With 6,000 square feet of plants to browse, Texas Plant Connection offers a wide variety of rare indoor houseplants, local pottery and homemade soil unique to the Bryan-College Station area.
Co-owners Sarah and Chris Quinn, who got married six years ago, opened the plant nursery in November of last year. The store is open every day from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. in Bryan and sells a mixture of hoyas, philodendrons, monsteras and more, according to their website.
Sarah, Class of 2013, began photographing homes for Chris’ real estate business around five years ago. She said she noticed all the same fake plants in the listings and saw an opportunity for change.
“I was like, ‘What if we incorporate real plants into selling homes?’ It brought such a dimension and sense of life that faux plants can’t do,” Sarah said.
That moment sparked the creation of Pretty Little Plant Company in 2020, where the Quinns sold plants from their home through monthly pop-ups, porch pickups and shipments. After two and a half years, Sarah said the high demand led them to open up Texas Plant Connection.
“We opened the store without a true check-out center,” Chris said. “We were like, ‘We just wanna sell the plants.’ None of our customers cared. It’s been so well received.”
Before opening the building, Chris said they added a reverse osmosis system, a drainage system and hydroponically run tables for the benefit of the plants. 99% of their plants come from Florida, Sarah said, from greenhouses that have been growing plants for the past 30 to 40 years.
“We’ll sell everything from a small little two-inch succulent for $3.99, all the way up to a very large, rare variegated, monstera for $3,000,” Sarah said. “We have a lot of customers that come in like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’ve never actually seen this plant in real life.’”
Catering to indoor house plants and partnering with local artists sets the store apart from others, Sarah said. Lindsey Norman of Wild Nectar Studios sells handmade concrete pots, and Emily Gerka of Mossed and Confused creates moss wall art, according to their websites. Chris said the in-person aspect of the store allows customers to browse these items and interact with workers.
“The most common question we get when they check out is, ‘How do I take care of it?’ We want to set you up for success because you’re gonna be a long time customer if you’re succeeding versus if you’re failing,” Chris said.
The 22-year-old employee Aubrey Mayborn has seen the business evolve firsthand, going from a loyal customer to their longest standing employee. She said she realized during COVID-19 that she needed a hobby, and plants seemed like the perfect fit.
“I just attached myself to plants; I threw all of my energy into them,” Mayborn said. “I want everyone to come into the shop and experience it at least once because it’s totally different from anything that’s around here.”
Indoor plants are the focus now, but Chris said they would like to expand their inventory in the future. For now, the couple is preparing for their baby girl due in May.
“It’s really hard to have a bad day when you’re in a place like this,” Chris said. “Even though all our customers come from all walks of life, it seems like we really all have something in common when we’re enjoying what plants have to offer.”
