The Plant Project & Provisions helps grow creativity
In November 2020, during the throes of the pandemic, lifelong plant lover Bree Clarke wrote a blog about how greenery was more than an aesthetic. These were the days when seemingly everyone online added a fiddle-leaf fig tree or windowsill herb garden to their #stayathome décor.
Clarke, who is from Houston but now lives in Dallas, searched high and low for a Black or brown-owned plant shop in town, but she couldn’t find one. So she decided to open her own. Friends and family scoffed at the idea, though in just seven days, she opened the Plant Project, becoming the first Black, female plant store owner in Texas.
Now her third location has opened in the Heights. The Plant Project & Provisions on West 19th has expanded the business’ offerings. Everything is for sale, including the vintage furniture.
“At my other stores, people would ask, ‘Is this for sale? Is this for sale?’ ” she said. “Here, everything is.”
There’s a fringed patio set near the entrance and a rattan bar just inside. Clarke says she grew up antiquing and thrifting around Houston. “My Aunt Karen would let me sift for hours. I learned to decorate with stuff that wasn’t that expensive.”
Like one of the cowboy hats hangs on the wall or styled in a cupboard? Clients are welcome to personalize them (with purchase) in the Plant Project & Provisions’ hat bar. A few racks of new clothing and accessories are in an adjacent room, too.
Plants are the shop’s main draw.
“We believe there’s a plant for everybody and a plant for every lifestyle,” said Bree Clarke’s husband, Carlos Clarke.
The Plant Project & Provisions
focuses on what the couple describes as “bread and butter” plants. They favor tropicals, succulents and cacti over fussier, more expensive varieties.
Bree Clarke’s first Houston outpost opened in the Montrose Collective in 2021. She calls that store “a bit more bougie.”
In the Heights, the Clarkes, who have two children, are hoping to cater more to families. “I want this to be the local, neighborhood plant shop,” Bree Clarke said.
She often hosts events like the recent Rustic Roots Rodeo, packed with festivities including a create-your-own-succulent garden workshop, Old Fashioneds bar, cigar pairings, a bolos and bandana pop-up, kids’ stations and live music.
Clarke has tried to give the retail space a living room feel, with a focus on gathering. Plants have helped her battle with depression and anxiety.
She feels immense pride when a customer sends an email or direct message to keep her updated on the status of their plant purchase. Hence the “Plant Joy” neon sign in each of her three locations. She snaps a photo of every customer who leaves with some greenery.
“Whether it’s your first plant or your fifth, we want to make it an experience,” Carlos Clarke said.