Downtown Sebastopol is getting a new houseplant shop this week, when Flourish opens its N. Main Street doors.
This will be the second location for the shop, which sells houseplants, succulents and other items, like jewelry, candles and artwork. Its first location is in Petaluma.
“Sebastopol is such a cool, funky town. I love to have my businesses in such beautiful, independently-owned business spaces and Sebastopol is just perfect for that,” Flourish owner Brandi Chalker said.
While some businesses have suffered under the pandemic, the plant and houseplant industry has been the opposite, Chalker said, since people have been focused on beautifying their home spaces.
“People are realizing that their home can be a sanctuary,” she said. “It’s interesting the way people have adapted to having to spend so much more time in their homes and how that’s coming through with this plant trend.”
Chalker said she hopes Flourish’s Sebastopol location will help compliment the variety of shops already located downtown.
“This block alone is just amazing — there’s multiple crystal shops and bath and body stuff and home decor and clothing, it seems like this block alone is already super diverse in what people might want to buy,” she said. “I figured adding plants in is a nice way to add to the diversity and be something different than what folks in the downtown area might already be doing.”
One pillar of Flourish, as set aside in the business’ website, is doing social good. Part of the shop’s social good efforts, Chalker said, is donating 1% of shop sales to local organizations and causes.
“I feel like it’s really important that, if I have to participate in capitalism, to try to mitigate that damage as much as possible,” Chalker said. “One way we can do that is by giving money to different groups that are important to us.”
According to Flourish’s website, past organizations that they’ve donated to include the Bay Area Immigration Bond Fund, Sonoma County Acts of Kindness, Positive Images and North Bay Animal Services, among others.
While much of her time thus far has been spent preparing the shop to open — its grand opening is on Sept. 11 — Chalker said she’s looking forward to getting to know her neighbors in downtown Sebastopol and seeing how her shop can potentially collaborate with others in the area.
Flourish is located at 132 N. Main Street and, once it opens, will be open Monday through Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
