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96 | M A C O N M A G A Z I N E A P R I L / M A Y 2 0 1 7 Women In Business Barbara Wdward Mossy Corner Nursery & Country Market 3131 HWY 41 S, Smarr, GA 31029 | 478.808.0513 barbara@mossycorner.com | *** When and why did you start Mossy Corner? I started Mossy Corner Nursery & Country Market one year ago, with the help of my husband and other family members. I have always loved gardening and the natural world. Inspired by a visit to a plant collector/grower who was going out of business I decided to buy them out of most of their inventory including two greenhouses. There aren't many locally owned full service nurseries in our area and my husband's family owns land on HWY 41 in Monroe County so the lightbulb went off in my head to start the business. Everything just kind of fell in place after meeting another nursery owner who was looking to close his business and wanted to help us get ours started. His experience, love of this business and friendly nature is invaluable to me and the perfect formula for success. What do you enjoy most about your job? I have heard that if you are doing something you enjoy it will not feel like work. I get to garden every day and although it is hard physical work I don't get tired of it. I like meeting people who also enjoy gardening and helping them find what they want. What is most challenging about your job? The bookkeeping and financing aspect of the business is not my forte so I have had to enlist the help of my accountant to keep me organized and compliant with tax regulations, etc. How do you hope your business will grow over the next few years; what are your goals? I hope to become the region's preferred resource for all gardening needs. I plan on hosting workshops to engage children's interest in gardening, special holiday events, as well as fun and educational programs for adult groups. Selling locally grown products such as honey, pickled vegetables and preserves as well as hand crafted gift items is an area we would like to expand into in the future. I encourage women to seek out what they are passionate about and pursue it. Define your dreams and everything will mysteriously fall into perfect place. It is definitely worthwhile and can possibly lead to great success.