After spending six years operating The Pink Petunia, Jen Britt knew it was time for a change when the business finally took over almost four rooms in her house. She scouted a retail location in Fayetteville's Haymount neighborhood and signed the lease on Christmas day for 1325 Hay St.
“I said, ‘this will be the best or worst Christmas present I have given myself.’ And it truly has been the best,” she recounted. They’ve been operating out of their new storefront since April of this year.
The Pink Petunia is a specialty shop featuring gifts, monogramming services, custom art, home decorating services, children’s clothes, and more. Britt’s multi-faceted small business is built on decades of experience. She spent 22 years as a national sales manager for five major gift companies. During that time, she traveled to China for product development, ran sales forces nationwide, and designed major show rings in Los Angeles, Dallas, Atlanta, and New York.
Art was always a part of her life too. Though she graduated as a communications major and didn’t pursue a formal art education, her grandmother’s influence early in life pushed her to develop her artistic gifts.
"I was very close with my mom's mom growing up and watched her paint. That's where I really picked it up. So, I dabbled in it early in my 20s. On the side of my real job, I would do hand-painted pillows, indoor-outdoor pillows, and custom-painted orders.”
She continued to expand outside of her day job, decorating homes for Christmas and eventually having a home featured in the downtown loft tour. Hints of her future business venture started to emerge, even influencing her eventual choice of business name.
“Pink is one of my favorite colors, and Petunia was one of my grandmother’s (my Mimi’s) favorite flowers. She loved to garden and the name pays homage to her,” Britt said.
As Britt’s career in the gift industry progressed, she faced decisions that would ultimately open doors for the birth of her small business and her daughter, Walker. Britt and her husband were facing fertility issues, so she quit her corporate job and began the IVF process, which she described as a “round-the-clock” job. While home, she continued to paint custom pillows and pursue home decorating opportunities.
“That's really when Pink Petunia began, and I created a business at my home.”
Then came Walker.
“She is our miracle baby.” Britt gushed. Walker is now 4 and Britt says she’s completely comfortable at the Pink Petunia.
“Now that we're in the storefront, Walker loves to go up to Mommy's store. She calls it the Pink “Tetunia” with a “t”. She loves to come in and make herself at home, speak to the customers and play in mommy’s store. I hope one day that she will take it over. She definitely loves painting and art like I do. I hope that as she grows older, she'll come in here and work alongside me,” Britt said.
Over time, Britt knew hand-painted pillows weren’t sufficient, so she purchased an industrial monogram machine and added it to the list of services.
“Today I’ve expanded to interior decorating and seasonal decoration, especially around Christmas. My interior decorating clients I work with in a multitude of ways — from rebuilds to a refresh of rooms in their homes. I do rebuilds from the ground up, decorate single rooms, and decorate seasonally for fall and Christmas,” said Britt. “There's also the gift shop, custom monogramming, and custom art - where I have commissioned pieces I paint, and you can find a lot in my store. I take commissioned art pieces for homes and businesses. And I just added children's clothing, so that portion is called Little Petunias.”
With something for everyone, Britt is delighted that their new location means more traffic and relationships. Since moving into the Fayetteville community, her customer base has quadrupled.
“Many people that were not aware of my business have come in and shopped with us for the first time. On a day-to-day basis, I’m meeting tons of people who have learned about the Pink Petunia for the first time, and I love that. It's very exciting.”
She’s even seen the development of friendships through The Pink Petunia.
"Many of my clients that come to me as strangers become very good friends.” She loves that these relationships are ongoing, and considers her customers part of “The Pink Petunia family.”
Moving forward, Britt says they’re planning to incorporate fun events into the shopping experience and encourages the community to keep track of The Pink Petunia's Facebook and Instagram pages for updates.

(Photo: Above: The store front of the Pink Petunia is decked out in bright pinks. The store, located at 1325 Hay Street in Haymount, is the brain child of Jen Britt.
Bottom: The inside of the Pink Petunia showcases gifts, monogrammed items, and home decor items. Photos courtesy of Jen Britt)