Share about your life journey and how you found yourself living and working in the City Heights community.
I was raised in City Heights and am now raising my family here. My grandfather owned one of the first businesses on Home Avenue, and my dad, Farmer Bill, started a plant nursery in 1972 at the age of 16. My siblings and I grew up on the nursery property, and I’ve worked at the nursery almost my entire life.
With parents who were very involved in the local schools, we set up gardens and encouraged access to plants and animals by hosting field trips to the nursery. We even brought chickens, ducks, and occasionally our horse to “show and tell” days at school. My siblings and I attended local schools and graduated from Crawford High School. Growing up in City Heights taught me that there’s really no place like this community. It’s a microcosm of the wider world and full of incredible people from every walk of life.
Describe your current role and what you have enjoyed the most.
Currently, my sister and I are fortunate to carry on the legacy of City Farmers Nursery as the next generation of stewards of a business that has called City Heights home for 54 years. It has always struck me as fitting that we’re located on Home Avenue.
We enjoy offering a wide selection of plants and resources for homesteading and gardening to the community. What we carry has been shaped by our neighbors, with City Heights’ unique makeup serving as both an inspiration and an introduction to different fruits, vegetables, and growing methods from around the globe. When our neighbors share the agricultural practices of their countries of origin, we understand that they also want to share those traditions with their families and younger generations. We’re proud to help provide those opportunities here.
We also highlight local nonprofits through our Community Combine, a rotating program that collects donated goods in usable condition for organizations that need them, keeping those items in use and out of landfills. We support local groups like San Diego Canyonlands in maintaining our canyon spaces, donate materials to school gardens throughout City Heights, and even worked with programs during the pandemic to get our customers’ excess homegrown produce to neighbors in need. We’ve found that plants and gardening can bring communities together across generations, languages, and socioeconomic differences.
What accomplishments and impacts are you most proud of with your work in the City Heights community?
I’m most proud of being able to support the community by highlighting amazing nonprofits, serving as a hub where organizations can come together, and spreading the word about local events. It’s not just about having a nursery; it’s about being a community resource.
We’ve hired talent from the neighborhood, watched kids grow up and return to the nursery with their own children, and continued to provide a free way for community members to see farm animals and learn about our sustainability efforts. We try our best to support and share what our community is doing because there’s such a long legacy here.
What changes have you experienced in City Heights over the years? What partners have been instrumental in this change?
City Heights is unique and fortunate to have so many mom-and-pop businesses in one community. From the car culture of mechanics and auto body shops to cultural organizations, temples, gathering spaces, tailors, accountants, glass shops, and, of course, the incredible range of restaurants, there’s a variety here that you just can’t find anywhere else in the city.
It’s exciting to see some of these places transition to the next generation, but it’s also sad to see others fade away as the neighborhood changes. As a small business owner, I’m very aware of those changes. Ensuring our neighbors continue to have access to and awareness of independent businesses is important to us. We often meet people who have just gotten off the freeway, and we’re always encouraging them to travel up the Euclid hill and really see what the neighborhood has to offer.
Is there anything that has surprised you the most over the years as a resident of and advocate for City Heights?
Knowing how much work it takes to operate a small business in the middle of the city, it’s been great to see so many businesses thrive. It’s also exciting to see City Heights receive attention for the cultures represented here and bring people in from other neighborhoods.
We’re always learning about new restaurants and stores in the neighborhood. We love when someone tips us off to seasonal fruit at a local market or introduces us to places like Foodshed on Fairmount, with its local farmer’s market. It’s been great getting to learn about farmers from around the county, all selling at a convenient spot just a mile from the nursery.
In your opinion, what are the most important challenges facing the community of City Heights today?
Continuing to bring resources into the community while keeping access and inclusion top of mind is incredibly important, particularly for new refugees to our neighborhood, as well as our community’s youth, seniors, and people with disabilities.
We appreciate organizations like San Diego Refugee Tutoring and the mutual aid organization Water & Kindness, as well as those who provide library programming, after-school opportunities, public transportation, and neighborhood cleanups. We have transit, but we’re not a commuter neighborhood. Keeping the community connected, engaged, and uplifted means keeping City Heights City Heights.
What lessons have you learned throughout your efforts that you would like to pass on to others?
We try and try again. It’s as simple as that. Keep the momentum going. Over time, by working with many different groups, we can create long-term impact.
Do you mind sharing with us a bit about your life outside of your work? What are your other passions, talents, and hobbies that you enjoy?
I enjoy surfing, woodworking, and spending time with my family. I also love great food, including places like Pho Hoa and Key & Cleaver, and discovering hard-to-find exotic fruits at our local markets, such as seasonal fresh lychee, soursops, and cherimoya.
What advice or encouraging words would you give youth and families in City Heights?
Find your sense of community in City Heights and venture out. There are people throughout the neighborhood who want to help. It’s a community filled with helpers. As one of the most diverse communities in the country, there are so many great groups and activities to get involved with, whether it’s the arts, having a picnic in the park while watching locals play soccer, or exploring our connected canyon system. Even if you move outside of City Heights, it’s a great place to come back to.
Price Philanthropies Foundation recognizes you as a City Heights Hero for all you do for our community, and it is clear you’ve become a hero to those you serve in City Heights. What are your thoughts about this recognition?
I was quite surprised. It made me take a moment to step back and look at how City Farmers Nursery has contributed to the community. It’s an honor to be recognized. It takes many people to do what we do, so I see this as a group recognition. We have a wonderful team that makes what we do possible each day.