Horticultural Heaven Find

bougie plants for your home at these unique boutiques —and one cac-tastic venue!

Words by Meghan Craig

rOOTS

With a maiden name like “Oots,” how could Dee Ferguson not name her plant shop rOOTS KC? After opening the fl agship Westside shop in July 2022, rOOTS quickly expanded to a second location, in Zona Rosa, last April.

“Zona Rosa has given opportunities for small, local businesses like myself to move into a larger space and get the foot traffic and the recognition that the big chains would get, and it is blowing up,” Dee says. She is currently scouting locations for a third shop.

The family-owned plant shop aims to help each customer find the perfect plant for their lifestyle (pet-safe, low-light, tropical, you name it), and educate customers on how to care for their plants. Each plant comes with a custom QR code that provides care instructions and a history of watering and fertilizing for that plant. rOOTS also makes plant-buying easier by offering a complimentary potting service after you select your plant and pot. A big bonus—even the potting soil is local, enriched with 30 percent compost sourced from KC restaurants.

Dee loves working with plants, but her favorite thing about owning rOOTS is helping others and seeing the kind, thoughtful side of people.

“The world is so different, having a plant store,” she says. “It’s just so much more enjoyable. Literally every day is a joy.” rOOTS

Westside: 818 W. 17th St., Kansas City, Mo.

Zona Rosa: 7102 NW 86th Terrace, Kansas City, Mo. www.rootskcmo.com

@rootskc

Verdant

Chentell Stiritz grew up in Hawaii and attended college in Chicago, but when it was time to start her fi rst business, the entrepreneurial spirit of Kansas City drew her in.

“Being a city that was known for being relentlessly proud and supportive of entrepreneurs and artists, I felt Kansas City would be the perfect place for me to start and build Convivial,” she says, referring to the design and manufacturing company she opened in 2014.

Convivial’s first retail concept, Verdant, opened in the Crossroads Arts District in 2020. Verdant is a neighborhood botanical gift shop focusing on thoughtfulness and helping each customer select the perfect gift. They specialize in plants, flowers and ceramics, but also offer cards and gift wrap, providing customers with a true one-stop- shop experience. Many of the products are handcrafted—including all the vases, planters and candles from their parent company.

Verdant offers pre-made floral arrangements specifically tailored to fit their vase collections. This convenience and Verdant's popular candle refill program result in repeat customers and a friendly, welcoming space where shopkeepers get to know customers.

Their social media features weekly floral arrangements along with information on the flower varieties and the local farmers who grew them.

VERDANT

128 W. 18th St., Kansas City, Mo. shopverdant.com

@shopverdant

@convivialproduction

Nature Matters KC

Irena Rice noticed a recurring issue during her career selling office plants: the office maintenance teams had a hard time keeping the plants alive! This led her to explore alternative solutions, including preserved moss.

“It’s the perfect solution to bring nature inside, with all the benefits, but without the hassle and expense of constant maintenance,” she says. “Moss doesn’t need sunlight. No water, no dirt, no bugs… no mess!”

After learning about the health and wellness benefits of preserved moss, Irena started Nature Matters KC in 2022. She states that moss art is ideal for any space (home, office, retail, hotel, school and more) because it reduces stress and anxiety, improves focus and productivity, and enhances memory and comprehension, as well as providing cleaner air quality, humidity control and noise reduction.