Today we’d like to introduce you to Cary Smith.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Cary. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
The Victorian Atlanta was started by my wife, Libby Hockenberry, and I because of the lack of specialized plant shops in the city, specifically house plants. We started by collecting and selling out of our apartment with the intention to sell at local pop up markets and events. Before we had the chance to do so, Citizen Supply reached out to us to sell in their store as one of their ‘makers’. That was 2 years ago now and since we moved in have steadily grown since.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Yes and no. Being in Citizen Supply has made growing easier than we imagined possible than if we had started as a stand alone shop. We owe a lot of our growth to them. On the other hand, running a plant shop isn’t as smooth as we may have thought. Since we deal with living inventory, it isn’t as simple as putting a product on the shelf and leaving it there until its sold. You have to think about too much sunlight, too little sunlight, high or low humidity, watering plants, and so much more.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into The Victorian Atlanta story. Tell us more about the business.
We’ve always used the tag line ‘creative plant shop.’ To us, that means we stock the basic plants as well as the weird and rare plants, and we help combine them with right planter that works for a space. Plants can truly transform a room, however it’s important to keep in mind that they are living things. We always try to encourage our customers and clients to remember this and place the plant where it will thrive, not where it looks the best.
I love when I’m able to educate and introduce new plants to customers. There are so many amazing plants in the world and we really strive to get the coolest, most interesting plants available.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
It was a bit of good luck being discovered by Citizen Supply and we’re lucky to have a great staff that treats the shop as their own. Sometimes things fall into place but without hard work and instinct we wouldn’t be where we are today.
Contact Info:
- Address: Citizen Supply
675 Ponce De Leon Ave NE NW208, Atlanta, GA 30308 - Website: thevictorianatlanta.com
- Email: hello@thevictorianatlanta.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thevictorianatlanta
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thevictorianatlanta/
Image Credit:
For the image of myself and my wife, Libby: Natalie Jackson http://www.4cornersphotography.com/
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