I worked at a garden center for $17/hour after getting laid off
This year I spent spring working almost every day at a local garden centre; Here I was paid $17 an hour, just above Massachusetts’ $15 minimum wage. I didn’t make much, but it’s one of the best jobs I’ve ever had.
When I applied, I was running out of money. I was laid off from my job as senior content director in June 2025 as part of top-to-bottom cuts affecting dozens of positions across the organization. By January, my unemployment benefits evaporated. My severance pay was almost over. And my bills didn’t seem to care about any of these facts.
So I started applying for part-time positions while continuing to look for full-time roles in marketing and communications. I was transparent about all of this to the garden center hiring managers, who kindly added me to their team.
For about two months, I spent about nine hours outside, many days a week, in all kinds of weather, doing physical labor and assisting customers with questions about flowers, herbs, and vegetables. I was exhausted after a change I had never had in my previous roles, and I loved every minute.
After a few weeks of work, I understood why this job was so important to me.
1. I was surrounded by plants and wildlife
New England had had a long, cold, snowy winter and I was sick of it. I was also tired of spending fruitless hours searching for jobs online, networking, and applying for positions that left me disappointed or rejected. Being at the garden center nourished my soul and reset my mind.
2. I must serve people
I have always enjoyed helping others but have never worked in retail. In my first days of work, I noticed that everyone who visited the garden center was happy. They walked in smiling, relieved that winter was finally over, and left with the flowers I helped them pick. I was happily selling it and sending it home.
3. I regained a sense of purpose and identity
Without a job, I felt invisible. With a job, I felt seen, useful, and purposeful again.
I was devastated when I got fired from my dream job last year. It felt like a spiritual amputation. The organization’s leaders talked about employees as if we were one big, global family, and I believed it. When I lost my job, I didn’t know who I was anymore.
Working at the garden center gave me the opportunity to return to my roots (pardon the pun) as a farm girl who loved the reward that came after a hard day’s work.
4. I got out of my head and into my body
The days seem endless when you’re looking for a job. I struggled with these questions for hours: Am I looking in the right places? Why did they reject me? Do I need to change profession? Will I be able to find another job? Is there something wrong with me? It was a complete mind game.
While working at the garden centre, Leslie Friday scheduled job interviews on her days off.
Courtesy of Leslie Friday
Physical labor kept me from going through this endless whirlwind of questions and allowed me to focus on the task at hand: watering the flowers. Unload the trucks. Stock tables. Help customers. Repeat. Breathe. Relax.
5. I felt less alone
Employment often provides an automatic community of people with similar interests and ideals. Many of my former co-workers had become good friends over the years. When my colleagues and I were laid off, we weren’t allowed to say a proper goodbye. As time went by, I felt ashamed and lonely because of my unemployment.
My new colleagues at the garden center shared my interest in plants, gardening and wildlife and welcomed me wholeheartedly. I made friends, played with customers’ dogs, and got to know the regulars. I found my people.
6. My managers were kind and caring
I haven’t experienced good management in years. My last bosses created a toxic work environment where people were afraid to speak up, question authority, or make mistakes.
In turn, my garden center managers knew that I was a single mother with three school-aged children. They scheduled me as many hours as my co-parenting would allow and remembered which days I had to leave early for school pick-up. I will be forever grateful for their kindness and generosity.
7. I made little money and it didn’t matter
My paychecks were modest. But after my first shifts, I calculated how much I was making and thought about what bills I could pay. I knew the job would never cover all my expenses and that I would have to rely on savings to stay afloat. Yet somehow I felt like $17 an hour saved my life.
A new business blooming
During my time at the garden centre, I arranged a few interviews for full-time roles in my field and scheduled these for my days off. I received a winning offer on the 365th day of leaving my job. I’m now a month into my new role as director of communications for a nonprofit healthcare organization, and I couldn’t be happier.
It all feels a little surreal. I am surrounded by kind people and strong leaders who want to help others. I work hard and have fun. And I am financially stable once again. But it was never just about money, nor is it now. It was about finding me again. It was a wonderful detour through flowers and new friends, and it took me a year, but I’m finally home.
And I still work at the garden center every Sunday.
Leslie Friday She is the Director of Communications at The Max Foundation, a global not-for-profit health organization that helps people living with cancer and rare diseases in more than 80 low- and middle-income countries access medicines, diagnostics and support services. She is an author, lawyer, and mother of three children and an adorable dog. He grew up on a farm in the Midwest but now happily calls New England home.
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