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    Help A Business Out: The Plant Gays Build-Out at East Market

    A quarantine hobby has evolved into its very own business, soon to have its very first storefront.

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    The Plant Gays are setting up shop at the East Market offering a lineup of plants, planters, accessories, furniture and more.

    It all started with the concrete planters Owners David Erbe and Aidan Robinson started making during the pandemic, leading to their namesake Instagram @the.plant.gays.

    With Erbe’s background in landscape architecture and Robinson’s experience as an interior designer, “Our combined love for nature and design led us to expanding into a home décor and plant business,” Erbe says. “It has always been a dream of ours to open a shop together, we never imagined we would be so close to this dream.”

    The Plant Gays have been operating at pop-ups and online for the last year, and the support from the community encouraged them to take the business to the next level.

    “When we heard about the East Market we knew it would be a great stepping stone into expanding our brand,” Robinson says. “The market setting is great for first-time shop owners, who want to reach a wider audience.”

    Now, The Plant Gays are asking for a little help for the final push of turning their dream into a reality. The business has started a GoFundMe to raise $10,000 for their shop build out.

    “With your help, we will be able to pay for build out expenses and buy display furniture for our new shop,” Erbe says. “We will have our display furniture available to order as we also sell a modern boho line of furniture on our website, that is part of our interior plant design service.”

    The Plant Gays plans for East Market

    The buildout is underway, but with construction delays, The Plant Gays have lost out on a prime time for retail businesses, so any money raised through the GoFundMe will go directly towards opening the space at the East Market. For their donations, supporters can receive plants, planters, coupons, class experiences and more.

    An opening date is expected to be announced soon. Until then, customers can shop The Plant Gays online on their website theplantgays.com. Through the end of the year, the business will also be donating 10% of every purchase to the Kaleidoscope Youth Center.

    “We want to continue to give back to the community here in Columbus that continues to support us,” Erbe says. “We want to say thank you to all of the businesses, customers and amazing supporters we have met on our journey this past year.”

    Find the GoFundMe here: gofundme.com/f/the-plant-gays-first-retail-location. For more information, visit theplantgays.com.

    Looking to help out more businesses? View the ‘Help a Business Out‘ archives.

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    Susan Post
    Susan Post
    Susan is the editor of The Metropreneur and associate editor of Columbus Underground, and also covers small business and entrepreneurial news and the food scene in Central Ohio.Susan holds a degree in Communication with a minor in Professional Writing from The Ohio State University. She sits on the board of the Central Ohio Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and loves coffee, whiskey, cooking and spending time with friends and family.
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