo Dennis just dropped today, and it’s a great listen to start the year.
As I reflect on the simple fact that two seemingly unrelated local and independent businesses based in South Bend happen to be collaborating on a project of this scope and impact… it’s humbling. To remember where my friendship with Myriam and Khoa started, on a cold day in February 2021, inside the Potawatomi Conservatories for a lovably awkward photoshoot… we’ve come a long way, kids. I’m proud of all of us.
Saturday, July 20: Plant Pride Block Party
This annual celebration of the opening of the The Botany Shop at 909 Portage Avenue is something we look forward to every year. 2024 marked our third event, and while there was a lot of joy and beauty to enjoy, this moment - a blurry screen shot from the Instagram reel I posted after the evening - stood out.
Since we opened Botany, I’ve been dreaming of creating a public garden that is unique to South Bend: one that embraces every nook and cranny as an opportunity for beauty and vibrancy and community. And this moment - right here - is the first time it felt real. Like it was actually starting to happen, and it wasn’t just this weird idea in brain anymore.
I wrote a more extended reflection at the time, and if you’d like to check it out, here’s the link.
Monday, September 16 - Thursday, September 20: Shop Makeover
By this point in the year, the burnout was really starting to sink in. Things had been going non stop, we couldn’t seem to put out the fires fast enough, and nobody was stopping in. August and September were super duper slow, and the stress was very, very real.
Around this time, despite the seemingly endless barrage of tasks and emergencies and reactions, I had a gut feeling that if things were feeling out of our control, perhaps we could benefit from a sort of “hard reset.” In essence, a way to reassert our feeling of control - to ground us, get us excited, and get us focused again.
This entire project was the epitome of spontaneity and intuition, guided by feelings more than anything else. We needed to “reclaim the energy” and feel a renewed sense of pride in this space we call home. There was also a drive to elevate - how can we make this space into something even more impactful, beautiful, and intentional than ever? We wanted it to feel different - we painted nearly every wall, we actually removed a partial wall, and dramatically changed our floor plan.
The impact was palpable and rapid. It was the boost we needed, and hearing your compliments gave us the energy we needed and craved to keep pushing forward, because we still had big projects looming ahead of us…
Saturday, November 16: Debut of The Lot Next Door
This was a big moment for us. Christmas Trees were debuting for the first time - something we’ve been dreaming about since the very beginning of Botany. The reality though is that the trees were both a milestone and a moment unto themselves, as they also marked the completion of the first phase of our vision for The Lot Next Door, the formerly vacant lot adjacent to the Shop.
We broke ground on The Lot in early October with a countdown clock looming in the background because the trees would be arriving promptly a few days before the Open House. We had to be ready. We had six weeks.
This project was a whirlwind, and it wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible collaboration and love from my dad, Dave, and Andy Caban, of Indigo Gardens and Design. I did my best to document the process because it felt like something worth remembering.
Yes, construction projects are stressful - especially when they’re happening alongside several other big and heavy things. But, experiences and projects like these are also why we decided to move back home in the first place, so we could make memories like these and create spaces like these with people we love, in a place we love.
Worth it.
Wednesday, November 27: Closing on the Property
Yes, the day before Thanksgiving.
909 Portage Avenue (and the adjacent Lot Next Door), are now the permanent and forever home of Botany. We completed a substantial fundraising campaign throughout 2024, raising $300,000 to acquire the properties and invest in initial site improvements and upgrades. The fundraising was a lift, on top of building The Lot Next Door. And then there were the necessary legal, financial, and administrative steps.
In my life, we’ve now bought two homes and sold one. Each and every time was stressful and a bit nerve-wracking, but they were nothing compared to acquiring commercial real estate through a business. I mean, !@#$.
This is by far one of the most difficult things I’ve taken on in Botany’s journey so far. Maybe if “nothing else was happening” it wouldn’t have felt as heavy as it did, but guys - this nearly did me in. By this point in the year, the burn out ran so deep that I was actually operating below capacity - my battery hadn’t just dropped to zero, somehow it was in the negative. Impossible you say? I beg to differ…
But - we did it. We got it done. When things were at peak stress, a mantra that got me through it all: this too shall pass. This won’t be forever.
And now, as I write to you on Friday, January 3… that’s true. It’s behind us. It’s done. We’ve been talking and planning and thinking about this move for the past three years, and now… we can give that energy someplace else, and it’s amazing what’s already starting to bubble up… I can’t wait to share it with you.
It’s really, really good stuff, y’all. If even half of the things we’re dreaming about come to pass, the lift to acquire the properties will be more than worth it.
Thanks for joining us on this wild ride of building a business, building community, and just being a fellow human on this ball of rock hurtling through space, where plants keep us all alive.
Pretty cool, when you stop to think about it…
I’ll be back in a few weeks to share some of the things we’re looking forward to in 2025.
Stay tuned, folks. It’s gonna be so good.