29 May Plant Shop Q&A: Precious Cargo
This series interviews local plant shop owners to get a glimpse into their growing business and pick their brains about all things plants.
Wesley was born and raised in West Seneca, NY.
Narina was born and raised in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
They met while both attending Syracuse University. It’s been a long journey ever since and they have finally found the place that’s perfect for them, in the Village of Lancaster.
Their passion for indoor houseplants started with a baby Croton ‘Petra’ plant that they received as a housewarming gift from a friend many, many years ago and it has evolved into so much more today.
What encouraged you to open a plant store?
A few years after moving to NYC together and working in our respective design industries, we always knew that we wanted to do something together and that the city wasn’t for us. Since Wesley has family in Buffalo, we would visit often and it always felt just right being here. After the pandemic, we both knew that our time in the city had come to an end and we decided it was time to move and start our own business. Looking back at our careers and as we decided what was important to both of us and what we enjoyed, we knew that we wanted to open up a plant shop. Living in the city in an apartment, we brought the greenery indoors and created our own oasis. Caring for plants quickly became our escape and a way to decompress after long hours at work. Having plants at home really transformed our living space, taught us about patience, and allowed us to slow down. Plants really made a difference in our lives and we wanted to share that with our local community.
What kind of indoor plants does your shop specialize in?
We’re a small but mighty shop when it comes to the varieties of plants we have to offer. We always make sure there is something for everyone and that we carry a pretty good range of plants. It’s important for us to always have a good mix that includes rare gems, pet-friendly plants, and those that are easy to care for.
Tell us about a favorite moment with a customer.
There have been many unique and sweet moments with our customers, so it’s hard to choose just one. We would like to mention one about a woman visiting the shop with her 2 young daughters. One of her daughters was genuinely intrigued with plants and was asking different questions about some plants we had at the shop and why they grew a certain way, how they grow in their natural habitat and why some leaves had red on the underside, etc. She really reminded us of why we love plants and her passion to learn about them was very inspiring.
What is your #1 tip for new plant parents?
Don’t get discouraged if you kill a plant or two! Instead, see it as a learning experience. We don’t believe it’s about having a “green thumb,” just the willingness to learn from our mistakes.
Tell us about your personal plant collection. How has it evolved over time?
We are in the process of adding back to our personal collection of plants since we moved to Buffalo. Because of the move, we had to give away a lot of our plants. Now that we are in our new home, we are slowly but surely rebuilding our collection. But when we first started our plant journey, we mostly focused on tropical plants and then it slowly evolved and expanded and we added cacti and succulents into the mix. We love them all and tend to not get too hung up on whether a plant is rare or not, it’s about the plant’s personality.
What is your favorite houseplant at the moment?
This is a tough one because there are so many that we hold close to our hearts! But at the moment Wesley is enchanted with a Philodendron gloriosum and Narina with a Philodendron tortum. These two plants have so much character and make a real statement.
Any plant trends you foresee in the next year or two?
We think more and more people are recognizing the numerous benefits of houseplants and what they do for our physical and mental health. People want to connect with nature and bring it home, so we really think plants will stay rooted in our society and their popularity will only continue to grow.
Anything else you’d like to add about the shop?
It is important to us to make everyone feel welcomed in our shop, whether you’re a new or an experienced plant parent. We hope that our space allows people to learn about what houseplants mean to them and how they can incorporate them into their lives. We’re excited to continue to grow ourselves, contribute to our community, and offer as much help as we can to our customers well beyond purchasing a plant from our shop.
Learn more at preciouscargoplantshop.com or