Today we’d like to introduce you to Marisa Merriman.
Hi Marisa, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I moved to Salt Lake City in 2015 by myself. Not knowing anyone, I got into plants in my free time. I quickly developed a deep passion and love for them. I started working at a local nursery in 2018 and was introduced to a lot of plant lovers. We created an awesome community of fellow plant lovers on Facebook. I would host plant swaps so we could all meet up and `see all the cool stuff everyone grows!
I started selling cuttings and small plants of hard-to-find, “rare” collector plants. That was something the community deeply needed as no one local was selling these plants, but everyone wanted them! Covid came and so many new people got into plants, I couldn’t keep up with the demand from my plants and the space needed to grow them out of my house any longer. I decided to open a business where I could have the space to grow more plants and sell them in person, as connecting with people is another deep love and passion of mine!
Community is extremely important to me, so I wanted to create a space for this community I would have wanted to shop at when I first started collecting. The support from this community has been tremendous and I am so grateful, I wouldn’t have made it a year without all the love and support.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has not been a smooth road, but it hasn’t been so terrible that we’re not still standing! One of my biggest struggles is growing plants in the indoor greenhouse I created in the upstairs part of the building. It is carpeted under plastic, need I say more?!
Trying to keep water from leaking, and mold from growing, has been a struggle. Starting a small business is extremely difficult and taxing in all the ways you traditionally hear, but seeing the joy my plants bring to people is well worth it.
We’ve been impressed with Hello Foliage, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Hello Foliage is a house plant shop specializing in rare and exotic plants you won’t typically find at any other house plant store. I also carry more fun “regular” house plants as well, to have a selection for everyone, no matter where their journey is with growing house plants.
I grow about half the plants we carry upstairs and sell them in the storefront. I also primarily carry local artists’ work, such as pots, trellises, necklaces, suncatchers, and paintings. What sets me apart from others, is I grow these tropicals, rather than importing them and reselling them, and that is also the thing I am most proud of.
What does success mean to you?
Success to me means making a meaningful impact on my local community and being able to continually learn and grow.
Contact Info:
- Website: hellofoliage.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hello_foliage/
