Mary Hartzell

Mary Hartzell Broker (919) 259- 2132 maryhartzell@urbandurham.com

Mary Hartzell grew up in St. Louis, MO and fell in love with North Carolina while attending UNC-Chapel Hill where she majored in Political Science. She was a member of the women’s field hockey team, garnering numerous ACC and NCAA championship titles and captaining the team two years in a row.

Aside from a brief stint in Northern California, she has been in North Carolina ever since college. She has lived in all three Triangle cities and loves Durham the best- people here just get it. She and her partner, Brooke, live in the Watts-Hillandale neighborhood with their two cats, Iggy and Gisele.

What did you do before real estate? I was self-employed for many years in the landscaping business and in 2005 I started my own landscaping company called 6th Element Landscaping, LLC.

What do you do outside of work? The funny thing about being in your own business is that you work outside of work. I am always trying to find ways to improve my business and serve my clients better. When I’m really not working, I like to stroll through my favorite parts of Duke Gardens or sweat through an awesome indoor cycling class at Sync Studio in Durham. There’s a local street hockey game that I’m planning to check out and I’m also a big fan of adrenaline-inducing activities. Every year or so I go skydiving and tell myself I’ll like it better next time. This past weekend I did the stock car driving experience at Charlotte Motor Speedway where I hit a top speed of 141 mph. I’m also passionate about motorcycles (1980s Honda motorcycles in particular) and have been riding since 1992.

What organizations get your time and money? Coalition to Unchain Dogs, EqualityNC, TROSA and SNAP-NC. Also, Brooke and I became serial cat rescuers last summer and successfully rescued, rehabilitated and placed four cats out of our home.

How would you spend $100 in Durham? I’d blow it all on Sunday brunch at Vin Rouge.

Where was your most recent restaurant visit? Salamandra Mexican Restaurant.

What book are you currently reading? The Complete Stories by Flannery O’Connor.