Who We Are:

Jillian Eads, owner & operator

Hey! My name is Jill, I’m a former high school teacher turned entrepreneur with a passion for plants and design. In 2018, as many educators do, I was looking for a supplemental part time job. I had begun to notice that spending 40 hours / week in an interior classroom with no windows, no sunshine and no fresh air was negatively affecting my mental and physical health. Spending more of my daily routine outdoors became something I knew I needed to prioritize. With previous experience in horticulture, I started working part-time at a well established local nursery & garden center. Pretty quickly I could feel a noticeable difference in my overall health and happiness. The time spent in the sun and getting my hands in the “dirt” with creative projects was so healing! That got the ball rolling for what would become a passion project turned profession…

Lacy Counts, tech guru & assistant designer

Hi, I’m Lacy Counts! Mom of two, graphic designer, front end web developer and astrology enthusiast. With a background education in design for sustainability from the Savannah College of Art & Design (S.C.A.D), I have always had an interest in the process of product manufacturing and how it affects our planet. Fatigued from spending most working hours behind a screen, I found myself wanting to pick up where my furniture design studies had left off. Instead of building things online, I wanted to build things IRL. Joining my love for local product and food sourcing with an eye for aesthetics, I enjoy helping people utilize nature and community to enhance their everyday lives.

Why “Eight 5 Outdoors”?

August 5, 2016 - While out with mutual friends, we met for the first time and very quickly discovered that night was our(!?) birthday. Exactly 365 days apart, time went on and we began to discover a string of other things we had in common (for example, both our moms are named Carla and we both have a redheaded younger sister). Energized by new challenges with an entrepreneurial mindset, the overwhelming commonalities were a love for creative design, working with our hands, and spending time outdoors.

Although just a nugget of an idea for a few years, eventually, our shared interests and “we could build that” attitude snowballed into a yin and yang dynamic that became Eight 5 Outdoors.

Then in 2020…

What started in the name of health and hygiene created a shift in our culture. For most of us, spending time with family and friends now meant being outside. Perhaps utilizing outdoor areas of our homes or businesses that prior to the pandemic had gone unused or unnoticed.

But what if you don’t have much plant care knowledge? Or don’t have the time to research design styles or maintain the plants yourself?

That’s where Eight 5 Outdoors comes in.

Our business is the culmination of a love for plants, an eye for design, fresh air and good times. We want to give you a boutique horticultural design experience that gets you enjoying more time outdoors in whatever capacity works for you and your lifestyle.

While our shared birthday was our business’ original namesake, it has since taken on a new meaning as we now find ourselves having fun in the sun and working outdoors from “8:00 to 5:00”.

Can’t wait to meet you! Keep an eye out for upcoming Planters & Pints events around STL this spring and fall.

Meet the Crew

Emily Potts, assistant designer & crew leader

She’s crafty, she’s creative, she can build anything. Mom of two boys and wife to a funny guy in finance, Emily is our go to gal for Pinterest quality designs that will knock your socks off every single time.

Nicki Goessmann, general labor & special projects

Vintage clothing queen, resident comedian and tchotchkes collector. Mom to a teenage son, Red Bull and Sour Patch Kids fuels one of the most creative brains on the planet. Nicki can figure out a creative solution for most any problem.

Clarissa Joyce, cut floral design & bookkeeper

She’s book smart AND street smart - Clarissa keeps our numbers in line and creates amazing cut floral arrangements for the Le Meridien Hotel Clayton and by request for special events. Check out our Cut Floral Design page to see her work.

Sarah Fuller, general labor & transportation

Everyone’s favorite cousin- she’s beauty and muscles! With the strength of 10 men, Sarah can sling a 50lb bag of soil in her minivan with ease. You’d never believe she’s a soccer mom of five. New to container gardening she can turn all the scrappy misfit plants into the most beautiful garden arrangement you’ve ever seen.

Cathy Foust, general labor & perennial expert

Cathy is our most experienced gardener and a perennial garden guru. She can create an outdoor space that transports you into another realm, just go check out her backyard! No wonder Emily is so creative - she get’s it from her mama.

When not deep diving into new project ideas for Eight 5, I spend my time with my husband Mike Rood owner of Squeegee Clean STL and our daughter Juni and good boy Mo. We’re two entrepreneurs just trying to ‘make it’ and have fun along the way. We call Maplewood, MO our home most of the time but reside in Bucerías, Mexico when it gets cold.

When I’m not spending my time working on projects for Eight 5, I run my own creative design business Built x Lacy. But my favorite job is being Nova & Luna’s mom, the little drops of sunshine who run our home also in Maplewood, MO.