When I opened Fernseed in 2019, I had no idea what to expect! I chose a small storefront in Proctor because of the potential for foot traffic, thinking that a smaller square footage would reduce rental costs in case a plant shop just didn't "land" with the community. But it definitely landed, thanks in part to a huge boost in interest in indoor plants during the pandemic. As popular as we were (and thank you!), we were already struggling with the small space pre-COVID. It was always logistically challenging to receive pallets of pottery there, as there's no loading zone and no back room for storage, and when we started selling bouquets for Valentine's Day in 2020 (our first foray into florals), we couldn't process or build them at Proctor due to a lack of work space and refrigeration. (Did I ever tell you about the time we built 55 wrapped bouquets in my sun room?) It was during our pandemic closure that we realized we just didn't have enough space to expand the business the way we envisioned, which is why, in July of 2020, we signed a lease on a much bigger storefront on South Tacoma Way.

It was always weird—and logistically challenging—to have two storefronts in the same city. Staffing was challenging. Moving inventory from one location to the other was challenging. Explaining to people that we didn't sell flowers at Proctor was challenging.

Potentially the most challenging aspect of running a plant shop in that Proctor storefront is a lack of natural light. When I opened Fernseed originally, my plan was to focus on handmade pottery. I assumed 80% of our inventory would be home decor and plant pots, and plants would be the cherry on top, so to speak. Immediately after we opened, customers asked us for more plants, and they kept asking for more plants. So we redesigned the store a few times to make room for more plants. But our Proctor storefront never had enough light to keep them thriving in the winter. In 2020 we launched the 40% off Mondays sale solely as a way to move sad plants faster, but that deep discount really cut into our margins and the overall health of our business. In October of 2021, after South Tacoma had been open a year, we attempted a redesign of the Proctor space to refocus it again on home decor, dialing back the plant inventory and carrying more handmade ceramics, zines, posters, blankets, pillows, coffee mugs, and home decor gift-y stuff. I was thrilled about this approach, but our customers were not. People kept asking where all the plants went. So we brought the plants back again, and once again they struggled through the winter. (Yes, we know grow lights exist, but I don't use them at home, don't like the way they look, and didn't want to further invest in turning a store that was supposed to be focused on home design into a low-light nursery.)

It's not that I don't love selling plants. I love plants. But I'd rather sell them to you out of a space where I'm confident we can take care of them in the healthiest way possible before sending them home with you. With its south and west facing windows, saturated with light even in the darkest times of year, our South Tacoma location is that space. (Still though, we specialize in low light tolerant plants, because we know not everyone has a lot of natural light in their space.)

We also have enough space at South Tacoma Way to build, process, and refrigerate flowers. As floral delivery has become a bigger part of our business, it's gotten more and more awkward that we don't sell flowers at Proctor. It's like we can't give you the full, confident brand experience there anymore. At South Tacoma we have a whole basement for back stock, an entire secondary garage storefront space, and a full work room for storage and refrigeration of flowers during the busiest of holidays. In short, our South Tacoma shop functions the way we need a space to function to meet Fernseed's business needs—business needs I couldn't have anticipated when I started up in 2019 thinking we'd be selling mostly handmade pottery.

The primary driving reason for our exit from Proctor, however, is the impact having two storefronts has had on our staff. Working an open-close solo shift at Proctor can be pretty lonely. Some people enjoy it, but some people ended up feeling isolated, like they weren't part of our team. Staffing two retail locations within 5 miles of one another also means that we always need an extra staff person to work at Proctor even though our sales haven't increased much percentage-wise by doubling our footprint. When someone calls in at the last minute (which happens frequently, see: COVID), we also have to scramble to find coverage across two storefronts. This has taken a toll on any manager tasked with finding (or being) that last minute coverage. It's time for us to simplify.

It just so happens that our lease is up at Proctor in 2024, so we figured now is the time to call it. Hard to believe 5 years went by that quickly. While my heart is sad for what we leave behind in Proctor, I am actually looking forward to focusing my energy on one neighborhood: one business district association, one community council, one trick or treat event, one holiday parade. We've been split between two places for so long. I haven't had time to show up to anything, even though community involvement is hugely important to me.