We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kelly D’Atri a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Kelly thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So, let’s start with trends – what are some of the largest or more impactful trends you are seeing in the industry?
There are several trends that are showing up to dominate 2024 for both Houseplants and Gardening. Last year we saw Houseplant enthusiasts with the bigger, better mindset. A 6 foot tall Fiddle Leaf Fig – give it to me! A huge blooming Bird of Paradise – I’ll take it! The biggest Monestera you can find – I need it! Along with physical plant size, we saw the emergence of true houseplant collectors that sought the more expensive and rare plants. This year we seem to be trending towards smaller and more colorful houseplants. Plants that truly feel and look different. Velvet leaves, bright colors, bold light and dark greens. Think flowers but in houseplant form. With the boom of interest in plants, the big box retailers have begun stocking them at prices that make it difficult for smaller boutique shops to compete with however, the small guys have an advantage. I have client’s come back time and time again to purchase houseplants because they enjoy the individual attention and advice. They like “talking plant” with other plant people. They realize that the big box plants often come over-watered or super neglected and with an existing pest problem. You don’t have those issues with boutique shops. Just like our customers, our plants get individual attention.
Gardens in more urban environments have been popping up like weeds (pun intended) over the last few years. With the rising cost of food, the broken supply chain and the overwhelming need to get back to the basics – client’s have really been seeking advice on garden planning , seed starting, canning and even sourdough. Gardening in a suburban / urban environment is my speciality and I am always exciting and willing to help out new gardeners!
Kelly, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Gardening saved my life. Literally. I had spent several years barely muddling through a very deep and dark mental state. When visiting my sister-in-law’s farm she introduced me to a You Tube channel called “Roots and Refuge” where this super cool lady filmed her daily homestead and garden life with a bit of devotional thrown in the mix. We had just bought a new house that happened to come with a single raised garden bed. I threw a few tomato plants and herbs in the bed and hoped for the best. I continued to watch the You Tube channel, learning more and more every day. I dove head first into books and blogs and gardening publications. I started to enjoy my early mornings in the garden with my plants. I bought a beat up old wooden bench and placed it beside my tiny garden. I called it my “thinking bench”. Not only did I sit there in peace and think, but I learned how to pray. As my plants grew stronger, my faith grew stronger until one day I physically fell to my knees right there in the dirt. I was overcome with grief that poured out of the depths of my soul. And then came peace and finally hope bloomed. In that moment, I realized that I had a purpose and a path. This little garden of mine gave me a place of peace, a place to pray and the realization that the same peace I felt physically in the garden had also settled in my chest and I could take it with me wherever I went.
I decided that I wanted to share my joy and had a need to build a community. But what do I call my garden? My constant companion is my rescue Chihuahua named Paco. When working with a local dog rescue, I fostered Paco and while I had always been a “big dog” kinda girl, I totally fell in love with this tiny creature that was bursting with sass and attitude and he became a permanent fixture. I found that most tiny dogs had the same behaviors and I began to call them Creeps. I had a garden, I live on a slight hill and my Creep is always by my side. The Garden at Creep Hill was born and Paco become our official mascot. Clients, friends and fans have now been dubbed “The Creep Squad”.
I slowly built an online community based on gardening in an urban environment. If you have enough space to set a gallon size container of milk – you can grow produce. Education and sharing techniques was the main focus of our platform. Then the pandemic hit – and our fan base grew. While we were all on lock down – I grew my love of gardening into an additional obsession with houseplants. My green thumb was glowing neon bright! The idea to turn The Garden at Creep Hill into a legitimate business came to fruition.
I truly believe that working with plants is a therapeutic endeavor. It brings you closer to nature, it grounds you. It gives you peace, a purpose and a hope for tomorrow. The Garden at Creep Hill offers online plant sales, gardening advice, a multitude of workshops from macrame and succulent arrangements to plant care, gardening set up and even sourdough! We love to collaborate with other local small business! You will find us popping up at events all over Washington County and the surrounding area with our plants and decor. Our plants are set up for sale at Thick-n-Thin Brewing Co in Hagerstown and can be purchased during regular business hours. We offer private workshops in your home or business, consulting for plant-scapes and garden set-up as well as plant decor for weddings, showers and birthday parties. If it includes plants and you can dream it, we will work with you to make it happen!
In addition to our workshops and plant sales, we are heavily involved in our local community. We are on the Executive Leadership Committee for the American Cancer Society Washington County Relay for Life, assist with the American Cancer Society Evening of Hope, member of several efforts to end Human Slavery and Trafficking as well as support other fundraisers through participation and donations.
Plants gave me my life back. A safe place to worship. A place for peace. A place to connect with other people and share my passion and joy for life. A place to explore my heart for volunteering. A place where I belong. Let me share it with you!
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
The ability to pivot and change is a speciality of mine! My other career is project management and I have had the opportunity over the last 20 plus years in this field to learn how to most effectively determine when and how to pivot.
Last year I had the opportunity with The Garden at Creep Hill to open up a small brick and mortar location. Since I work full-time, I knew I wouldn’t be able to work at the shop during open hours. The shop was located inside a larger office building with other tenants. I decided to set-up as a self serve boutique plant shop. Since the other tenants opened and closed the exterior doors daily, I was able to proceed on the self serve path. I installed a Ring doorbell so that customers could call me at any time for assistance. They were able to scan a QR code to submit payment and be on their way.
While I had a nice flow of customers coming in, I noticed that the majority of them were not making a purchase. I recognized several clients and decided to reach out in an effort to figure out what I could do to improve their experience and encourage purchases. What I learned was missing – was me. Almost every single person I spoke with said that while they loved the self serve experience and being able to call me, they truly wanted the in-person conversations that happen when making their purchase. They wanted to talk about lighting in their home. They wanted to speak about care instructions. They wanted gift suggestions. They wanted on the fly “what about this plant” type of conversations that I couldn’t provide because I was not physically in the shop.
Since I am not at a point just yet where I can make The Garden at Creep Hill a full-time endeavor, I decided I needed to pivot. Paying rent for a brick and mortar where purchases were not being made just no longer made business sense. So I happily and positively made the decision to pivot and bring my business back online and in the form of workshops and in-person pop-up events. It was the right decision. Not only has my business grown exponentially but my own personal joy of the friendships and relationships I have built and continue to build with clients has been so very rewarding.
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
Hands down the best source of new clients has been at local wineries and breweries! I have a heart for collaboration and love promoting other local small business. The way my business is set up (without a brick and mortar location), I needed to find a place where I could host my workshops. Over the course of several months, I quickly realized that people really love to consume beverages and purchase plants! It’s an incredible phenomenon! My best workshops and pop up sales happen in these locations! Not only do I have sold out workshops that help my business but it brings in new clientele to the location where I am set up. Win-win for both – especially during business hours that are typically slower at the location.
Just recently, I walked into one of the brewery locations to set-up my plants and two tables stood up as soon as I entered and came over. They were waiting for me and my plants! The beer-tender said “Hey Kelly, you’ve got groupies!” I still laugh at that moment! Delivering a quality product, taking the time to invest in your social media presence and your connections in the local business community are key!
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.thegardenatcreephill.com
- Instagram: @thegardenatcreephill
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thegardenatcreephill
Image Credits
j.brooke Photography