Today we’d like to introduce you to Kaley Smylie-Halligan.
Hi Kaley, 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 backstory with our readers?
My husband (Korey) and I met back in 2013 working at a local coffee shop together. We were good friends for a few years and started dating in 2016! I spent 8 years in total working in coffee shops and felt perfectly content with that speed of things. I liked the early mornings and going straight to my caffeine fix everyday! After dating for a several years we got engaged in 2018. At the time of our engagement an opportunity for a big move came about.
Korey and I moved to Kauai in 2018 where we spent a couple of years soaking up the salty air and enjoying all that the island had to offer! I think with the both of us being from high desert areas, the lush greenness of the island was very refreshing. I’d always loved plants. Growing up with a mom and grandma that had large plant collections and gardened a lot, plants were always just part of my life. Living on Kauai, my love of tropical plants really blossomed! I started learning more and more about then. It was so different being in a climate where just about anything you stick in the ground will grow! We continued our work in the service industry on island but this is about the time that I got the itch for something new career wise. After a couple of years of being so far away, the homesick feeling started to naw away.
February of 2020, we found ourselves back in Fort Collins trying to figure our next steps… Then in March the pandemic hit. Both of us having careers in the service industry, we knew we’d have to pivot. Being back in Colorado, I was really missing the green of the island. So, like a lot of people, my indoor jungle grew… at a very fast rate! With an overwhelmed husband an my hands from lack of space for anything other than plants, Stem and Roots came about. We started hosting plant sales in our backyard on the weekends. During the week, we’d post inventory on Instagram and Facebook marketplace for porch pickups. For six months we did this. Outdoor sales turned into indoor sales. Everyone masked up and waiting their turn to come in and shop our plants! We built up an awesome relationship with people and cultivated a community of plant lovers.
At this point we were growing out of our (700 sq. ft) house and decided to take the plunge into finding a brick and mortar. Now here we are into our 6th year of business and couldn’t imagine it any other way!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Like any business, it’s had it’s up’s and down’s. I feel so fortunate that there has been mostly up’s! The past year and a half has been particularly tough with rising cost of… pretty much everything. We’ve seen a roughly 18% increase in cost of goods and that’s primarily from tariffs and shipping costs skyrocketing. It’s tough being a small business in this economy for sure but I’m very thankful for the community/customers that we have. I know everyone hears this over and over but shop small where you can. It has a huge ripple affect in the community around you!
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Stem and Roots at it’s core is a houseplant boutique. We carry a wide range of tropical houseplants. From common to rare plants! We additionally showcase local Colorado artists and makers including potters, stained glass artist, macrame goods, candles and lots more. The shop is organized by lighting needs so it makes for an easy shopping experience. Our crew are all avid plant people so we are able to tailor to your needs as far as lighting levels in your home and care level to find the perfect plant for you.
We offer a host of services both in and out of shop. Services we provide include repotting services, we can add drainage holes to your pots, pest management plans, moss pole installations and just about any other planty project you can think of! We have an off site team that cares for the installations we have in town. Ranging from co-working spaces, restaurants, and residential spaces. We’ve even started to dip our toes into the wedding world! I think this has a lot of potential as people are looking for more cost effective and eco-conscious options compared to your traditional floral arrangements.
I’d say what we’re most known for and what makes us unique is our terrarium bar! Located downstairs, we have a workshop space that’s available during shop hours. This is where you can build terrariums with the assistance from one of our team members. We have a large assortment of glass vessels and terrarium plants to pick from as well as decor pieces and miniatures to add to the terrariums. All of our larger enclosed glass vessels can be built as a bioactive enclosure! We carry 15 different varieties of isopods (rollie polis) that can be added to your terrariums. These little guys act as the clean up crew for terrariums. Plus they make for a fun and easy pet option. It’s a great activity for family outings!
The terrarium bar can be rented out for private birthday parties, team building events, bachelorette parties and much more! We also host weekly classes of more specialty things like kokedama making, pallidariums, carnivorous plant bogs, even jumping spider enclosure building.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Ooof I don’t know! I think for me, the fact that we’ve built a space where the community can come together and share their love for plants, nature, and art; it feels like a big win!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thestemandroots.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_stem.and.roots_/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HorsetoothStemAndRoots
