BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – At a time when many businesses are focusing their efforts on online sales, two YouTube stars are opening up shop in a brick and mortar site on Niagara Street.
Daddy’s Plants opened its doors this week, just in time for National Indoor Plant Week.
Owners Pat and Billy Sandora-Nastyn are already known for their internet success. Their Billy & Pat YouTube channel has nearly 35,000 subscribers.
“We documented our engagement, our wedding, our move to Buffalo, buying a home, and most recently, starting Daddy’s Plants,” explained Pat Sandora-Nastyn.
But opening Daddy’s Plants online wasn’t in line with the couple’s vision for their indoor house plant business, specializing in desert and tropical plants. They wanted a brick and mortar store.
“I was watching the news actually recently and they were talking about a lot of trends with younger people, younger than Millennials even, who like to get a little tactile and see and experience things,” Billy Sandora-Nastyn said. “And also, living in Buffalo, I just wanted a space that I could have a street presence and bring a little bit of the tropics to Buffalo.”
Since moving to Buffalo from New York City, the Sandora-Nastyns have put together several Pop Up Oasis sites around the area, weeding out places that didn’t work for them.
They eventually settled on a space at 1250 Niagara Street for their business’ permanent home.
“It just feels like a very happy place, so it’s really nice to have co-tenants and other businesses moving into the space as well,” Billy said.
Niagara Street is clearly and up and coming part of the city, with many new businesses moving in and growing. Daddy’s Plants and its co-tenant in the space, Wildroot Floral, are in the former tap room for Bootleg Boocha, which itself has expanded in the area.
Plus, more apartments and condos are opening up in that Niagara Street area all the time.
More residences means more customers looking for house plants for their spaces.
“The more people who move to the area, the more empty apartments there are to fill with beautiful plants,” Pat said.
The Sandora-Nastyns say filling the space in their Niagara Street building with Wildroot Floral was a natural fit.
Wildroot Floral owner Kayla Grazen had been operating her studio in that space since January, putting together arrangements for everything from daily deliveries and weddings to corporate events.
She opened up a retail space for the public when Daddy’s Plants opened this week.
“It’s been fantastic working with Daddy’s Plants thus far,” Grazen pointed out. “Their customers come in looking for plants, but also take home a bouquet. Mine come in to chat about their wedding and take home greenery plants with them as well, so it’s really working both ways super well.”
You can learn more about Wildroot Floral here.
Click here for more on Daddy’s Plants.
