Spruce plant boutique blooming at St. Johns Town Center looks to branch out with plant bar in Murray Hill

A passion for houseplants rooted in her childhood has bloomed into a successful business for Ida Vera, whose boutique house plant shop at St. Johns Town Center could soon blossom to include a plant bar in Murray Hill.

Vera opened Spruce in May 2021 at 10274 Buckhead Branch Drive in the regional shopping center on Jacksonville's Southside.

The boutique specializes in common as well as rare, hard-to-find plants, said Vera, 31, who left the corporate world to pursue her life-long love of growing plants.

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"House plants, we range from super easy, beginner-friendly plants like snake plants, pothos and philodendron, to rare plants you can't find that often," she said. "We have a little greenhouse in the back that we keep our rare plants in. So if you're a real green thumb, you can come in here and look in our greenhouse."

Vera said the hard-to-find houseplants include some rare species of anthuriums, hoyas and Scindapsus, which is among her favorites. In addition, they have some trees, such as fiddle-leaf fig, she said.

The shop also showcases goods from local artisans.

"As far as local maker goods, we have everything from pottery, earrings, stationery and you name it. We carry goods from about 20 different makers, which is pretty fun and giving back to the community," Vera said.

Spruce also hosts workshops at the store. Most have been classes taught by the local makers whose merchandise is available for sale in the shop.

Houseplants have gained new popularity as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. More people working and sheltering at home have found caring for houseplants helps ease the stress and isolation.

"When COVID hit, it was insane. … Everyone was home and they wanted to decorate with plants and take care of something. You know, they wanted to get that satisfaction of taking care of something," she said.

Turning a childhood passion into a career

Vera said she's always had a green thumb. The seeds of her love of houseplants were sown in childhood. She can't remember a time when plants or gardening weren't part of her life.

"I've always loved plants and have had houseplants for way too long," she said. "My husband's probably tired of them."

As a youngster, Vera always gardened with her mom. When she was in her 20s, the Jacksonville native filled her apartment with houseplants.

Five years ago she and her husband, Christhian, took a trip to Portland, Ore., where stores like Spruce were fairly common. Back then, Vera was unaware of any similar shops in Jacksonville or other Florida communities.

"I was so inspired to come back and create my own version of a plant shop. It took a couple of years, but I'm finally there," said Vera, who was a quality assurance analyst when she decided to start her houseplant business. "I think I made a good switch."

Now, there are houseplant boutiques "all-around," including about three in Jacksonville, she said.

From the Town Center to Murray Hill

So, they're branching out — renovating a 2,000-square-foot former warehouse into what she believes might be the first plant bar in Jacksonville, if not, Northeast Florida.

The plant bar will be at 3644 Post St. located directly behind the Dreamette ice cream stand in Murray Hill.

The interior buildout cost was estimated at $60,000. Construction of an outside pergola and patio was projected at $8,000, according to building permit documents.

"It's pretty much done. We're just waiting on some red tape with the city to be cleared up," she said.

Vera said originally they'd planned to open the plant bar before the retail store. But the plant bar became snarled in red tape because of zoning issues discovered during the inspection process.

The city had issued a building permit Oct. 7, 2020, for the plant bar project, records show.

The permit was suspended with the discovery that the proposed parking lot was zoned residential while the structure was zoned commercial. That led to landscaping complications putting the project in limbo, First Coast News reported in April 2021.

Vera said she's optimistic it all will be resolved in a month or so and they can open the plant bar, which will have about 16 seats indoors plus 16 outside.

"It's going to be very fun, chilI, nothing crazy. Just a nice relaxing environment with a lot of plants," Vera said.

"Basically, we'll be a plant shop that happens to serve beer, wine, coffee, treats and small plates," Vera said. "I think it's pretty cool that you'll be able to sip a glass of wine as you walk around the aisles picking out your plant babies."

The boutique and plant bar's target audience is people of all ages but the main demographic is millennials — people in their 20s and 30s who make up much of the current houseplant trend, she said.

But really, houseplants are something everyone can enjoy, she said.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: St. Johns Town Center plant shop Spruce thriving amid COVID pandemic