Susie Ameche
Let me tell you a little bit about myself and Make Be-Leaves. I married and had my first child when I was 27. My husband served in the military and then on the fire department for 22 years. We realized early on that we yearned for a more creative environment for ourselves, and now our two children as well. I remembered when I was dating my husband and he picked me up from college, we had noticed a yard with artificial plants. As far as I was concerned, I thought they were hideous, but I never forgot the street, and periodically I’d drive by and look them over.
Ultimately, I took odd jobs to supplement our family income. One day I bought my mother a beautiful artificial Ficus Tree. When I saw it, my mind exploded. I thought how cool is this – it’s like a portrait of Mother Nature’s finest work. Like a painting. Plant art, yet I don’t have to water or feed it! I discussed it with my husband and we visited the supplier. Seeing their inventory, I realized there were very few really stunning artificial plant products. I inquired about helping at the store. Basically that fell flat. And in that instant, I didn’t know how I was going to do it, but I decided this is what I wanted to do. This is where the adventure begins. I would design and create amazing lush, green and flowering plants for everyone to enjoy.
Create artificial plants, flowers and trees that Mother Nature would love–the inspiration for Make Be-Leaves…
As fate would have it, my husband decided not to stay with my vision, or me. I found myself a single woman and I needed to make money. I couldn’t set down the inspiration for Make Be-Leaves. Thinking there are so many people who love nature’s design – trees, plants, florals, and landscaping, yet they couldn’t take care of them – they didn’t have a green thumb or the weather made growing plants difficult. Could there be a way to enjoy all the world’s plantscapes – and not worry about maintaining such things year-round? Inspired I found the answer to that question when I realized that I could do it myself – I was so excited!
By this time, I had already started a small office where I was learning fast. I promised myself that I would never make anything that Mother Nature would not approve of. I have never given up on that vision. To this day, three decades later, Make Be-Leaves’ products are the most beautiful in the industry. My kids are all grown up – and they are magnificent. By the way, you might ask yourself how did the name of Make Be-Leaves come to be? There is some disagreement on that, but for me – heaven made it up, and I think it’s cool.
