PlantHouse, Terrarium Workshop And Plant Store, To Open In Alexandria

ALEXANDRIA, VA — PlantHouse, a plant store founded in Virginia Beach, will bring its premium plant offerings and terrarium workshops to a new Old Town Alexandria location.

The new plant store will open Saturday at 921 N St. Asaph Street. This is the eighth location for PlantHouse, a part-retail store, part-workshop with a bar serving drinks like beer, wine and champagne.

PlantHouse was started in 2018 by CEO Bailey Ryan, who grew up in Stafford. Ryan worked at her parents' plant business before deciding to open her own. The first location in Virginia Beach found success, and other locations have opened in Richmond; Charlotte and Huntersville in North Carolina; Columbia and Charleston in South Carolina; and Decatur, Georgia.

Anyone who wants to brighten up their home with plants can look no further than PlantHouse. Half of the store is a retail section with premium plants and accessories, and the other half features eight workshop tables and a bar.

Workshops are focused on creating terrariums, an enclosed garden inside a container featuring plants and soil. Do-it-yourself terrarium building is available on a walk-in basis, while more specialty workshops are offered in the evenings on select dates starting at 6:30 p.m. Evening workshops are geared toward adults, while people of all ages are welcome to visit during the day for walk-in terrarium building. One of the popular evening workshops at other locations is called Succulents and Sangria.

As Ryan is familiar with the Northern Virginia area, she sees Alexandria as a good fit for what PlantHouse offers.

"We're not a garden center. You can find plants and things for smaller spaces," said Ryan. "You can find a little bit of everything for homes in Old Town Alexandria."

After seeing how the Alexandria market responds, Ryan could consider other places around the DC region for expansion. Potential locations could include Silver Spring or DC proper.

"We like to put ourselves in areas that are half city, half suburb," said Ryan.

The Alexandria grand opening will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday. The first 50 guests will receive a gift bag with free swag, a plant and succulent, and a discount card up to 30 percent. A $150 gift card giveaway will also be held.

Hours for PlantHouse are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Sunday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. The workshop space of the store will close early when evening workshops are offered.

For more information and to see upcoming workshops, visit www.planthouse.us.