Today we’d like to introduce you to Karen Brace.
Hi Karen, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I have been a licensed wildlife rehabilitator in Virginia since 2012. I started off working only with squirrels and groundhogs and then, in 2016, someone brought me a box containing 11 of the cutest little opossum joeys ever. It was love at first sight. Since then I have been on a mission to rid the world (or at least Virginia) of the misconceptions and misinformation that surround our only native marsupial in the U.S and Canada.
I started Awesome ‘Possumz in early 2019 when it was determined that Stuart, one of my former rehab animals, could not be released back into the wild. The mission of Awesome ‘Possumz is to educate the public about the awesomeness of Virginia opossums. I currently have four opossums who cannot go back to the wild, and we go to senior communities, homeschool groups, schools and various other events around Virginia.
In March of 2022 I opened Possum-bilities Gift Shop and Gallery in historic downtown Fredericksburg. What started as 1600 sq ft space with 16 local artists who rented space, has since turned into 5400 sq ft and over 50 local artists who rent space. Possum-bilities has become a destination for people all over the U.S, and sometimes even outside the U.S,, which never fails to make my husband shake his head in surprise 🙂
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
While starting any small business is never completely smooth, I have been fortunate to have some great people who believed in me and helped me along the way. Probably the most difficult part has been our growing pains. When the business that I sublet space from went out of business in May 2023, my store space went from 1600 sq ft to 5400 sq ft overnight! Having that sort of quick growth required some very fast renovations and inventory additions. I never had to advertise for additional artists though. Word had gotten out in the art community and within no time we had managed to fill all of our newly expanded space. And, we finally had event space!
Keeping the inventory and other store offerings fresh is always an ongoing challenge – but a fun one. I try to come up with new and interesting events, merchandise and other unique things.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
After getting out of the military (AF) in 2001, I started what would become a 20-year career in government security. As things changed, as things do, I no longer felt fulfilled in that line of work…enter opening a “possum shop” in 2022. Some people thought I was crazy to walk away from the security and stability of government work, but it felt right. I had begun to do education programs with the opossums three years earlier and I felt drawn to the education component of it. I had never wanted to be a teacher, but found that I actually enjoyed teaching children and adults alike about these quirky and misunderstood marsupials. Opening a brick and mortar store where people could not only shop for cute opossum merch and local art, but also physically get to meet one of the ambassadors five days a week seemed like the next step.
From the first step into Possum-bilities, you can tell that we are passionate about opossums (and other wildlife)! As far as wildlife rehab, I have specialized in opossums for several years now, but I network with various other rehabbers who have other education animals, and often invite them to the shop to do education programs. Education is still very much at the heart of our mission.
I think that I am most proud of the fact that I have been able to create a place that is very much in need during these trying and often unsettling times. We have become known around town as a “safe space” where everyone is welcome and can feel comfortable and be themselves. We’ve become known as “the place” to go if you’re looking for a unique gift, like an unusual stuffed animal, piece of jewelry or local art. We have folks who come in once a week just to say hi to the animals (we have various reptile and arachnid ambassadors who live at the shop). One of my employees does pigeon rescue so there are generally pigeons in the shop two or three days a week. We have college kids who hang out at the shop when they’re feeling stressed and people always tell us that petting an opossum or looking at our collection of crazy merchandise has “made their day”. We strive to bring joy to everyone who walks through the door!
What matters most to you? Why?
Education. Opossums and so many other animals are so misunderstood and, as a result, often feared. By learning about an animal, you can begin to understand its behavior and, perhaps even learn to appreciate it. Opossums are not the vicious, aggressive animals that some people think they are. When people attend an education program, or come into the shop and meet one of our opossums, it changes their perceptions and helps them to understand that the behaviors that are often deemed as aggressive, are merely defensive. Same thing with snakes, skunks and a lot of other animals. The more humans can learn and understand animal behavior, suddenly the safer the world becomes for both the human AND the animal.
Pricing:
- FREE to come in the shop!
- FREE education events
- There is a program fee for education programs based on size of the group and location.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.awesomepossumz.com
- Instagram: @awesomepossumz1
- Facebook: Possum-bilities in the Burg2
