Hinton welcomed a new business, Botany Tropicals, on Friday, Jan. 14. Many beautiful and interesting plants filled the shelves, providing a wide selection from which customers could choose. In addition, they have partnered with other small businesses, including, Tarts In Hearts and ART of the JAR Candle Co. Beyond plants and all the necessary accessories, shoppers will find wax melts, candles and crystals along Botany Tropicals’ shelves.
Owners Jordan Casey and Steven Jones have also created a terrarium bar and a fun selfie station to commemorate the purchase of new “plant babies.” According to Casey, they grow 85 percent of the plants they sell and the remaining 15 percent comes from wholesalers that are also local growers.
“We try not to do any big box stores or anything,” Casey said, “We have some local growers in North Carolina.”
Casey and Jones stated that they will provide a terrarium class for anyone who comes in and wants to build a custom terrarium. There are a variety of containers and a whole host of different plants. They also have a “toppings bar” complete with sand, moss and rocks.
According to Jones, the small store offers plants from $3 all the way up to $1000. He stated, “We offer plants for every price range.”
Before finding a permanent location in Hinton, Casey and Jones started their business at the flea market. However, Casey said his love of plants began when he was five years old. He said, “My grandma gave me a Christmas Cactus and it just kind of blew up from there.” He went on to say, “I’ve got so many plants at home and I just keep propagating. I was like I really need to find something to do with these plants.”
While searching for a building that would make a perfect permanent location, Casey and Jones came to Hinton “and fell in love with the town.” Casey went on to talk about the town and its rejuvenation. He also noted that there are no other businesses like Botany Tropicals within a 50-mile radius.
When talking about the future of the business, Casey said, “Only better things from here, we are excited.” He went on to say, “I really don’t know where it’s going, but we’re excited to see it.” Jones and Casey stated that they plan to hold events starting with a Valentine Terrarium Workshop. They also hope to work with local schools to potentially provide field trips for students. Casey stated that one of their goals is to “bring in a lot of out of towners and focus on building the area.”
Casey stated that a friend of his runs the FFA in an area of Tennessee. She plans on bringing her students, possibly in the summer, to intern at Botany Tropicals.
Stop by the new store, located at 218 3rd Ave any time during hours of operation, Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m through 7 p.m. and Saturday 11 a.m. until 5 p.m.
For more information on Botany Tropicals, call the shop at 304-309-4005 or send an email to botanytropicals@gmail.com.
