Who is Mikey McCall from The Retro Plant Shop With Mikey and Jo? Everything we know about Joanna Gaines' sister

The Retro Plant Shop with Mikey and Jo introduced viewers to Mikey McCall, the younger sister of Joanna Gaines, through a project that blended entrepreneurship, family collaboration, and personal reinvention.

The Magnolia Network series followed McCall as she launched and ran Ferny’s, a retro-inspired plant shop in Waco, Texas, documenting both the practical realities of small-business ownership and the emotional weight of pursuing a long-delayed dream.

McCall, whose full name is Mary Kay McCall, had spent years as a stay-at-home mother of six before stepping into the spotlight.

Her appearance on The Retro Plant Shop With Mikey and Jo marked a shift from private family life to a public creative venture supported, but not led, by her more famous sister.

The series framed McCall not as an extension of Joanna Gaines’ brand, but as a first-time business owner navigating risk, logistics, and self-doubt in real time.

The show premiered on Magnolia Network in 2022 and ran for five episodes, offering a close look at how Ferny’s came to life—from sourcing plants and vintage containers to managing staffing and fulfilling large-scale orders tied to Magnolia events.

The Retro Plant Shop with Mikey and Jo and Mikey McCall’s path to Ferny’s

Ferny’s began as a pop-up shop in May 2021, operating out of a restored 1967 Yellowstone Cavalier camper at the Shops at the Silos in Waco.

The location placed McCall’s business within Magnolia’s flagship retail space, but The Retro Plant Shop With Mikey and Jo made clear that the responsibility for the shop’s success rested with McCall herself.

The series showed McCall handling inventory decisions, customer demand, and the pressure of scaling quickly.

One episode documented her preparation of an order of 800 potted plants for Silobration, Magnolia’s annual celebration, a milestone that tested both her systems and confidence.

While Joanna Gaines appeared on the show, her role was largely advisory. McCall described the opportunity in grateful terms after the shop’s closure. 

“So much gratitude to my sweet sissy for the opportunity,” she wrote in an Instagram post announcing Ferny’s closing. 

“So thankful my babies got to see their mama pursue a dream.”

The Retro Plant Shop with Mikey and Jo also traced McCall’s creative roots well before Ferny’s opened.

She had previously operated a small 5x5 booth at an antique mall in Tulsa, selling handmade macramé and plants. Reflecting on that early phase, McCall wrote, 

“Thankful for that sweet little space that was one of the seasons leading up to the one today.”

Her interest in blending plants with vintage aesthetics shaped Ferny’s identity. The shop sold greenery planted in retro vessels alongside plant accessories, apparel, and decor, all curated to evoke mid-century charm.

The show emphasized that the concept was not a sudden pivot but the result of years of quiet experimentation.

In August 2024, Ferny’s officially closed after two years and three months at the Silos. McCall confirmed the decision publicly, framing it as a seasonal change rather than a failure. She wrote,  

“It still feels like a dream that I got to have that cutie little retro plant shop… Also thankful I get to show them how to lay down a dream when the seasons change.”

She cited family priorities as the primary reason for stepping back. “I’ve felt the pull for a few months now to spend more time with my family while most of my kids are still young,” she wrote, adding,

“My oldest is off to college in a couple weeks, and boy did that time fly by much too fast.”

The conclusion of Ferny’s also cast uncertainty over the future of The Retro Plant Shop with Mikey and Jo.

While the show developed a dedicated following, including viewers who publicly asked for a second season, no renewal was announced following the shop’s closure.

McCall has suggested the story is not necessarily finished. In the same announcement, she noted that some Ferny’s products might still be available at Magnolia’s Grain Barn and encouraged followers to “stay in touch for any future plant pop-ups.”

Throughout The Retro Plant Shop with Mikey and Jo, McCall’s presence remained understated. The series avoided dramatic arcs in favor of process, showing setbacks alongside successes.

Her approach aligned with Magnolia Network’s emphasis on craftsmanship and personal growth rather than spectacle.

McCall’s relationship with Joanna Gaines was presented as supportive but secondary to her own journey.

Joanna described watching her sister take on the project as a meaningful shift, calling it a “beautiful full-circle moment,” a phrase she used to reflect on teaching rather than leading.

By the end of The Retro Plant Shop with Mikey and Jo, McCall emerged as a figure defined less by her famous surname than by her willingness to attempt something new after years of postponement.

The series documented a finite chapter, one that closed when Ferny’s did, but it also established McCall as a creative presence shaped by seasons rather than permanence.

As Magnolia Network continues to expand its slate, The Retro Plant Shop with Mikey and Jo remains a contained record of that moment—of a mother, sister, and first-time entrepreneur choosing to pursue a dream, then choosing to step away from it when circumstances changed.

Stay tuned for more updates.