Black Business Spotlight: Roots & Bloom Brings Plants, Wellness and Community to the Twin Cities
Contributing writer Lizzy Nyoike profiles Roots & Bloom, the mobile plant shop founded by Ciera Curtis that travels to festivals, markets and pop-ups across the Twin Cities. Through experiences like Plant Bingo and plant-and-sip workshops, Curtis uses plant care as a gateway to conversations about self-care and personal growth, building a first year rooted in community and wellness.
A mobile plant shop is bringing greenery to communities across the Twin Cities. Founded by Ciera Curtis, Roots & Bloom travels throughout the metro offering plants, workshops and self-care experiences designed to make plant care accessible while encouraging meaningful conversations about personal growth, mindfulness and community.
For Curtis, the business grew from a personal passion for plants and a desire to share that passion with others. While Roots & Bloom officially celebrates its first anniversary in October, she said the goal has always been to create an experience that brings people together while promoting wellness.
“My love of plants inspired Roots & Bloom,” Curtis said.
Curtis said she hopes every interaction with Roots & Bloom leaves people thinking about more than just how to care for plants.
“What I hope people take away when they see plants is that they take care of themselves as much as they take care of their plants,” Curtis said. “If you water your plants, make sure you take time to water yourself as well.”
As a mobile plant shop, Roots & Bloom regularly travels to community festivals, neighborhood markets and pop-up events across the Twin Cities, making plants accessible to people where they already gather. Along with the mobile plant shop, the business hosts workshops and self-care experiences that combine plant education with creativity and reflection.
One of those experiences is Plant Bingo, where participants can learn about plants while having the opportunity to win one of their own.
“We do plant bingo, and people get to win plants. If they’re not comfortable buying them, they can win plants instead.”
Roots & Bloom also offers plant and sip experiences where participants select a plant, learn how to care for it and take part in an activity centered on writing down personal goals and intentions.
“I do plant and sip where you come in, you can choose a plant, learn about it,” Curtis said. “We do a little kind of ritual where you write down goals or intentions that you have. It’s about wellness for me.”
Curtis said plants have become a way to introduce conversations about wellness in an approachable setting.
“Plants are important to me because they spread joy,” she said. “It’s all about wellness and taking care of ourselves and taking care of the planet.”
As Roots & Bloom approaches its first anniversary, Curtis said the encouragement she’s received from customers continues to motivate her.
“What’s kept me grounded is how much people love plants, or they see me and they just get a plant or want to start their plant journey with me,” Curtis said. “That means a lot.”
This summer, Roots & Bloom will continue traveling throughout the Twin Cities, participating in festivals and pop-up events while serving as a resident plant vendor at Life Juices in St. Paul. Curtis said she hopes her business continues introducing more people to plant care while creating spaces centered on wellness, education and community.
For more information on Roots & Bloom, visit their Facebook page.
Lizzy Nyoike is a Hubbard School of Journalism & Mass Communication student and contributing writer for the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder. She welcomes reader responses at lnyoike@spokesman-recorder.com.