Justin was preparing to graduate from law school and take the bar exam in the spring of 2020. When the Stay-at-Home order forced everything to be remote, Justin’s plans to have a career as an attorney changed.
“The legal career that I had anticipated was totally derailed. The bar exam was postponed numerous times, and the graduation that I had looked forward to celebrating with my friends and colleagues went virtual. I found myself with much more time on my hands. That is when Lepley & Co. began. First, a blog, in April of 2020, and then by May, it had transformed into a "pop-up" plant stand outside our Goodyear Heights home. It quickly evolved into something more substantial.
I am fortunate that I was able to stay connected with those closest to me. The biggest personal effect of the pandemic was a quiet mourning of how I thought life was going to go. Although I loved the new journey I was on, I still felt a sense of missing out on a legal career.
Starting multiple businesses during a time of economic turmoil posed unique challenges which caused us to be adaptive and creative at every decision, pivot, and failure. But it also made EVERY decision harder than it might have been, from sourcing products to navigating business in a world that had been so disrupted.
The biggest personal change that I experienced was a new relationship with Akron. We bought our house in 2017. I had gotten to know the city over those few years, but having commuted to Cleveland for School, I didn't get to know the people that make this city so special. That all changed during the pandemic. Ironically, an event that made everyone social distance gave me the opportunity to meet my neighbors in the front yard, talking about plants. In August of 2020, it led Lepley & Co. to join the vibrant community that is Northside Marketplace. Our local Councilwoman congratulated me on our new business. I met Autumn (the artist behind this series), who, I might add, just photographed my partner and me at our wedding this month. It created personal connections that I don't think would have happened had the pandemic not occurred.
There is no world where I would have imagined the life that I am living now. I get to wake up every day and live my passions. From that humble plant stand, sharing mint plants with my neighbors, our portfolio has grown to include Lepley & Co. (now a full-service plant and florist shop); Northside Marketplace (which houses about 140 unique entrepreneurs); Nomz (the bar and restaurant inside the Marketplace); Rubber City Comics, and we participate in a host of philanthropy and community building efforts through the Lepley & Co. Cares Fund. In total, our team comprises over 30 individuals who make what we do happen every day. I cannot say that I am grateful for the pandemic, as it caused so much devastation for so many. But I am grateful for where life has gone. With so little control in this life, our happiness often comes down to what we can make of it all.
I am grateful to Autumn and Portraits of a Pandemic, not only for sharing a piece of my story but for building a community of its own by sharing the unique and beautiful stories of my friends and neighbors. Everyone has a story that is worthy of being shared.”
September 2020
Goodyear Heights