Shops / Shop of the Week
Shop of the Week: Old Market Plants
Walking into Old Market Plants is a bit like stepping into a packed greenhouse, with a huge variety of foliage crowding in on all sides.
With its wooden beams and shelves decked in warm white fairy lights it also feels like a beautiful Instagram feed in real life.
The shop on Gloucester Lane off West Street is neat and organised but somehow informal, with an instantly friendly and calming atmosphere.
is needed now More than ever
This new horticultural haven is run by Jamie Innes and Kathryn Braithwaite.
The pair have a wealth of gardening knowledge between them: Kathryn worked on the BBC’s Gardeners World and both studied at the Royal Gardens at Kew, where they worked in the famously vast greenhouses.
That was where they met and decided to branch out (pardon the pun) into selling house plants.
For Jamie and Kathryn, it’s an opportunity to share their knowledge of indoor planting in a time and place where cacti and succulents – among many others – are increasingly popular.
Added to the plants themselves, customers will also be able to learn more about how to care for their purchases, and about horticulture in general.
“It’s a botanical experience we’re offering,” Kathryn explains. “Earlier today for example we had a little girl come in to look for a present for her mum, and she wanted to know all about the different plants and was really enthusiastic.”
Jamie and Kathryn are clearly passionate about their jobs, and keen to pass on their expertise, whether this is to fellow botanical enthusiasts or absolute beginners.
Their price range reflects this, with budgets from £3 to £300 catered for.
If a customer is looking for a particular plant they will do their best to source it, with the aim of responding to requests and stocking what people particularly want to buy.
Old Market Plants are also planning to collaborate with local potters, meaning there will be beautiful handmade plant pots available to buy in the shop.
“We’ve got something for everybody. And we hope that we become a destination for people looking for new plants,” Kathryn adds.
Old Market Plants, Gloucester Lane, Old Market, Bristol, BS2 0DP
07789 113 268
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