The Plant Connector
MORE THAN JUST YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD PLANT SHOP
By Liam Gorman
Photos By Anastasia Stanmeyer
From the pages of our Spring 2023 Issue.
“We wanted it to feel like an escape because plants have that ability—to transform our lives,” says Emilee Yawn, co-owner of The Plant Connector on Main Street in North Adams.
Emilee Yawn, left, and Bonnie Marks co-own The Plant Connector, a self-described “neighborhood plant and lifestyle shop.”
Walking through the doors of this nearly three-year-old business is like being transported into a curated jungle. Visitors find windows and walls lined with potted plants, shelving stacked with succulents, and a veritable curtain of lush leaves fringing them from above. This overflow of greenery might be mistaken as other-worldly to the untrained eye.
Look closer. Tucked throughout the impeccable crush of green are flares of artwork, books, home goods—even a “Refillery Bar.”
“We feel like this place is a scavenger hunt,” says Emilee, who enjoys curating the space as much as people enjoy exploring it. She visits greenhouses in New York and Massachusetts on a weekly basis, hand-selecting each and every plant. Emilee likes to keep it fresh—giving customers something new to discover every time they come in. “I’ve put many miles on my car. It’s about finding something beautiful and unique.”
Her efforts are much appreciated by fellow “plant parents.”
“The kids are older now, so these are like my new babies,” says regular customer Kelly Baker of Bennington, Vermont. “I’m addicted to plants—the challenge, watching the new growth, seeing the different varieties of leaves. I love this store.”
She isn’t alone; over the past few years, the indoor plant community has been… growing. Since 2019, the market size in the plant and flower growing sector in the United States has increased by $2 billion to over $17 billion a year, according to industry statistics.
The Plant Connector owners hand-select new plants every week. Check their Instagram feed (@plantconnector) for all the newbies.
“I think plants emerge when we go through a social trauma. They give us a little bit of hope,” says Emilee. “It’s something very controlled, so they let us know when we’re doing things right, and they let us know when we’re doing things wrong. It’s a rewarding experience.”
The rewards go beyond a sense of personal accomplishment. Improved air quality, a sense of well-being, and reduced stress are just a few of the advantages associated with plant parenthood. “There’s a lot of science on how plants bring joy and health benefits to us,” says Emilee. “They teach us about our environments, like if it’s hot and dry, the plants aren’t happy, and usually our skin is not going to be super happy, either. They do have sort of a symbiotic relationship to our own environments and our homes.”
For those of you intimidated by caring for flora, or just hesitant because you’ve neglected a few plants in the past, you’re in good company. Emilee and business partner Bonnie Marks have met more than a few neophytes and serial plant killers.
“I can’t count how many times somebody comes through the door that says, ‘I kill everything,’” says Bonnie.
It often comes down to watering.
“People usually over-water their plants or they forget to water them. And that’s just part of life. We’re busy,” says Emilee. “So much of our time with people here is talking about our own experiences and how we’ve translated that into being successful plant people.”
Sometimes even the most diligent plant parent has a hard time, so The Plant Connector has enlisted the help of ladybugs to help with killers such as mealy- bugs and spider mites. “We have a tank full of ladybugs that we will take people’s sad plants and let the ladybugs eat all the pests on them,” says Emilee. “Ladybugs are phenomenal creatures.”
Sarah Harris is a longtime employee at The Plant Connector. When the shop moved to a larger location, that meant more space for more plants and the addition of a Refillery Bar and plant-swapping station.
These two mean business when it comes to plants. Even before they became partners in plants, they worked together at Jacob’s Pillow, where they shared an office that had a little more life than most. “We had so many plants,” Emilee admits with a laugh while describing the shared space. She was the office manager, and Bonnie was the bookkeeper. The idea to take their love of plants to the next level didn’t take root until the pandemic when Emilee was looking for a fresh start.
While out on a hike, the friends start- ed talking about what that next chapter might look like. “I knew my next direction was plants, and Bonnie goes, ‘Me, too!’ She was thinking herbalism and sustainability and how plants are healing. My base was really about the joy of plants and watching plants grow,” recounts Emilee, who has a background in landscape urbanism and plant-based art. ”I thought, why don’t we create a space that can combine art and plants? There’s something so beautiful in a new beginning and life.”
For Bonnie, an entrepreneur at heart who has had several businesses in the Berkshires, the prospect of growing something new in North Adams was too hard to resist. “I loved the concept. I just felt like we could make a go with what we were looking at and build a real community business.”
With the concept in hand—combining plants, art, sustainability, and herbalism—their new work life began. They obtained seed money through Assets for Artists and Mass Cultural Council grants to bring their vision to life at their first location on Eagle Street. They dedicated at least a third of the shop to displaying works by area artists. “We rotated them in and out. They got 100 percent of the proceeds, and we were able to give them a stipend.”
Bonnie adds, “It was a beautiful exchange. They transformed our environment every month. It really brought people into our space and let them explore what we were doing.”
When the opportunity to move to a larger location around the corner on Main Street came up, they jumped on it. The pair have utilized the extra space to expand their sustainability offerings, including Bonnie’s dream of a Refillery Bar—where people can refill lotions, shampoo, facial toners, and even laundry detergent. Customers bring their own containers, decreasing their environmental impact one refill at a time.
“Our goal is to just make a difference— just small, simple steps, helping our landfills where we can,” explains Bonnie.
The additional space also has allowed them to expand their “propagation station,” a wall filled with plant clippings where people can bring in or take home plant nodes. “We also have some big swap events where everybody can bring in plants that might not spark joy for them anymore and swap them with other community members,” explains longtime employee Sarah Harris.
Community is key. Even with their success, The Plant Connector has remained true to its roots—continuing to support artists and North Adams as a whole by hosting events designed to bring people downtown. Their calendar is filled with everything from terrarium building to drop-in drawing nights, from plant trivia to bingo nights. They’ve also taken their plant show on the road, doing workshops at DARE Bottleshop in Lenox, Williams College, and just across the street at Roots Teen Center.
“Plant Connector is one of our more well-known programs,” says Hunter Harpin, program manager at Roots Teen Center. Since last fall, Emilee has brought over several plant projects that have helped the teens to expand their social skills and to learn about taking care of a new life. “When Emilee is here with plants, they’re like, ‘Wow, that’s easy.’ They take it home, and later I get updates like ‘My plant’s still alive. It’s a little bit bigger now.’ It’s a really cool experience.”
Emilee and Bonnie both work tirelessly and passionately. Watching their community blossom alongside their plants makes all their long hours well worth it, as they continue to grow and plan for the future. “We’ve got a really huge, huge vision for five years,” says Bonnie. “I mean, big. When I have someone going along with me, I’m not afraid.”