A new business – The Houseplant Hospital – will open in Newhaven soon.
This will be a place to take your sick houseplants to have them re-potted, or get advice on helping them to thrive.
The new store will be on the corner of Newhaven Road and Ferry Road. Business owners Rosanna and Tom Costello have set up Hilda Houseplants (named after Tom’s grandmother) after running pop ups and market stalls. With the help of an £18,000 start up loan from The British Business Bank, and its delivery partner Transmit Startups (one of around 6,300 loans to business owners in Scotland since 2012) the couple will fit out the unit ahead of the summer opening.
Their experience of looking after plants began when they moved into a flat with no garden or access to nature. They then started selling plants from a stall at Stockbridge Market.
Rosanna Costello said: “Getting the keys to our first shop was a huge day for us – I never thought I’d be able to make a full-time job from one of my favourite hobbies. Collaborating with people and teaching them about their plants has been really rewarding, and we’ve had a great response from customers who have a new appreciation for their plants now they know how to care for them properly.
“With more people working from home, the demand for houseplants has grown in recent years. People look to them as a way of creating a more comfortable and inspiring work environment, and this is especially the case for those living in Edinburgh, where many of the properties don’t have gardens or access to an outdoor living space.”
Barry McCulloch, senior manager, UK Network, Scotland at the British Business Bank, said: “Rosanna and Tom are taking advantage of the houseplant trend, and we’re pleased to be helping as they get ready for the shop opening. It is great to see a business that first began as a hobby growing and thriving. The Start Up Loans programme was established to not only provide funding through a range of delivery partners but also offer support for entrepreneurs all over the country through additional business activities such as marketing, accounting and business development.”
Alan Tweddell, senior business advisor, Transmit Startups, added:”Enabling passionate people to seize market opportunities and turn their skills and hobbies into an income stream is exactly what we’re here for. It was a pleasure to help Rosanna and Tom take this exciting step and I know that Newhaven will be healthier and happier because of their business.”
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
