Dundee indoor plant shop The Botanist & The Bee opened its doors during Covid, but managed to survive the challenges the pandemic presented and is now looking to a positive future.
Founders of the growing company located in Whitehall Street were Eliza Serban and Chris Lyon, who had previously been based in Holland.
Managing partner Eliza spoke about the business opportunity they saw: “Returning to the Scotland right before the pandemic, we had been living in Amsterdam and saw lots of florists specialising in house plants.
“We noticed a gap in the market back in Dundee and opened up a pop-up shop to start with – and, almost four years later, we’re still here.”
Eliza had previously trained as an architect, while Chris had worked in operations with the likes of Fairmont Group and Booking.com.
So was The Botanist & The Bee an instant success?
The managing partner said: “We were lucky when we opened. House plants were one of the numerous items people were Googling for during the Covid lockdowns.
“People yearned for connection, and house plants helped a little to fill that void.
“This gave us a good starting point and we’ve seen considerable growth since our first year of trading.”
Eliza said most customers are local or from Scotland, thought the business has also had orders from other countries including the US and Norway.
She added that a typical buyer would be someone who already has a few plants and wants to grow their collection. The Botanist & The Bee currently has a team of four.
What has been shop’s biggest achievements to date?
Eliza said: “These include working with small local businesses to pulling off large commercial projects.
“We’ve been really fortunate to work with a lot of great clients in the last few years.
“Memorable moments include squeezing a 2.5ft Fiddle Leaf Ficus up a 17th Century spiral staircase; and also seeing our workshops really grow in this past year. It’s always nice to look back, but there’s still lots to do.”
Looking back at the pandemic and its impact, Eliza said: “We started the business in the midst of Covid and were forced to close the shop only weeks into trading.
“Suppliers were closing, orders were being stuck at ports for days – it was a wild time.
“But, during this period, house plants became very popular – it’s said that one in three people bought a plant during the lockdowns.”
As to expectations for the firm for the rest of 2024, the managing partner said they were hoping to relaunch the online shop and be able to provide more people and businesses throughout Scotland with specialised house plant services.
What makes The Botanist & The Bee stand out from rivals?
Eliza responded: “Larger retailers and online shops are always great competitors – however we pride in being able to offer bespoke services to our customers and hopefully create more of a community where people are welcome to message us for tips and tricks, or pop in to see us for a good plant natter.”
But the managing partner does feel that politicians could do more to support the retail sector, which faces numerous challenges – including economic pressures, changing consumer behaviour, and the rise of e-commerce.
She added: “High streets have been dying slowly over the years. Some things that should be reviewed are:
“Business rates relief – local government could provide more relief on business rates, particularly for small and independent retailers, to ease financial pressures.
“Regeneration projects – investment in town-centre regeneration projects can create more attractive and accessible retail environments, encouraging foot traffic.
“Parking incentives – reducing parking fees or offering free parking periods can attract more shoppers to local retail areas.
“Support for pop-up shops – encourage the use of vacant properties by supporting pop-up shops and short-term leases, which can revitalise high streets and reduce empty store fronts. This would also allow small businesses to put in plan growth strategies that at the moment are simply unrealistic.”
Conversation