National Magazine Spreads 'Seeds of Happiness'

Kirkwood's doesn't attend many vendor shows, but it's a good thing the company made it to one in Atlanta earlier this year.

Among the many who stopped by the Seeds of Happiness booth at the vendor show in January was a writer for the national magazine Phyllis Hoffman Celebrate.

"I told her , and she said 'Oh my gosh, we got to do a feature on you,'" Seeds of Happiness owner Mark Borella said. "We were at the right place at the right time."

Borella and Seeds of Happiness got a page spread in the magazine's April issue which helped expose consumers across the U.S. to Seeds of Happiness.

The Kirkwood company in the business of spreading tiny sculptures of joy has grown significantly . It now has a Kirkwood where Seeds of Happiness are manufactured and shipped across the world. It also has a dynamic social media presence.

"Facebook was really big," Borella said. Customers started taking pictures of their seeds during their travels and posting them to the Seeds of Happiness Facebook page. 

"They've almost become like the Travelocity gnome," Borella said with a chuckle. "We've actually shipped to Europe, Canada and Australia."

The other secret to the business' success is Borella and his positive outlook on life which is reflected at the .

Some of the factory's 13 employees have come to work at Seesds of Happiness after careers in corporate America.

"They come into work and it's a fun environment," Borella said. "We keep it real casual. I don't have an angry bone in my body. I've always been a laid back guy."

For Borella and the Seeds of Happiness team, the Kirkwood business is motivated by a simple desire: to spread the gift of a smile. Thanks to national press coverage, a dynamic Facebook page and an abudnace of positive energy, the business continues to grow.

"It's very humbling," Borella said. "It's absolutely crazy. It makes me smile everyday just to know people are giving people smiles."