India Slodki/The Broadside
More and more people are becoming pulled into the world of houseplants. Over the last ten years, house plants have grown in popularity. Somewhere That’s Green is the one-stop-shop for Bend’s house plant obsessed.
The small store feels like more of a menagerie of house plants, ranging from your standard Pothos to the ever-coveted Venus Flytrap. The cacti bathe in the sun at one end, while low-light plants stay cool on the other side of the store. The store plays host to over 100 species of plants, ranging from interesting to absurd.
John Kish founded Somewhere That’s Green in 2018. The name comes from a Little Shop of Horrors song, a nod to Kish’s background in the theatre. After studying horticulture–the study of cultivating plants–in university Kish bounced around different horticultural careers, finally finding his stride in the indoor plant business.
Over the last year, people wavered in and out of isolation as the world found itself battling COVID 19. Houseplants began dotting people’s zoom backgrounds, a source of active engagement in an otherwise mundane space.
“They say that 30% of business thrived during COVID, Somewhere That’s Green definitely falls in that demographic,” Kish said. “Humans need to care for something, for people trapped at home that don’t have kids or a dog, plants satisfied that need.”
As more and more people opened up their spaces to leafy companions, Somewhere That’s Green was more than happy to provide starts, pots, and expert advice to all. Unfortunately, supply could not keep up with demand.
“We need backstock, we need storage. Simply put, we have outgrown our old location,” Kish said.
On April 30th, the store will be closing its Old Mill location and is being transplanted to the old Gear Peddler location–formally 2nd & Greenwood ave. The shop plans on having its doors open in mid-May, but they are having a pop-up sale on May 8th, just in time for Mother’s day.
The new location is over four times the size of the Old Mill location. Kish is excited to experiment with different ways of presenting the plant selection.
“I want to organize sections based on skill level. Have a section for beginners, a section for those with some more experience. Hopefully, we will be able to have people guide themselves to the right plant,” Kish said.
