Take Root

Kaitlyn Makers turned to her houseplants to get her through the pandemic. Whether it was a new leaf forming or flower petals opening, the new developments put a smile on her face.

“(I thought) if plants are bringing me this much joy, they have got to be bringing other people joy too,” she says.

Sensing a unique opportunity, Makers decided to open Take Root in October 2020. Located in Frederick’s Everedy Square, the houseplant shop receives new stock on a weekly basis to include “beginner” plants as well as quirky more advanced ones to add to a collection.

“When the idea (for the shop) came about, it was like a lightbulb moment,” she says. “This is exactly what I have been wanting to do with my life.”

Makers is a third-generation small business owner; her parents own Primitive Homespuns Wool and Needleworks and Primitive Homespuns Colonial Furnishings and Folk Art just up East Street.

When coming up with a plant-based name for the business, Makers was drawn to the greenery’s anchors. “I am taking root by establishing a business and putting roots down in Frederick,” she says. “...You have to take root eventually whether it is with a home or family or career. I felt like the meaning behind it was really great for plants but also my personal journey with the shop.”

Makers believes the care provided to the plants as well as the comfortable, intimate environment sets her shop apart from others.

“I wanted the shop to have a very warm, home-like feel where people could easily picture the plant in their own space,” she says. “When you bring a plant home from the shop, you’re bringing it into an environment that is very similar when it comes to temperature and light which reduces the overall stress on the plant allowing it to acclimate quicker.”