New business wants to help Hudsonites level up their green thumb
by Michele Collins
Raising a plant in your home or office can make you happier and boost your mental health – factors that led a former Hudson resident to sprout a vegetation storefront in the Evaporate Works complex.
Hudson Plant Co. aims to help customers select, place and care for indoor plants. Mel Frontino, a 2002 Hudson High School graduate, who now calls Austin, Texas, home, is traveling back and forth to her hometown to ensure the shop, a 500-square foot offshoot of Heartwood Coffee, is well-stocked with indoor plants, succulents, pots and planters, as well as some plant care items.
“Our mission is to bring you the most desirable and unique house plants we can find, making shopping super simple, Frontino said. “We can even help you identify which house plant is right for you based on your home environment, size and overall plant-maintenance level.”
It also offers a way to gift a houseplant, with cards and gift bags.
Frontino said Hudson Plant Co. “specializes in indoor plants” and had “the most healthy and most hearty plants for Ohio here at our store.”
“And if there is a certain plant you want, that we don’t stock, we have contacts to source it for you,” she said.
In addition to in-store consultations, the company makes house calls in which a staff member visits a client’s home or office to evaluate the space and determine what type of plant would be most appropriate and look best, too. Once selected, the Hudson Plant Co. staff will return with the plant, or plants, and place them in the space, making sure the new owner knows exactly how to care for them.
“Plants are great for bringing oxygen into the room, something that is proven to improve mental health,” added Frontino. “It is almost like a pet; it is something you take care of, and having that responsibility adds to a person’s enjoyment and feelings of connection.”
Other services include a plant of the month club, or Plant Lovers Club, where registrants receive a new plant every month; and crafty classes, like centerpiece making, for individuals, businesses and social groups.
Come the holiday season, Hudson Plant Co. will have special holiday wreath-making classes and plant workshops.
“We have had teambuilding-type clients, as well as groups like bridal or baby shower groups, come to our Austin location. We are hoping to have the same type of response in the Hudson location,” she explained, adding that they have also done children’s birthday parties with wreath-decorating classes for ages 8 and up.
Hudson Plant Co. is at 46 Ravenna St., Unit D4, and open Tuesday-Saturday, 10a.m.-4 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. For more information visit hudsonplantco.com. ∞
Photo: Hudson Plant Co., founded by Hudson High School graduate Mel Frontino, specializes in helping its clients find the perfect indoor plant for any space. Photo submitted.