Discover The Neighborhood Plant Project
My project started with the collection of donations of plants, clippings, pots, and soil, as well as greeting cards. I brought the plants and clippings home. I propagated the clippings and repotted and cared for the plants until they were full and pretty enough to deliver. I then distributed the plants and cards to vulnerable adults in my community, such as the elderly and disabled or people who may be home bound.
If one had a neighbor, friend, or loved one they believed would like a plant and a card; some love and joy, from The Neighborhood Plant Project, I asked that they message me through my website. So most of my deliveries came from referrals and thus I developed a demographic through social media and community reputation. The project has received a tremendous amount of attention and gained so much traction, I will be establishing this business full time.
As this project flourished in this time of the pandemic, I decided to create a full-time business. My vision is a brick and mortor space for the retail of pants and planting supplies, workshops, education, and community involvement.
The workshops present an opportunity for like-minded people to come together to learn about plants, repot their own plant, and take home a plant and a card to either keep for themselves or give as a gift. These will be fun, innovative, and creative workshops in a vibrant environment! The business also offers retail of plants and planting supplies along with the workshops. A portion of the profits from retail and paid workshops goes to fund the continued delivery of plants and cards to the community with a focus on the vulnerable members and at-risk youth. I will be collaborating with other small businesses in Tacoma regarding the workshops.
I need funding to secure the lease for the brick-and-mortar site and renovations. I also need capital for inventory, equipment, and overhead expenses. Although this project started as a charitable outreach, it has quickly turned into an innovative, full-time, profitable business and has grown exponetionally in popularity.
I believe this business will be extremely popular and profitable. I have worked in Social Services most of my life and myself went through the foster system, so I understand the positive impact a business of this type can have for our community.
