Today we’d like to introduce you to Dianna Barton.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Plum + Sparrow was born not too long after I had baby number 4. With my first 3, I had used our Pack + Play and always hated how big and bulky it was in our room. Sadly I ended up moving my babies into their cribs sooner rather than later.
So, when I was given a Moses basket for my little girl, it was a whole new world! She slept in that bad boy on the floor next to my bed for the first 6 months of her life…. and no, that is not encouraged on the safety labels. I LOVED our Moses basket. We took her everywhere around the house with us. The Moses basket I was given was your standard natural colored maize husk basket. One day I had the thought, “how bad would it be if the basket was bright and colorful instead of plain”.
That began my search high and low for these Moses baskets. There was NOTHING on the market like it so I knew I had to be the mama that found them and shared them. It took a lot of searching and a lot of failed prototypes, but finally, find artisans who were still weaving and creating these beautiful baskets. It’s been an incredible and crazy 3 years and am so excited for what we have in store for our growth!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My Plum + Sparrow journey has been anything but smooth. Being an entrepreneur is not for everyone and that’s for good reason. It is a lot of hard work filled with more highs and lows than you ever could have imagined. I would have to say the hardest thing for me has been the continual balancing of mama and boss mama.
That internal battle and guilt of feeling like you aren’t giving 100% to your kids or your business. Starting a company usually causes quite an imbalance in your life because naturally it takes the majority of your focus and, if your anything like me, it becomes a slight obsession. It’s only taken me 3 years but I think I’m finally starting to find some sort of a balance.
Please tell us about Plum + Sparrow.
Plum + Sparrow was never just about the beautiful Moses baskets and lifestyle products. I started Plum + Sparrow as a lifestyle brand for the ever-evolving mama. Creating handmade goods to help inspire a village community. That’s what makes me most proud of my company. The community of women and mamas that share and come together to offer support, strength and community to each other. I’m a mama-owned and operated company and love bringing us together.
A little fun fact most people don’t know is that the “Sparrow” in my company name was chosen to represent that. Sparrows, while small and at times overlooked, are beautiful and strong, always working together. They represent joy and protection. Their strength lies in their numbers. They move together, eat together. Always working together. That encompasses what I believe mamahood to be.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
One of my favorite memories from childhood would be spending summers with my grandparents. I come from a family of 5 kiddos, so getting the chance to have all the attention for a whole week was glorious! My grandparents are the best!
My grandpa is still alive and going strong at 98 years young, but my grandma passed about 5 years ago. She was the definition of sunshine. She was smart and witty, graceful and strong. She loved nature, music, her grandchildren and God. When I stayed with her, those weeks were magical. Every morning would start by climbing up in her bed and snuggling up. Then she’d make grandpa open the windows up while we’d sing her favorite morning melody “Good morning to you, good morning to you.
We’re all in our places with sunshiny faces and this is the way to start a new day”… my four siblings and I may or may not still sing that little melody to this day. Then, she would take me on walks to feed the horses and ducks. We’d make necklaces out of candy and paint pictures together out in her sunroom. We’d play songs on the piano, singing so loud and so proud. She’d tell me stories and we’d play pretend. We’d catch tadpoles and frogs.
Finishing off the night making dinner together and always, ALWAYS having dessert.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.plumandsparrow.com
- Email: info@plumandsparrow.com
- Instagram: plumandsparrow
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/plumandsparrow
Image Credit:
Sanford Creative, Dulcet Creative, Rags to Raches, Taryn Kent + Chrissy Powers, Jennie Corti
Getting in touch: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
