Shamong native Missy Bergdoll has pursued her passion for home decor with her own growing business, one inspired by her hometown of Shamong and family roots in the state.
Bergdoll grew up in the township and attended Seneca High School. After graduation, she planned to pursue secondary education at Rowan University, where she double majored in elementary education and English and where a visit from her mother, a fan of home decor, set the wheels in motion for her own business.
The result, called Honey Brook, started in 2017 and had yet another inspiration: her father’s early life on a farm in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Bergdoll, who calls her grandmother the “decorating queen,” said her motto for Honey Brook is “making the home feel more like you.” Her online shop features a wide variety of items from Bergdoll herself. Aside from holiday-based items such as Christmas Santa mugs, floral gift wrap and holiday greenery, the shop also features everyday items like gardening tools and items that change with the seasons.
Bergdoll also incorporates her Shamong surroundings in her products.
“I have a true love of bringing nature inside of my home, so with a lot of pieces that I pick, I have a lot of natural elements, especially where we live,” she explained. “I also pick a lot of things that we might see around our neighborhood,” she added, citing Christmas cards with pine cones on them as an example.
Bergdoll also wants to host multiple open houses for residents in Southampton, where her shop’s warehouse is located, and eventually have showroom space for customers to buy in person rather than just online.
Along with her shop, Bergdoll wants to give back to the community; each year, she chooses a different nonprofit to receive a portion of her holiday sales. This year, she chose the Anna Foundation for Inclusive Education in Medford and Family Promise of Burlington County.
Bergdoll’s passion for business and desire to give back to the community are tied together.
“I think there are two things: one is being able to pursue their home in whatever style they like, whatever makes them happy just being able to make home feel like them,” Bergdoll said of customers. “And then the other thing I think is with my story, is being able to encourage other women to pursue their dreams, to be able to fulfill their passions with whatever area that may be.
“I just want to be able to inspire other women to jump into business and be involved in the communities with their dreams,”
For more information on Honey Brook, visit https://honeybrookshop.com/
