Good Neighbor Podcast Northport
Bringing Together Local Businesses and Neighbors of Tuscaloosa and Northport!
Good Neighbor Podcast Northport
Everlasting: Crystal Buck's Journey to Grace and Community
Join us on a journey as we sit down with Crystal Buck, the founder of Everlasting in Northport, and discover the inspiring story of her rise from selling on Facebook marketplace to becoming a local business sensation. Crystal shares intimate details of how her entrepreneurial spirit soared after the heartbreak of losing her first child. She transformed her grief into hope for others through her unique gift, home, and soon-to-be garden shops. Her commitment to faith-based, inspirational products and deep relationships with artisans infuse Everlasting with an undeniable charm that resonates with the community and customers alike.
During our conversation, we were captivated by Crystal's ability to weave personal tragedy into a tapestry of support and healing, proving that businesses can thrive with purpose and soul. The heartfelt way she selects each item for Everlasting's shelves speaks volumes about her dedication to uplifting others. As we conclude, we extend an invitation to our Northport family to nominate their cherished local businesses for a feature on the Good Neighbor Podcast, strengthening the ties that make our community thrive. #GNPNorthport #EverlastingNorthport #NorthportAL #Tuscaloosa #Gift #Gifts #Home #HomeDecor #InteriorDesign #InteriorDecor #Furniture #ShopLocal #Decor #Design
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Patricia Blondheim.
Speaker 2:Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. I'm your host, Patricia Blondheim, and today we have good neighbor Crystal Buck, and Crystal is the owner of Everlasting in Northport.
Speaker 3:Crystal, how are you thislasting in Northport Crystal?
Speaker 2:how are you this morning? Hey there, Good, it's a good Monday. It is a great Monday. It's a great Monday because I get to meet you and talk about Everlasting and you have gone through quite a bit of growth now have a gift shop, gardens, a home store and a website. Would you like to kind of unpack that for me?
Speaker 3:Yes, it is a lot. It's even surprising to myself, to be really honest, but Everlasting has grown over just the last few years and we now have really four parts to our business, have really four parts to our business. We have a website, we have a gift shop in downtown Northport, we have a home store in downtown Northport and we also are opening up a garden shop within really the next few days, and so there is a lot going on with Everlasting, and so there is a lot going on with Everlasting Well, tell our listeners about your journey, Crystal.
Speaker 2:How did you end up here?
Speaker 3:That's an interesting story. Yes, so I actually. It started from here at home. I'm actually recording this here with you through, I guess, a Zoom type setting, but I am at home and all of this started from home back about, I'd say, about 11 plus years ago. No, it's actually been about 13 years ago. Everlasting was formally established approximately 11 years ago. It will be exactly 11 years on Wednesday, so in two days.
Speaker 3:But we I just started selling some things from home, just some things that I wanted to change and get rid of, and it really started through that.
Speaker 3:I started selling those things on Facebook, like I said, about 13 years ago, and I it really just started from there. It really kind of shocks me when I look back and think about it, but it started from home and we have just grown and evolved over the years to what we are now, and it's always kind of interesting at this point to see what's next, because I never had any of this planned whatsoever. I always say that to people. I just I never in my wildest dreams could have ever imagined that I would be a business owner, much less, you know, continuing to grow. So who knows what's next? I know that I have plenty going on, so I don't necessarily need a what's next. I'm a mom and a wife and active in my community and our church, and so I don't necessarily need anything else to keep me busy. But we'll see where God leads and where he provides, or what he provides, we'll see where God leads and where he provides or what he provides.
Speaker 2:So I'd like you to kind of describe for people who have not been to Everlasting what what the vibe of your shop is. There's a very specific reason or there's a very special. I think Everlasting is special what I'm trying to say and it has a very special. It has a very special vibe. I guess that's just the only way to say it. Can you kind of describe Everlasting for our listeners?
Speaker 3:Yes, definitely so, with our gift shop. I would describe it as an inspirational gift shop. A lot of our items are inspirational, faith-based type items and very unique local items. Many of the items in our shop are all made in the United States. Not everything is. We love things from all over the world, so we have a little bit of everything in there, but many of our items are locally made. And it started out kind of here just in our area in Northport, tuscaloosa, and then it kind of grew out to Alabama items and then now we're kind of, you know, we started having items from across the South and then it's just kind of expanded to items from across the country.
