OUR FOUNDER
"I was born and raised in San Francisco in the 1980s in Visitacion Valley. My paternal relatives immigrated from Southern China by way of Hong Kong and my maternal relatives arrived from Burma (Myanmar).
Over the span of two decades, my mother owned several notable restaurants in San Francisco including Tumbleweed Cafe, Port Deli, Cybelle's Pizza, and Tart to Tart. At 8-years-old, I was eager to help out with wiping down menus, setting and bussing the tables. My experience in my mother's restaurants allowed me to connect with other locals and tourists, and I truly fell in love with my community.
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At 17-years-old, I decided to come out to my parents. They didn't know how to support a gay child and unfortunately kicked me out. It took over two years to reconcile, but I learned to be independent early on.
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In college, I majored in African Studies and worked in refugee resettlement after I graduated. My interests later brought me to law school in Hawai`i, where I focused on social justice, LGBT civil rights, and immersed myself in native Hawaiian politics.
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In 2013, I used my savings to open up a brick and mortar shop in San Bruno; the first iteration of The Garden Home. I always maintained another job working in nonprofit organizations and event taught community college for a year.
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In 2015, I set out to become a foster parent, and have since fostered three children and am blessed to have adopted my now seven-year-old daughter. I moved The Garden Home to San Francisco on March 1st, 2020, and a couple of weeks later we went into lock-down.
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The Garden Home remains a passion (and hopefully one I can carry forward for years to come). I'm thankful to the Bay Area community (and abroad!) for the years of support. Know that your patronage goes a long way in uplifting our family and helping us all pursue our dreams.
In 2020, I'm also an aspiring children's book author.
I still have a ton of passion for all things botanical, and am always cultivating new projects to share with all of you. I hope you'll follow us on social media, sign up to get our newsletter, and continue to see all that we have in store!"
-- Adam C.
OUR SHOP
Our family has collected vintage treasures for over three-generations and offer a curated selection of decor items. We strive to be environmentally conscious and that means making the decision to have a "green" business where we upcycle and reuse whatever we can. We're proud to offer quality vintage pieces and let our customers know that the items they purchase give these unique treasures a second chance.
Our shop also offers a variety of air plants, succulents, and cut flowers. We grow all of our succulents and source our flowers locally to limit our carbon footprint. We also offer botanical workshops for corporate events and celebrations with loved ones.
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LOOK LEFT, RIGHT, UP, AND DOWN
We have framed art, brass pieces, jade carvings, porcelain vessels, and beautiful wood figurines. We try to maximize every nook and corner to showcase our inventory. Make sure you give yourself enough time to fully look around! You can also shop online.
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EAST MEETS WEST (AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN)
Given our family's background, we offer a larger selection of Asian works of art in the antique category. However, we also carry beautiful tea sets from England, France, and Germany. Take a look around and you'll still find carvings from Africa and Polynesia, trinket boxes from India, and sculptures from Spain.
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