ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Martha Rollefson jokes that her job helps fund her gardening habit. In reality, it has become a way to connect people with nature, one backyard bird at a time.

Rollefson has worked at Wild Birds Unlimited in Asheville’s Gerber Village since May 2020. After starting at the company’s Hendersonville location in 2016, she has spent about a decade helping customers discover bird feeding and backyard wildlife.

“I’ve been doing this about 10 years,” she said.

Inside the store, Rollefson does a bit of everything — helping customers choose bird seed, feeders, houses and baths, offering advice on attracting specific species and repairing damaged feeders. The shop also carries nature-themed gifts, but Rollefson said the focus is education.

“We help people figure out what will work best for them,” she said. “There are so many different kinds of bird food, and it can be overwhelming.”

That guidance extends beyond the store. Rollefson also teaches classes on bird-friendly gardening and feeding at the North Carolina Arboretum, sharing practical tips with beginners and experienced birders alike.

For Rollefson, the most rewarding part of the job is simple: the people.

“Meeting lots of different people and helping them get more birds in their life,” she said.

Her path into the work was not planned. She and her husband moved to western North Carolina from Connecticut in late 2015. While waiting for their previous home to sell, Rollefson said finances were tight, and she decided to find a job to support her interest in gardening.

“I had to feed my gardening habit,” she said.

She started at the Hendersonville store in 2016. When the pandemic reduced her hours there, the Asheville store’s owners invited her to join their team. She now works part time — about 16 hours a week, depending on the season — a schedule that suits her well.

The job also comes with a perk: access to supplies for her own bird-friendly garden.

Outside of work, Rollefson spends time with her husband and dog, cooks and tends to her garden, where her interest in birds first took root.

“I have lots of fun working with the people who come in looking to get birds in their yards,” she said.