Earlier than Barry Greene Jr. returned to Richmond, his hometown, in summer time 2022 he’d grown his hybrid plant and file store, Shades of Moss, into an award-winning retail idea in Charlotte, North Carolina.
In September 2023, he debuted a Richmond outpost in a comfy Fan storefront at 2128 W. Cary St. The uprooting was impressed by the energetic neighborhood of latest Black-owned companies in Richmond, as Greene notes that he skilled a scarcity of encouragement for Black entrepreneurs in Charlotte.
With a wholesome crop of widespread and uncommon houseplants and a partnership with native plant pop-up The Prickly Succulent, Greene needs to increase Richmonders’ choices and data of vegetation and care. For these with out a inexperienced thumb, Shades of Moss hosts common plant mother or father courses in-store. “We go additional to debate the place a plant ought to go versus simply if the plant is fairly,” Greene says. “We provide full service and solutions to questions like, ‘Will this be completely satisfied in a window within the rest room?’ or ‘Will this be OK for my pets?’”
Greene additionally affords home calls, the place he’ll carry out a “plant well being session” to water, trim or in any other case keep vegetation for $50 an hour.
Shades of Moss isn’t all greenery, although. Between the leaves sprouting within the retailer, Greene has made a house for indie information, one other one in every of his passions. “Music is all the time round in a well-designed area,” he says.
The shop’s choice started with what he listens to most: lo-fi, a style with chill beats and jazz components. Now, the stacks are stuffed with psychedelic soul, funk, hip-hop and extra. He categorizes his number of vinyl by temper. Whereas “espresso time” has a slower tempo, “date night time” leans towards sultry jazz.
Greene’s option to concentrate on stocking new releases could also be a costlier route, however educating the client has all the time been a part of the mission at Shades of Moss. “My purpose is that you just stroll in, and also you get to see the vinyl of impartial artists and native bands,” he says.
Greene runs the small enterprise along with his spouse, Victoria. It’s no simple feat on prime of their day jobs in enterprise and journalism, however the entrepreneurial household has no regrets. “Final 12 months was a troublesome 12 months to reopen our enterprise in Richmond, however we wouldn’t change a factor,” Greene says. “I can’t let you know how a lot this neighborhood has proven up in numerous methods.”