Speaker 3:But you know, artwork, candles, pottery, jewelry, woodwork. I'm sure I'm leaving some things off, but a lot of those items that are in our shop are made in the United States. And what's really neat about it is that on many of those, I guess from those companies or those vendors, I actually get to work hand in hand with some of them. So you know they ask me for you know what? What are people asking for? What do people want? What do you think about this? Or I just tell them hey, make this, or change the color or add a ribbon here. So that's been really neat to get to work with all of, I guess, the artisans and the makers, and you know, I know what they can do and what they're capable of and they're so amazing. And then I also know the other side of things. You know how things present, what customers are asking for, what they want, what they like, and so I get to kind of be the bridge between those two things and I've just always loved that.
Speaker 3:I love, I guess, things that people make and getting to meet the people who make them. And over the years I've even been able to meet people, not necessarily in person, but in different ways. I've been able to communicate with people even overseas who make our things, and so I love that. I love getting to meet and talk to people and I'm always so amazed at what they make and how they make it and to hear their story, because a lot of these they have stories and you know there are reasons why they make those things and getting to know those and even to hear you know how they use, you know what they make to give back to their communities or, you know, to provide for their families, and so that is always. It's kind of exciting, I guess, and it's encouraging, and that's really probably one of the things that just keeps me going and pushes me. It's, in my own way, it's kind of doing for others, and so it's been really neat over the years to see how everlasting has impacted not only myself, my family, but now I really kind of see it impacting others through you know, whether, even if it's just providing a temporary, you know job for somebody through college or something like that.
Speaker 3:I probably need to write down all of those different stories and situations, because that's one thing that I really wish that I could share more of with you.
Speaker 3:Know our customers, because they us. There are so many people behind the scenes that they are actually supporting. You know, many people think if they support a local business, they're supporting a family. Well, yes, my family, my husband and I, my daughter but you know, my mom works for us and so we have another employee she's a mom and we have two others right now that are local college students, and even all the people that make things for us. It's really supporting really hundreds of people. I really wish we could do the math on that, but the reality is that we probably never would be to to see how many people are really being impacted. So I'm a huge supporter and proponent of shopping local because I know and I've seen firsthand just the impact that that that has and then also I'll mention this what it does in a community to organizations organizations that we give back to and support and maybe even volunteer for at times. Our customers supporting us enables us to do a lot of good.
Speaker 2:Small businesses in the community. They're generators of so much growth social growth, financial growth. They're the unsung heroes of any city.
Speaker 3:That's how I feel I agree, and I actually learned. You know we call ourselves small business and I feel like we definitely are, but I learned through COVID that A small business is actually considered I think it's about 500 and under employees. Obviously, we're nowhere near that. So I like to say we're a micro, tiny business and really we're probably even smaller than that. I don't know what the statistics are, but we are a super tiny business. We are, even though we're growing. But I always say tiny is mighty.
Speaker 2:So Tiny is mighty. Exactly what do you do for fun, Crystal, when you're not working? I mean you're a busy woman, Do you have?
Speaker 3:time to have fun.
Speaker 3:Well, I'm actually blessed in the sense that what I do for a living is what I love. So, you know, there's the the, the quote and the saying about if you do what you love, you never have to work a day in your life, and I think that that definitely pertains to me. I just love everything that I get to do through the business and that's really fun to me. I know that sounds a little crazy, but I do have fun with that and my family is a part of it, so they're getting to be basically at work with me and so that if I didn't have that then I think it would be a little different. But I am working with my family a lot and but for fun, we do like to travel.
Speaker 3:We are actually trying to travel more this year specifically, and we're just in a different season now that we are able to do that. My daughter is a little older now and we just want to get out more. So traveling I would definitely add on the list, even though I haven't done a lot of that just yet Traveling and it's funny though, because even when I'm traveling, I'm in my own way, I'm working and I'm also kind of seeing. You know just when I travel, I kind of see how people do things and what I like about their community, and oh, look at that, we should do that, or oh, I wish our community had this kind of event. And so, in my own way, I'm still working, but I'm getting to, you know, get out of town and see something different and be with my family, and so that's a win-win for me.
Speaker 2:Has there been in your life, you know, a challenge that distinguished itself by making you a better person?
Speaker 3:Yes, and so that is a huge part of my life and it has been really probably for the entire, almost the entire time that I have been in business. So my husband and I had our first baby in 2013. And that is actually the year that I had formally set up the business Everlasting and our first baby and he was born really early and he very suddenly, very unexpected, and he he lived almost four days and so that happened, like I said it, really, in a way, it all happened at once while we were, you know, opening a business, starting a business, and he was born and I had always planned and hoped that I, the reason I wanted to go into business was that it was my way to to still provide for our family but also have my babies as a part of, um, what I did and um, so that just completely changed my life. It changed our family's life, not just my husband's and I's lives, but it just completely changed my life, everything that I do and really everlasting. We have, as I mentioned, four parts. We have a gift shop, and part of that came from. Really, that's kind of where I feel like the gift shop really became an inspirational gift shop. My mom started making some wooden angels in memory of our little boy and everyone wanted one and it really just it grew from there and I was able to see how people were impacted by those wooden angels and who they were giving them to and why they were giving them to them and just how meaningful they were to them. And I knew how meaningful they were to us and so really that's where the inspirational gift part of our business, I would most definitely say that's where it came from.
