Meet Alumna Bethany Mieth, Co-Founder of Oasis Plant Shop in Dallas’ Bishop Arts District

Bethany Mieth grew up in a home that loved the Lord. Her father was a History teacher and football coach, and her mother retired from her teaching career to stay home with Bethany and her siblings. Bethany watched her parents band together and walk with the Lord through everything, which truly inspired her. Throughout his teaching career, Bethany's father owned an irrigation business, which planted the seeds for Bethany's desire to own a business one day. "If I had to describe my upbringing in a few short words, it would be: a sense of fullness without having anything extravagant, a deep sense of belonging and love, and an overarching theme of fun—even when life gets tough."

Both of Bethany's parents are DBU alumni, so everyone around her expected her to attend DBU as well. However, Bethany was adamant about earning her degree elsewhere. As she neared the end of her senior year of high school, she felt the Lord call her to attend a Christian university and stay closer to home. Throughout her childhood, Bethany had performed in musicals and developed a love for dancing, so the DBU Music program caught her attention. After exploring the opportunities on University Hill, Bethany decided to enroll at DBU. In 2014, she graduated with a B.A. in Theory Communication with a minor in Music Business.

As a student, Bethany was a member of Zeta Chi and participated in on-campus musicals, where playing Chava in The Fiddler on the Roof was the highlight of her career. She also loved spending time with her neighbors in the townhomes and brownstones on campus. Bethany especially remembers the impact her advisor, Dr. Danny Rose, and her music professor, Dr. Stephen Holcomb, had on her. The skills she learned during her communication classes, especially interpersonal communication, prepared her for owning a business one day. "So much of owning a small business is managing people, and I learned so much about conflict resolution and truly listening to your employees." Bethany was also blessed to meet her husband, Jordan, during her time on University Hill. They celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary this year.

From a young age, Bethany knew that God loved and had a plan for her. She grew up believing in Christ and trusting in Him, but her faith was tested shortly after graduating from DBU. Bethany's sister went through a dark time battling mental illness, and her mother began fighting multiple myeloma. She felt an overwhelming sense of fear and distrust. "Lord, if your 'plan' is to take my mother away from me, then I don't want any part of it," Bethany remembers praying one night. As soon as she prayed, she felt a tugging on her heart and felt peace knowing the Lord would heal her mother and sister. "During the good and the bad, I know I have to put my eyes on Him because the world is way too messy and difficult to walk through without Him."

Throughout her mother's battle with cancer, Bethany was not content in her career. As she searched for something more in her life, she quit her job and desperately sought a fulfilling path. One day, Bethany and her husband visited Ruibals Plants of Texas to buy a few items for their apartment, and she met Hannah Street. The two of them immediately hit it off, and Bethany left the shop that day with a lingering desire to work there. That night, Ruibals had posted on their social media that they were hiring, so Bethany applied and got the job. After a year of working at Ruibals, Bethany and Hannah grew closer and wondered if they could do more. They began to consider the possibility of starting their own plant business.

Sowing the seeds that her father's irrigation business planted, Bethany and Hannah took a leap of faith to open their own shop, OASIS. "OASIS was born out of a lot of faith and gumption," Bethany shared. "Hannah and I both felt like God wanted us to show God's love through his living plants." The two were blessed to have full support from the Ruibal family when they expressed their business endeavor. While searching for a storefront, Bethany's grandfather graciously offered to share a part of his electric bike shop in Dallas' Bishop Arts district. All these open doors felt like a confirmation from the Lord that they were pursuing the right thing. In 2018, the OASIS Plant Shop officially opened in an open-air garage space in her grandfather's bike shop.

Six months later, Bethany and Hannah were looking to move locations due to an unexpected rise in their rent. Hannah and her husband became connected to David, the owner of Good Space, a real estate development company. David had just come across a new property and thought it would be a great future home for OASIS. To their surprise, Bethany and Hannah visited the property and discovered it was an actual greenhouse. At that moment, they both felt the Lord's confirmation and signed the lease. OASIS opened its new doors at 416 W. 8th Street in Bishop Arts in March 2019, where they still operate today.

The Lord has continuously worked through Bethany and Hannah's lives as they journeyed through battles with illness, became mothers, and provided a perfect home for their business. Bethany and Hannah have witnessed the Lord work through their staff at OASIS, whether they were believers or not. When COVID shut everything down, when their AC went out in the middle of summer, when taxes were unexpectedly high, God always provided more than enough. "Every time a huge roadblock gets in the way, and Hannah and I have asked, 'How can we overcome this?' God comes through. Instead of worrying first, we pray. We are diligent with our finances, kind to everyone who walks through our doors, and give the glory to God."

Being a wife, mother, and business owner is no small task, and they credit their resilience to the support of their husbands, mothers, family, friends, and the incredible team at OASIS. Bethany shared, "Truly loving your work and the people you work with makes the balancing act so much easier. At the end of the day, OASIS could come and go, but our family has to stay." Finding the right work/life balance is a daily task, but they have learned to be flexible and to find joy in their busyness.

Bethany and her husband, Jordan, have one two-year-old son, Gene, and they live in Oak Cliff. They attend The Oaks in Red Oak, Texas, and look forward to seeing Gene grow up with this church family. Hannah and Marco have been married for almost 11 years. They have two daughters, Golden and Summer, and their son is on the way with a December 2024 due date. They attend City Church International and love the wonderful community they have found there.