A lifelong Riverside-Avondale resident who has grown up with the neighborhood, Lauren Henry embodies the optimistic energy that seems to be reverberating throughout Jacksonville’s historic districts these days.
“Growing up in the neighborhood and seeing it evolve over the last almost 40 years has been inspiring to see,” said Henry.
As a kid, Henry split her time between her mother in Riverside and her father in Ponte Vedra. She attended Landrum Middle School and Nease High School, where she played volleyball.
She eventually earned a volleyball scholarship to Winthrop University in South Carolina. After a year, however, she felt burnout beckoning and home calling and opted to transfer schools to complete her education at FSCJ and UNF, where she majored in communications and minored in photography; after graduating, she worked in marketing and social media.
While she only played collegiate volleyball for a short time, her love for the sport – and for teaching others – did not diminish. For the past three years, she’s coached the traveling club volleyball team at the YMCA, working with various age groups from eight to 16.
“It’s a way to step back into it,” said Henry.
In addition to volunteering at the Y, she also volunteers her time on Riverside Avondale Preservation’s parks committee. In that role, Henry works with the liaisons for various green spaces to address each park’s needs. Her favorite local parks?
“Willowbranch has a huge place in my heart, but I think my favorite park in our neighborhood is Fishweir. I lived on that park for a couple years, and it’s just a hidden gem,” said Henry.
In the short amount of time she’s served on the parks committee, Henry says she has found value in building relationships, starting conversations and helping create goals for the committee.
“My biggest win has been taking the time to understand what’s happening within neighborhood parks – not just at a surface level, but by listening, asking questions and learning where things have worked and where they’ve fallen short in the past,” said Henry.
She is especially excited about the upcoming improvements to local parks, including a new playground at Fishweir Park, the labyrinth at Peace Memorial Park, and the Willowbranch Creek stabilization.
“We haven’t seen this type of movement ever, in my opinion,” said Henry.
Now three years into running The Greenhouse Bar in Brooklyn, she also cherishes the opportunity to participate in the neighborhood as a small business owner. The plant and coffee shop was born out of the pandemic-era plant boom and Henry’s passion for interior design, which she credits as coming from her mother.
“She’s inspired me within our own homes growing up along with her style and confidence,” said Henry. “Her background has always been in furniture and design, so it was natural that I grew to love it.”
As for her use of plants to decorate interiors, Henry sees it as a big ‘80s trend that has circled back since the pandemic.
“I was just lucky to fall in love with using plants in my own home as interior design pieces prior,” explained Henry.
Henry worked in bars and restaurants since she was 18 and got deeply involved in making sangria after her kids were born. She even created a mobile bartending company based on the dozens of recipes she had created – a brick-and-mortar business was a natural next step.
When not working or volunteering, Henry stays busy with her two kids, both of whom have attended Fishweir Elementary. Her 12-year-old daughter is in band and takes lessons at Clark’s Music Center in Fairfax while her 10-year-old son is heavily involved in NOL Baseball, which he has played for eight years now.
Together, they enjoy family vacations, including a ski trip once a year, most recently to Breckinridge, Colorado. But according to Henry, some of their best moments happen right here in the neighborhood.
“We have the best parks in the city, so grab a picnic blanket, go out to a park and have a day,” said Henry.
