Shop Talk

2022.

This spot is a DIY haven for plant lovers who can’t bear to see another succulent relegated to life in an ugly, plain-jane pot.

The pair initially planned an art gallery with a few handmade products. Just before opening, Zinks thought of adding a DIY succulent bar at a small table with a few plants and pots. But customers didn’t seem interested. “It didn’t seem special enough,” she says, “but what if these were magical succulents?!”

Around Christmas, Zinks decided to do a paid Instagram video. Suddenly, people started showing up to make succulent gardens. “And two weeks later, I thought, ‘Whoa! We need more tables!’ And then the video went viral and it seemed like the whole place was a succulent bar!”

Since then, droves of people—families, couples, friends, private parties and book clubs—have been coming, some of them from out of state with Zinks Town their primary destination.

“We’re becoming a tourist attraction,” jokes Jayne, as she tucks an air plant into a small pot to make what looks like an octopus.

The Zinks Town success story didn’t start out that way. “My mom and I ran away,” Zinks says, pausing, “from my abusive husband.”

Zinks, a professional makeup and special effects artist, and her mom were living in Orlando. “We literally came with almost nothing. I drove with a carload of stuff and my mom flew with two suitcases. We lived with my brother until we got this place,” she says. “This was supposed to be my special effects makeup studio. But then Covid happened and films shut down. Everything shut down.”

Zinks and her mom kept the little rent- ed space, living in the back and sleeping on donated mattresses. Zinks worked as a nanny. “We didn’t want to give up the shop because we saw some opportunity in it. But we didn’t know what that could be. I was trying to figure out what we could do with no money because my credit was ruined after my marriage broke up.”

Fast forward to today—as the film industry picked up, Zinks is working again as a makeup artist on projects including “Daisy Jones & the Six” and others. In between gigs, she’s in the shop, greeting customers and explaining the process.

Near the west-facing front window are several trays of various succulents. Customers may choose from three sizes of pots, the smallest including one succulent; the mid-sized one, two plants; and the largest pot, three.

After choosing their plants, customers jot down their wishes on slips of paper they’ll bury at the bottom of their pots. “Then they ring a bell four times to bring about our awareness, the universe’s awareness and open up a magical circle to start the process,” Zinks says.

Next, customers peruse a menu detailing the properties of crystals, herbs and flowers that complement their wishes. “If they’re looking for love, they might want to pick rose quartz,” Zinks says. “If they’re looking for success and abundance, they might pick green aventurine or citrine, for example.”

Customers choose from about 60 varieties of herbs and flowers to place into tiny charmed bottles that will be partially buried. Dill, lavender and chamomile amplify any wish, Zinks says, while others may target specific ones. Fig, for instance, helps with sex and fertility. “I always warn people, too, that if they choose a flower for love and another one for fertility, don’t come back to me and ask for child support,” she says.

When they’re finished decorating, customers ring the bell seven times “to close the circle of magic and align their chakras and basically tell the universe to bring this manifestation to life.”

Looking about the store, it seems something else has been happening here. Friends, couples, families are talking, laughing, sharing those secret wishes. Maybe this is the magic, after all.