…Because we have the best urban gardeners: Rooted NYC
House plants are good for your health. At least according to scientists. It’s been shown that indoor plants purify the air, reduce stress, and increase concentration. They also look great. Plants then are, quite literally, good for body, mind, and spirit. But finding the right plants can be difficult for novices, while flora-keeping veterans often struggle to find unique offerings at big box stores. Enter Rooted NYC, an amazing urban plant shop right in the heart of Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Founded by friends Kay Kim, Ryan Lee, and Johnny Wu, Rooted NYC offers an amazing selection and an informed staff who not only know their plants, but also have excellent eyes for design, making it the perfect place for creative types to get their city greenery fix. That’s not all though. The gentlemen behind Rooted NYC have big plans too and are looking to shake up the industry by creating proprietary containers that can safely ship houseplants anywhere in the country. That’s impressive stuff, which is why O.N.S recently sought the three proprietors out for a chat about indoor greenery, creativity, and the amazing Zamio Zamioculcas plant.
How did all of you meet?
Kay and I have known each other since college. We both met Johnny through mutual friends in New York.
According to Kay, before starting Rooted NYC, you all had very different careers. How did the vision for Rooted NYC come together?
We moved into a big apartment together and immediately wanted to turn it into an urban jungle. While that was easy conceptually, it turned out harder to accomplish than we thought. We had problems getting high quality and unique plants from places like IKEA and Home Depot. We also had to find a way to get planters, soil and transport it all back to our place. This entire process got us thinking about why there wasn’t a company to help us build our plant-boy palace.
From the curated plant selection to the brand’s art direction, it is all pretty cohesive and attractive. How’d you go about choosing the right plants and creating the look of the brand?
We try to curate plants that will work well for our demographic, which is primarily millennials in urban areas. That translates into plants that are resilient, funky, quirky, patterned, and that have plenty of personality. In terms of branding, we wanted to come off as friendly, minimal, slightly elevated brand that lets our plants do all of the talking.
The Greenpoint neighborhood already seems to have many competitors. What do you think makes Rooted NYC stand out from the competition? What gives you that advantage?
Honestly, we don’t really see other plant stores as “competition.” Our mission is to help people reconnect with the natural world one plant at a time. If there are others brands or stores helping our customers achieve that goal, that’s totally fine. The more green the better.
When we visited the shop, we saw your prototype packaging for shipping bigger plants through the mail. What is your main goal with this new service that’s launching pretty soon?
To reiterate the point above, our goal is always to be able to connect as many people with the natural world as we can and help them realize than an indoor garden or jungle is absolutely achievable and even easy. We firmly believe in biophilia and the positive health benefits associated with having greenery in your home. If we can reach folks anywhere in America, that’d be Gucci.
For New Yorkers who are intrigued by plants but don’t have much of a green thumb, what plants would you suggest and why?
Start with our ZZ—or Zamio Zamioculcas— plant. Its glossy emerald leaves are gorgeous, low maintenance, nearly indestructible, and require very little light.
You recently went to Mexico for Rooted NYC. What’s the difference between the plant scene in Mexico versus the one in New York?
The plant scene in Guadalajara is more commercial. There are very few retail plant stores, and an e-commerce direct-to-your-door plant business probably wouldn’t work as well there. The city is sprawling, less dense, and has a different socioeconomic structure than New York. That being said, Rooted as a concept might work in Mexico City, where there are more parallels.
What are the main tips you give customers about caring for their plants at home?
Don’t overthink it. Plants have managed to survive for millions of years without us. Specifically, don’t overthink watering. Plants are like humans. When they’re thirsty, they send signals—primarily droopy leaves or looking “flat.” When that happens, give them a drink! We always tell our customers that it’s always better to underwater than to overwater.
How would you best describe Rooted NYC’s messaging to someone that’s curious of the brand?
We’re a modern-day plant company dedicated to reconnecting you to nature by delivering indoor plants straight to your door. The more green in our world, the better.
Do you have any new projects that are coming up for Rooted NYC?
Yes, we are really excited about our project to design and manufacture our own planters in Mexico. Earthen pressed clay—which is known as terracotta, although that’s technically the name for the color—is the best material for planters because of its porous nature. This helps store away excess moisture from the soil and then also time release it back into the soil as the moisture dries up. This mimics more closely the plant’s natural habitat in nature and therefore works best for the plant. However, terracotta planters have very basic designs and have not been marketed as beautiful planters. We want to change that to provide our customers with not only the most functional planters, but also the best designed.
For more Rooted NYC check out its Instagram here.
If you liked this story, check out more in our Urban Transplants issue.
