For some of us, a houseplant is like another member of the family, worthy of love, attention and TLC. I know people who have coaxed ailing orchids back into bloom, nursed tiny shoots into healthy plants and overlooked the leggy branches and sparse growth of a potted palm.
Jay Longtin, a former sales representative, is one of those green-thumbed Seattleites who appreciate the fresh oxygen and soothing green that houseplants provide. A lover of exotic and tropical houseplants, Longtin has parlayed this passion into Envy [0], his month-old plant and patio store in the Central District.
Envy is housed in a new brick building on Union Street that brims with charm and street appeal. The walls of the two-level, loftlike shop are painted a pale green, coral and white, which gives the space a cheerful vibe.
Tropical and exotic plants like aloe, birds of paradise and pencil cactus come potted or un-potted and range in price from $20 to $165. Envy features a small selection of accessories, like pots (from $25) and birdhouses ($18), with patio furniture coming soon.
On the sunny September day that I visited, Longtin had some outdoor plants set up on the sidewalk outside the shop. Flats filled with succulents, creeping thyme and shade-loving ferns (starting at $4) were lined up on long benches, patiently waiting to be taken home and planted.
In addition to the retail shop, Longtin is offering customers the opportunity to order plants in bulk at a 20-percent discount off their retail price. For the next week or so, Longtin will take orders for house and landscaping plants, and will then have the plants delivered to the store for customers to pick up. He's hoping that this offer will entice his neighbors to help reinvigorate the beautiful tree-lined streets of the Central District.
Longtin also offers a Sad Plant Service. Bring your tired and droopy houseplants to Envy, and Longtin will rehabilitate and freshen them up for a $5 fee and the cost of a new pot. You can trust Longtin to take good care of your sad plants -- when he moved from Vermont to Seattle five years ago, he had his favorite aloe plant shipped across country via next day air. That's some serious plant love.
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