Check Out Nika Linn’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nika Linn.

Hi Nika, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
Chez Flora started in 2018 as a passion project but has now expanded to a permanent retail gig at Kansas City Kitty (an amazing women’s clothing boutique in downtown FoCo) and a consulting business that has helped countless folks feel more confident with plants. As a botanist with years of horticultural experience and a passion for science communication, I use biology to explain how plants work and how best to care for them in a fun and accessible way.

I grew up on my dad’s tree farm and in my grandfather’s garden: I was destined to love plants. I keep the well-being of plants and humans at the center of my business. Through this lil’ business I hope to foster folks’ love for the natural world and for themselves. Additionally, I think keeping plants in your home is a great way to interact with the natural world at a time when we are so often isolated from it.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Chez Flora has been and still is a side gig. I absolutely love the work but I haven’t quite gotten to the point where it pays the bills. I stay busy, to say the least.

I am graduating from CSU this December (next week!) and can’t wait to put a little more time into the business.

Aside from that people have been so receptive to the business concept and my family and friends have also been so supportive.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am just about to graduate with a B.S. in biology concentrating in botany as well as a B.L.A. in French language, literature, and culture. I have been a full-time college student for the entire time CF has existed. I also work part-time for the USDA as a seed analyst at the largest gene bank in North America, and as a physics teaching assistant. I love science, the natural world, and how it interfaces with human society. I would say that science communication and botany are my specialties, but I can also report plants remarkably fast!

I have had the honor to work with some seriously old and precious plants in my day. I often prune and repot plants that are 30+ years old. Folks are understandably nervous to mess with these botanical heirlooms and so they come to me for guidance.

Thanks to my education as a botanist, I can give people the biological reasoning behind why their plants are the way they are. Looking up plant tips on the internet will yield tons of misinformation and/or guidance that does not apply to the specific conditions of your home. I can look at all the variables that are present in the exact spot where your plant is living and give proper care recommendations and treat for pests or other pathogens if things aren’t going so hot. I don’t know of anyone else in the Front Range region who does house calls or virtual houseplant consulting, much less with a concrete background in biology.

We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you.
I would call it to privilege instead of luck. My family, partner, and friends are so supportive of my business.

Whether that means helping carry plants in/out of a pop-up, telling their friends about my services, or just giving advice. I guess it’s lucky that my dad is a nurseryman and I ended up liking plants because I have gotten so many great connections (+ soil and pots) in the horticultural world through him.

Pricing:

• Virtual Consults are free for BIPOC
• Virtual Consults are $20 for 30 min
• In-person consulting is $55/hr for residential clients and $75 for commercial (businesses with more than 5 employees)
• Students and other folks with limited budgets can always reach out and we can figure something out

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.chez-flora.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chezflora/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@chezflora