Words by Rachel. Photographs by Monica.
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Year 2024 may still be in motion but we are fortunate enough to experience so many learning lessons through the challenges and milestones thus far. In the month of August, we are honored by the Australia Awards with the opportunity to learn from like-minded small businesses how to make an impact through exporting their goods. Monica, one of our founders, joined a number of courses ranging from international shipping strategies to legal and regulatory requirements. To support her study, she visited Melbourne’s local greenery businesses and saw how local businesses have flourished by embodying the principles she learned.
Today, we are sharing Monica’s experiences visiting three plant nurseries through these words and pictures.
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Seemingly simple on the outside, Fitzroy Nursery houses hundreds of plants and a comprehensive collection of gardening equipments, including planters, tools, and potting mixes. As Monica walked through the door, she was greeted by a pathway bordered with plants. The industrial style establishment maximized greeneries by populating the ceiling with hanging plants — a set-up that seems to manifest the urban life we envision.
The business started in 1983 and reopened in 2023. The store is staffed with plant enthusiasts, most of which has been working in related businesses for many years. It is apparent that these passionate people who form Fitzroy Nursery aspire to create an experience through engaging displays and thoughtful installations, as they described on their website.
What we believe Fitzroy Nursery has successfully executed is showing a strong and consistent identity. Their maturity in the business also shows that lifestyle products, such as crafts, always have an opportunity to thrive and sustain long-term.
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Dig Emporium is a place that invites you into the gardening culture. We imagined that the eye-pleasing corners of greeneries and gardening items sparked interest in green living for many residents of Melbourne. Dig Emporium has a friendly ambiance that welcomes not just avid gardeners, but those who just enjoy sightseeing indoor plant installments. The convenience and modernity make a visit to Dig Nursery just as easy as a visit to your local supermarkets.
We did an extra digging on this plant nursery and found their website which we found savvy and nicely-designed. In this online platform, Dig Emporium showcases an array of plant services ranging from plant delivery to plant nanny service. More than a nursery, Dig Emporium is a thoughtful business that wants to make gardening easy.
In our learning experience, this plant nursery was not just a pleasant visit but was also proof that your business will gain reward through building thoughtfully your online presence and offering services that give added value to your business.
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Plant Society brought the dream of a life in nature through the spot-on ambiance of their store. With soothing sounds of music, calming wall paints, and even a corner for quiet reading, Plant Society creates a space that replicate the effects of a beautiful day in the outdoors. Offering pleasing merchandise and friendly customer service, Plant Society seems to aspire to create a sense of belonging, as a part of a plant and nature-loving community. Perhaps, this is why the name “Plant Society” perfectly fits their business.
Not unlike the aforementioned nurseries, Plant Society also supports its clients with an accessible online presence, allowing users to browse different services and various shopping categories from planters to kitchen ceramic items.
We think that in the case of Plant Society, community-based businesses are proven to still be relevant. By offering added values like merchandise, enjoyable ambiance, as well as a strong online presence, Plant Society maintains a place in the hearts of loyal customers.
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Melbourne is just one of the many cities that share the same dream of urban harmony with nature. Nurseries such as Fitzroy, Dig Emporium, and Plant Society are small businesses with a vision just like ours. We are happy to find other communities believing the same cause and grateful for the opportunity to be inspired by those who start the journey earlier than we did!
Soon, we will be having our very own session to share our learnings as a small business in the industry. Stay tuned to our Instagram account for more information to join!