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Sisters Sarah Francisco (left) and Jen McKnight formed the J & S Blooming Co. store, with McKnight working as the primary owner. The store sells a wide variety of houseplants with additional furniture offerings.
A new business in downtown Scottsbluff offers plenty of plants for those looking to cultivate a green thumb. J & S Blooming Co. at 1714 Broadway sells a variety of houseplants for people with any level of gardening skills.
The store is operated by Jen McKnight, a first-time small business owner. Her sister Sarah Francisco helps her out, hence the store’s name: J & S.
“We were just trying to think of something we could do when our children were older, maybe start a coffee shop or a bakery or something, and we felt like there was a lack of variety for plants in the community so we thought that a plant store/flower (store) would be super fun,” McKnight said.
She said she felt like this was a good time to start the business, so she took the opportunity and ran with it.
The store opened on July 5. McKnight had first acquired the property in April.
Two customers check out a selection of houseplants at J & S Blooming Co., a new business in downtown Scottsbluff.
“I actually found this place within a week (of searching), I feel like I got pretty lucky,” she said.
The sisters want to add flowers to their business, but, right now, are mainly focused on tending and selling their selection of houseplants.
“We’ve actually been pretty busy with the plants alone,” McKnight said. “I feel like that was the main meat anyways … I felt like this is what the community would really appreciate.”
Numerous types of plants are sold at the shop, including succulents, cacti, aloe, ferns, carnivorous plants and air plants.
These latter plants acquire all their nutrients through their leaves and small, fine hair-like structures called trichomes.
J & S Blooming Co. owner Jen McKnight (left) and her sister Sarah Francisco offer several types of houseplants at the store, including ferns, succulents, cacti and air plants. Plants can also be requested for custom orders.
McKnight said she was quite intrigued by the air plants, and some have proved popular in the two weeks the store has been open.
McKnight enjoys helping customers find the optimal plants for them. Working with so many plants means she sometimes gets attached to them.
“Sometimes, I joke with my customers. ‘Is this an open adoption or closed? Will I be able to see them again, will you post pictures?’” she said.
Some houseplants are easier for plant care novices, while others are for those with tried and true green thumbs.
“We tried to get different items in that we feel people maybe can’t get around here locally,” McKnight said.
The store also has a selection of less common plants, such as jungle boogie philodendrons and ponytail palms. McKnight can also order plants by customer request, such as a rare polka dot begonia she recently got for a shopper.
Besides the plants, the store’s furniture is also for sale. Customers can purchase everything from wicker chairs to ottomans to the very shelves plants are displayed on.
McKnight said she plans to eventually rent space out for bridal showers, baby showers, birthday parties and other occasions. There, she aims to hold paint a pot, sip and pot, cactus planting and other events.
The store’s hours are from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. on weekdays, but 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays in order to have time for parties and events. McKnight said she’s still forming the specifics of how these events will operate.
Another service she plans to roll out is housing houseplants for the winter season, either when their owners are going out of town for a few days or weeks or for the entire season.
“It’s just been really great to have all this support from the community,” McKnight said. “Everyone is really excited that comes in, and it is super great to have that support and reassurance that this was a good business type to open up.”
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Christopher Borro is a reporter at the Star-Herald. He can be reached by email at christopher.borro@starherald.com.
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Sisters Sarah Francisco (left) and Jen McKnight formed the J & S Blooming Co. store, with McKnight working as the primary owner. The store sells a wide variety of houseplants with additional furniture offerings.
Two customers check out a selection of houseplants at J & S Blooming Co., a new business in downtown Scottsbluff.
J & S Blooming Co. owner Jen McKnight (left) and her sister Sarah Francisco offer several types of houseplants at the store, including ferns, succulents, cacti and air plants. Plants can also be requested for custom orders.
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