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NOVEMBER 17, 2021
VOL. 102, NO. 46
New venture in Uptown
Plant shop specializes in rare cacti and succulents By Jessica Keller
QA&Mag News editor
Although he has always loved plants and gardens of all kinds, accountant and business owner Kevin Cooper only recently discovered his passion for succulents and cacti. During the pandemic, Cooper, his husband, Zac, and daughter Rori visited many outdoor gardening centers and began purchasing those types of plants. After amassing a sizable collection, Cooper decided he wanted to take his love to the next step: sharing the plants with other people, and he opened his plant store, Rori Blooms, which is located in his husband's designer eyewear business, Coopers Optique, 315 First Ave. N., in Uptown, across from Climate Pledge Arena. "I have such a love for these types of plants, I just wanted to share it with the world," Cooper said.
Cooper said, while he knows there are other plant shops in Uptown, Rori Blooms specializes in rare and exotic succulents and cacti. He said his goal in opening his plant shop is to target experienced collectors, but also people new to owning plants who may not know much about succulents and cacti. "I want to teach these people how to care for these types of plants," Cooper said. He said, with basic care and knowledge, succulents and cacti are ideal for new plant owners because they are typically hardy, don't require constant tending and are ideal for people interested in keeping plants but worried about killing them. Cooper said he intends to make the process simple for buyers and eliminate any guesswork and hassle for buyers. "I want people to come in and buy a beautiful potted plant," he said. First, all the plants for sale have been quarantined, treated for pests and fertilized. Cooper personally selects each plant that is paired with a special pot and then plants it in the new container using custom soil ideal for the plant. Cooper also has detailed in-
SEE PLANTS, PAGE 3
QA&Mag News editor Seattle resident Sarah Armstrong, Madison Park, knows what it is like to feel stuck and not sure where to go next in career. She spent eight years contemplating just that and wondering how that would affect the rest of her life and her family. Now the former nurse, healthcare attorney and mediator helps other people as they navigate major life changes in her new career as a change and transition strategist. “Our lives are full of major
changes, and for most of the major life changes, we don’t need help — we just kind of go do it and we get the result that we get,” she said. Every so often, however, people get stuck and want to make a change in their life but don’t know how. They may talk about it to friends or family but never act upon it for whatever reason, Armstrong said. As a change strategist, Armstrong helps them people overcome those barriers. Most of Armstrong’s clients are between 40 and 75 years old, people old enough to have experienced a
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Photo by Jessica Keller Kevin Cooper stands among the plants on display in his new shop, Rori Blooms, in Coopers Optique in Uptown.
Seattle woman helps others learn tools to change their lives, recognize potential By Jessica Keller
@qamagnews
“Our lives are full of major changes, and for most of the major life changes, we don't need help — we just kind of go do it and we get the result that we get." — Sarah Armstrong Change strategist number of life changes in the past but want to be more prepared
to deal with future ones, or they are people who want to make sure they make the most of their remaining years. “They don’t want to repeat past mistakes, and they don’t want to think too small,” Armstrong said. A change strategist is different from a life coach, which has a very broad job description. It is also different from career coaches, who help people do their job well, Armstrong said. She is also not a therapist. “Therapists help you understand why you feel the way you
SEE STRATEGIST, PAGE 8
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