Speaker 3:Had we not have gone through that and you know things would not touch me the way that they do and everything. At Everlasting every single thing, I'm the buyer. At Everlasting every single thing, I'm the buyer, so I buy for all the locations and I am. I spend hours on that.
Speaker 3:Sometimes I think too many hours, but you know I've really looked for unique items, things that I know that if they jump out at me and they touch me and I, you know, I know that they're for somebody else and I usually wait for the items that, like I said, they just kind of jump out at me and they just sometimes they make me cry, sometimes they make me happy, Sometimes they make me laugh, smile, but I know that when an item touches me in such a way I know that it's for someone else and I never know who that's for.
Speaker 3:And sometimes that's the neat part about being in business, because I'll maybe purchase a sign that says something really special on it and we have it in one of our locations and to see a customer come in and get moved by by the sign or whatever it be in the same way or maybe even in a completely different way, that's always really special to me. I know over the years customers and I have we've laughed, we've cried together and just to see how they've been moved by things it really makes being in business worthwhile.
Speaker 2:You know that's part of what I love about going everlasting is that everything there has a sort of bespoke quality to it, like it feels really personal. I would buy that and it would be mine and mine alone. Yeah, so I love that. I hate that you had to go through just that appalling sadness to get there, but isn't it wonderful? I think it's wonderful how you came out and you delivered a gift through your own pain and everlasting.
Speaker 3:Is that gift Right? Yes, and I think, you know, that's not something that I could ever do. That's something that I think only God could do. And it's been amazing to see God work in my life but in the lives of those around me, and you know really, you hear, you know beauty from ashes. That is most certainly been the case, but to see what he has done through our pain.
Speaker 3:For me personally, everlasting has been a ministry for me. It's been a ministry for me personally, but also something that I can, in my way, give back and also it's been healing for me. I've been able to pour really my heart into it and everything else and it's kept me busy and it's helped me, you know, tell people our story and also minister to others who maybe have a similar story. Or many times our story it lines up with people who maybe have not lost a child but they've gone through their own difficult circumstance and we can just relate. It's just been amazing the different stories and opportunities that that I've had to talk to people, you know, even just in our shop, through text messages sometimes. And you know, I do wish that that people could see more, see more of that and could hear more of that. But I just know in my heart that you know, god has been in this business all along. He gave the business to me. I feel like it's not something that I did, he has just done it through me. He has provided everything and you know, that's why I say I don't know what's next, because I don't know what he's going to provide next, I don't know what direction he's going to lead, and just want to continue to do. You know what he wants me to do.
Speaker 3:And recently I'd heard something that really struck me and it was about the word busy. No one likes the word busy and I'm a busy person. I have a lot going on, but it just I just something about that didn't seem right. But recently I heard that instead of using the word busy, it's serving, use the word serve. And I've really thought about that, because a lot of the things that I do, they keep me busy, but I'm busy serving. And when I saw that I can't remember if I saw it or I read it somewhere, but it really struck me and I thought, yes, I am serving, I'm not necessarily busy, I'm serving and I would much rather be serving than being busy. So hopefully somebody listening will relate to that and can see that. You know, it's not so much that they're they're busy, but they're they're serving and we want to serve all that we can.
Speaker 2:I love that. That's in, that intention is behind everything that you do. I guess busy can be serving with a purpose, right? Yes, definitely, that's wonderful. How can listeners learn more about Everlasting and how can they find you?
Speaker 3:Definitely so. We are located in historic downtown Northport. All three of our locations are there on Main Avenue and on our website. You can get a lot of our contact information there, and that is everlastinginspiredlivingcom. And then also we are on all social media platforms, especially Facebook and Instagram, and you can find us there at Everlasting Inspired Living, and a lot of our contact information is there, as well as pictures and things, so that you can really see, or they can really see, what type of items we have. The majority of our items are on our website, but we have many more that are not on the website, that are in our locations only, and so a lot of those are the really unique items that are made you know what I say or what I call locally, even though it's across the country, and so those are the ways that people can find us.
Speaker 2:Well, I hope a lot of listeners will go in and let Everlasting touch their lives and their homes. It's been great sitting down with you, Crystal. Thank you so much for sharing this with me.
Speaker 3:Thank you for having me. I really appreciate it.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast, northport. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpnorthportcom. That's gnpnorthportcom, or call 205-809-4910.