Half a century tending to plants and customers

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There was a widespread “houseplant craze” when Rudy Daniels founded Leaf & Petal in Mountain Brook Mall in the 1970s, and he intended his garden shop to be different from the competition.

From the beginning, Daniels was committed to the quality of his merchandise and customer service, and as a result, Leaf & Petal has been a Birmingham fixture for five decades.

Now owned by Jamie Pursell, Leaf & Petal serves its customers in four separate locations around Mountain Brook and Birmingham, a testament to the success of their approach.

Pursell joked that he was not even born when Daniels founded Leaf & Petal.

“That’s one point that I’ve always thought was funny and a testament to just how long-running and well-established the Leaf & Petal business is,” Pursell said.

Leaf & Petal’s first location, behind Mountain Brook Mall on Culver Road, made an impression by selling houseplants shipped from Florida. Five years later, the garden shop moved to its present location on Cahaba Road.

When Daniels began his garden shop, his only employee was a recent Mountain Brook High School graduate.

“I had some fabulous young people work for me through the years,” Daniels said. “Some of those employees went on to become doctors and lawyers, while others began their own plant nurseries.”

 Although the Daniels family sold Leaf & Petal to Pursell in 2005, Daniels remained at the shop for seven more years. He “handed over the reins slowly and mentored me,” Pursell said. “He taught me everything I know.”“Rudy trained employees (including me) from day one how to hold the door open for ladies and speak to the clientele respectfully, with old-fashioned Southern manners,” Pursell said. “These are values and manners that we still train our associates to practice to the present day.”

Two longtime employees also stayed through the change in ownership. Wendy Gamble has worked at Leaf & Petal since 1976 and Lanelle Driver, who became their bookkeeper in the 1970s, continues to handle sales reports and remitting monthly sales taxes. 

“We have been so blessed to have so many wonderful and loyal people stay with us,” Pursell said. “This has led to us building real relationships with our customers, our vendors and each other. We truly are a family.”

By 2007, the Pursells had expanded Leaf & Petal to three locations, after acquiring a storefront behind The Summit shopping center and opening the Botanical Gardens Gift Shop through an agreement with The Friends of the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. They expanded to Cahaba Heights in 2018.

Originally offering houseplants, pots, macramé and similar items, Leaf & Petal’s merchandise has expanded to both indoor flowers and larger outdoor plants, including annual flowers, trees, shrubs and seasonal greenery.

Pursell said the garden shop introduced Silvertip fir Christmas trees to Alabama.

“We get excited by finding new and exciting things first and then seeing our customers get excited about the new, beautiful things as well,” he said. “I’ve always thought that Leaf & Petal in so many ways is simply a product of its environment. We hear all the time that we have such beautiful things, but the truth is that Leaf & Petal carries beautiful things because its customers have excellent taste.” 

Leaf & Petal was named the Alabama Retail Association’s 2021 Retailer of the Year, and last year Southern Living magazine named Leaf & Petal the “Best Garden Center in Alabama.” 

The plant shop’s golden anniversary was celebrated earlier this year. “We were very honored by the turnout,” which included the local chamber, city officials, former state Rep. Paul DeMarco and longtime customers, Pursell said. “Everyone was especially excited to see Rudy and how happy he is and how great he looks.”

“There wouldn’t be a Leaf & Petal if it wasn’t for the customers,” Daniels said. “We were really blessed.”

Leaf & Petal’s original location is at 2817 Cahaba Road, Suite 2322. Learn more about their products and locations at leafnpetal.com.