Best friends Lillie Rosen and Maya Harris opened PlantyQueens in April of 2022 to share their passion with the Minneapolis community.
PlantyQueens offers plant rentals, wholesale, consultations and in-store shopping.
“We have been best friends for over 10 years,” Lillie said. “Maya grew up with houseplants and has always been into horticulture.”
Maya adds, “Before the store was an idea, I did a lot of planting and gardening in my free time. I tried to get Lillie into it and eventually in 2018, she did.”
Lillie caught the “plant bug” as the duo say, and the pair were excited to bond over it.
During the pandemic, Lillie became even more obsessed with all things plants when she was furloughed.
“Everyone was inside, and it was cool to explore new plants,” Lillie says. “Collecting plants became a huge activity for a ton of people during this time, and Maya and I started to think about how we could turn our passion into a business.”
The local need and interest were there, so the pair discussed their options. About a year later in 2020, they opened PlantyQueens originally as an ecommerce shop only.
“We purely did ecommerce for a while and never really thought about opening a physical store,” Lillie says. “As time went on and we did events, we noticed people really wanted a place to go and buy plants at any time - not just via the internet.”
PlantyQueens, the store, opened in 2022, offering in-house shopping and other leafy related services.
“At our place, you can find a wide variety of merch, crystals, products to help with growth and pests, and of course, plants,” Maya says.
Some of those plants include Amydrium, Aglaonema, Begonias, Philodendron, Hoyas and Monsteras.
“We have a ton of houseplants - from foundational to rare,” Maya says.
Lillie adds, “We have a repotting station that we use in the shop for purchases of a plant and a pot. If you bring in your own plant, we can repot it for you for a small fee as well.”
Now for those who aren’t familiar with all the different types of houseplants – including the above – Maya and Lillie love answering any questions customers have when they are in the store.
“We explain how to take care of it and all that general information,” Lillie says.
For a more in-depth question session, the queens offer a 30-minute Zoom consultation.
“If a person needs plant identification, wants to add more plants to their home but not sure which are best, or could use some help figuring out how to take care of their existing plants, this service is for them,” Maya says. “We are here to coach them through their planty obsession and make sure that they have someone to be their guide.”
The consultation includes space assessment, coaching and/or specific houseplant Q&A, and a follow up email with recommendations. The fee is $40.
“This is such a great service for those new or old to the world of plants,” Lillie says. “Sometimes people and plants just need a little help.”
The queens also offer a wholesale interior design service for companies.
“A lot of companies around the Twin Cities want to spruce up their office space and using plants is the perfect way to do that,” Lillie says.
Maya adds, “Plants really freshen up any space that is lacking decor and if companies don’t need the plants for long term, they can rent from us too.”
PlantyQueens’ rental service is not only for companies but for all types of events and customers.
“We have been doing a ton of weddings lately and photo shoots,” Lillie says. “Our rental service is easy, and we come fully prepared to place the plants where our customer wants them. I have found this such a fun thing to do.”
As PlantyQueens celebrates its one-year anniversary this month, Maya and Lillie are grateful for the strong planty family they have built.
“We just love helping people find the perfect plant for them or someone they love,” Maya says. “It’s such a fun career and we are continuing to learn more about plants every day.”
| 2807 Johnson Street NE | plantyqueens.com | hello@plantyqueens.com |
