Piante Design - Grace Li

In the past few years, most of us have probably started a collection of house plants. The trend came fast and furious, and Millenials complied and sought a green thumb even if they didn't naturally have one.

At the cusp of our plant craze entered Gary and Grace Li, the owners of Piante Design, a popular plant and home goods shop off of Park Avenue in Winter Park. The couple moved here almost three years ago from Toronto, and thanks to Gary’s education and background in floral design and horticultural, they decided to open up a design business and local plant shop. Now they are embarking on a complementary concept that will focus on home goods.

I met them both when they had just opened their first shop, and they've remained two of the most genuine and humble people I've had the pleasure of knowing and working alongside. I recently sat down with Grace to get some info about their journey to Orlando and what people can expect from the new shop.

LH: We know Gary’s background and education is in horticultural and landscape design. Was your background similar?

GL: “No, I came from a finance and accounting background. I worked for ten years in finance and accounting, and then we had our daughter Megan. It was then that I made a switch and started my own business. I went into the children’s lifestyle world and then opened a studio geared towards children, so I was heavily involved in the creative programming. Then I opened up an upscale party boutique that complimented the studio business. I ended up selling both the businesses when we moved to Florida. I did, however, run the background admin/HR, accounting, and IT side of Gary’s business while running my own.”

LH: So your background wasn’t in plants. Was that difficult to pivot to when you moved here?

GL: “We opened our shop Piante within the first few months of being in Orlando. I had to learn from zero. From a business perspective, it was learning the primary plants in terms of native plants, and the most challenging thing was sourcing. Finding where the growers were, setting up delivery, cost, and I was starting from scratch.”

LH: Why do you think plants have become such a trend?

GL: “Well, Gary’s background started in the floral industry 20 years ago, and it was a different generation that enjoyed having fresh flowers all the time. That traditional floral business started to phase out, and the trends turned to plants. As business owners, it’s important to follow trends, so as the sales revenue in florals came down, we knew we needed to pivot to what was replacing it. Thankfully Gary’s horticultural background was useful, and he went back to school for the design aspect.
As far as it's popularity, The Sill was one of the first people that started that movement. I do believe there is a lot of joy in watching something grow, it doesn’t cost too much if you can maintain them, and it’s a part of the decorating trend.
We’re focusing on using plants as a vehicle to bring our design skills to the forefront. We’re not quite just a plant shop.”

LH: Do you think the plant trend will last much longer?

GL: “I think it’s peaking. There is still a lot of interest, but at the same time, it’s a very saturated market, not just in storefronts but online as well. There is a minimal barrier of entry to open a plant shop. In talking to growers, many of them say there are a few more years, and they are capitalizing on the house plant trends, but you can tell they aren’t committing to long term.”

LH: If I’m a bad plant mom, but I still want to keep plants in my home, what three would you suggest I purchase?

GL: “For something low maintenance, for someone that doesn’t have a lot of time, I would suggest the ZZ plant, any variety of the snake plant family, and pothos. Those are all a good place to start. You’ll notice pothos are everywhere because they are hard to kill.”

LH: What are your three dream plants for home decor?

GL: “I love the ficus audrey, which is related to the fiddle, but it’s airier and slightly easier to care for. From the monstera family, I love variegated monstera, but it’s very expensive. I still love pothos, so I’d keep those in my home collection.”

LH: What is the purpose of the new shop Fledge?

GL: “We want to dedicate a space that is more focused to the design work we do, so that will live at Piante Design over on Lincoln, and our home and decor items will now be sold at Fledge here on Fairbanks. The name Fledge means a young bird developing wings and feathers that are large enough for flight. So basically, this store is geared more toward a younger audience. Fledge is the first of everything, so people with their first homes, or freshmen students, even those who are empty nesters and have downsized and live locally. It’s more vibrant and young, but it can fit into anyone’s “first” home decor that’s above Target and Ikea but not Restoration Hardware. There are some larger one-off pieces, so the aim is to have a more curated selection of goods that spans a broad audience, although we feel younger people and students nearby will be able to shop here. We will continue to have workshops in both spaces, but the ones we offer at Fledge will be more lifestyle-oriented. “

Both Piante and Fledge by Piante will be open the same hours and closed on Mondays.

Piante: 141 Lincoln Ave. Winter Park

Fledge: 129 Fairbanks Ave. Winter Park

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