Bree Clarke, founder of The Plant Project, learned everything she knows from gardening with her grandmother and mother, yet she was the first one to open her own plant shop after realizing there were no Black-owned plant stores in Houston.
Back when her grandmother lived in the 1940s, Clarke said it wasn’t common for women to have the societal support to open their own businesses. However, she feels like her mother and grandmother planted the seeds that got her to where she is today.
“I feel like our generation is the one that breaks those generational curses and cycles,” Clarke said.
How it works
Rooted in diversity, culture and community, The Plant Project features indoor plants that range from $4 to $400 as well as workshops and free community events.
Clarke said she believes there is a plant for every lifestyle—even for individuals who claim to kill everything they buy.
To prove her point, Clarke plays matchmaker at the store, pairing individuals with plants based on lifestyle choices, such as travel tendencies and sun exposure. She said plants and people are more similar than people realize.
“They come in different shapes, they’re grown differently, they react to different environments,” she said. “It’s amazing how when you put them together and when you put them in places next to each other, how they’re able to create this beautiful ecosystem and beautiful space.”
The Plant Project was founded in 2020 and recently celebrated its sixth anniversary. (Roo Moody/Community Impact)
The local impact
While the store’s main attraction may be plants, Clarke said her workshops are purposeful and intentionally designed.
In the past, she’s done workshops on topics such as succulents, planting and gardening, all to “create a place that, no matter your background, race, religion, style, shape [or] age, you feel as though you belong,” she said.
Clarke’s workshops provide a space that can mean different things to different people. Some, she said, come for the community and conversation, while others come to enjoy a space where they can just be themselves.
“I think that’s why The Plant Project has done so well, because it’s something different to so many different people,” she said. “That’s really important.”
Moving forward
With locations in Houston and Dallas, Clarke said The Plant Project is expanding this spring.
The current Houston location will be relocating to a bigger storefront at M-K-T so Clarke can incorporate details like a botanical bar, where plant enthusiasts can purchase a plant and pot it with dirt.
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