Our Story
Welcome! My name is Melissa Smith, and I am the founder of Lucky Leaf VB.
As a 5th generation native of Virginia Beach, Va., I have lived my whole life in an area saturated with nature from the beach to botanical gardens. Reflecting on my childhood through conversations with my parents, I have always been an outdoor girl, in love with all things in nature.
Along with my “tree hugger” abilities, I spent more than 2 decades in healthcare because I wanted to help others. This journey began in 2002 in a community hospital pharmacy where I worked with the most loved team of people. After a decade, at the close of my pharmacy years, one of the most respected people I have ever met gave me a book called ‘The Leadership Challenge’ and told me I had to move on. This pivotal moment was tremendously hard because I loved my job and those I worked with, however, I knew I was meant for greater things. So, I tearfully ventured away from familiarity at 32 years old and began navigating healthcare leadership. After serving many roles as Practice Manager, Director and finally Vice President, the catastrophic pandemic took affect and certainly took a toll on me personally. At this time I was wearing many hats in the post-acute care setting to where we were surrounded by demise and depression. Not only the patients, but providers and myself included. It was a time that I needed my connection with nature more than ever.
Each day when I returned home from my role as an executive leader I spent time in our garage to keep germs away from my family. My stress level was at a peak and I needed to have something I could control and that was positive. I had written down the statement ‘if you follow your passion it will lead to your purpose’ and I routinely read this to myself. Except I had forgotten my passion until soon thereafter, I was visiting my dear friend April. She had pie pans with soil and succulent leaves lining the top. After asking her what it was, my curiosity began and I found myself ordering multiple books about houseplants. I read all of them, marking pages, highlighting information and then propagating plants in the garage.
My innate love for nature resurfaced in a way I had not previously experienced. Our home became filled with multiple varieties of plants from typical to unusual houseplants. Most importantly I found a sense of peace and prosperity in caring for these plants.
In late 2022, I learned about a place called the Painted Tree that had recently opened in Virginia Beach. After visiting the store I remember coming home to tell my family that I was going to open a plant shop in this store. I’m pretty sure they thought the plants had gotten a hold of me!
With the help of my husband, Pat and Mom, Susan, I opened my little shop on May 9, 2023.
You see ‘Lucky’ I am and ‘Leaf’ I love, so as of today I am blessed to be known as the plant lady who used to mix medications and now mixes dirt.
