🔒Blooming business: The founders behind Worcester plant and decor shop Seed to Stem see their second location as the beginning of a bigger dream

Worcester shoppers know, if you’re in the market for a succulent, incense holder, or even an eel skull, there is a one-stop shop you can’t miss: Seed to Stem.

Between its brick walls and high ceilings lay wooden tables dripping in lush houseplants, displays of clay smudge bowls, pastel quartz, and essential oils. Taxidermy wolves and zebra heads are placed nonchalantly as the smell of sandalwood and palo santo waft through sun-soaked rooms.

Providing a shopping experience nothing short of immersive, Seed to Stem has accumulated a cult following transcending the region. Founding owners Virginia Orlando and Candace Atchue opened shop in 2011 with Kristian Solfiell joining a few years later.

About six years ago, they began keeping their eyes out for the perfect spot to expand.

“For many years, we've wanted to, and we were always looking at different spaces, but nothing was really the right fit,” said Atchue.

Their search came to an end last summer, and the trio opened doors to Seed to Stem’s second location at 26 South St. in Westborough on Nov. 2.

From a meticulous location selection to an unexpected building fire, Orlando and Atchue have centered the importance of their brand’s essence and its impact on the community.

All-encompassing shopping

It’s “like a museum, but that you're allowed to touch and be a part of too,” said Atchue.

Seed to Stem aims to create a calm and comforting atmosphere hitting all the senses at its Worcester and Westborough locations. As Cat Stevens croons from the stereo, shoppers can browse hundreds of botanicals, jewelry, candles, and home decor options.

Curating the shop’s products is fairly effortless for Orlando and Atchue, they said. They travel to events like the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show in Arizona to buy pieces in bulk, in addition to buying online from trusted vendors. Plants get delivered to the shop weekly.

“We just really go off of our eye … what we like and we hope that other people will like, but we've really just followed our gut with selecting things that speak to us,” said Orlando.

Neither are fans of bright hues, though they painstakingly incorporate some brighter pieces for their color-inclined customers. But usually, Orlando and Atchue go with what draws their attention, and it all amalgamates to create the Seed to Stem experience.

“I'd say the pieces kind of speak for themselves,” said Orlando.

They build off of one product that inspires them and design the display around that focal piece. The shop receives a continuous flow of products, so displays are constantly evolving.

Their new shop is smaller than their Worcester location: 1,800 square feet vs. the flagship’s 4,500 square feet. Orlando and Atchue have utilized shelving, working upward instead of outward to create a cohesive aesthetic. The new space is a refined collection of their most tried-and-true products.

“You would recognize that it was us,” said Orlando.

Strategizing growth

Size was one of the main factors Seed to Stem’s owners prioritized when picking a second location. They thought the Westborough site would be a Goldilocks fit as they navigated the growing pains of small business expansion.

"It's kind of a good incubator for us to really explore running more than one location, with the same team,” said Orlando. The shop’s three owners and three additional employees have adjusted to operating both locations with no new workers.

Workforce is one of the three greatest obstacles small businesses face when they expanding, along with inflation and access to capital, said Karen Chapman, president and CEO of Corridor 9/495 Regional Chamber of Commerce in Westborough.

“Everybody loves and wants to run a business, but you still need those three key ingredients to be able to be successful,” Chapman said.

Companies say finding employees and keeping them is their number one challenge, she said.

Staffing was one of the biggest obstacles for Seed to Stem’s Worcester neighbor, women’s clothing and gift shop The Haberdash, when owner and CEO Amy Chase was looking to expand.

“I remember opening our first store for an hour in the morning and then waiting for staff to get in, and then I would drive to the second store and then drive back to the first store to close it until we could afford to hire staff to work the full day,” Chase wrote in an email to WBJ.

With a Haberdash location in Worcester, Chase chose to expand to Hudson after her friends opened a restaurant in the quiet suburban town.

“I quickly fell in love with the town and could see Haberdash fitting in perfectly right on Main Street. I waited a few years to find the perfect spot. And the same thing kind of happened with our Worcester location,” said Chase.

On the other hand, opening The Haberdash’s location on Cape Cod required more strategic planning as Chase foresaw the development of the Polar Park baseball stadium affecting her Worcester business.

“I knew the construction of the ballpark would hurt my Worcester sales, and I wanted to have a busy summer location to offset those slow times,” said Chase.

When the Seed to Stem owners were hunting for a second location, they were looking for somewhere not too far away from their Worcester shop, as all three have children. They were drawn to Westborough because it was a city, yet had a small-town charm, said Orlando. Additionally, they were looking for a town that could use a store like theirs to help build local infrastructure and culture.

“Small businesses are kind of the heart of places and make towns vibrant,” said Orlando.

Situated at the downtown Westborough rotary, Seed to Stem is located at one of the city’s highest visibility areas, said Chapman. The shop is adjacent to a large parking lot, another selling point for its owners. Without another store around offering the experience and products that Seed to Stem does, Chapman has nothing but an optimistic outlook for the blooming business.

“What Seed to Stem does, there’s nothing else like it,” she said.

Unexpected challenges, bright future

Though Orlando and Atchue knew opening a second location was going to be a challenge, there were a few unexpected roadblocks along the way.

One of the most unforeseen obstacles came the day after their lease was signed. The restaurant next door caught fire, burning down the building. The shop was left with soot damage and a ceiling in need of replacement. As a result, the owners delayed its opening, launching the shop in November instead of over the summer.

Surprisingly, the fire was not the largest hurdle when it came to launching the second Seed to Stem. Several permit hoops had to be jumped through, in addition to making sure the building was up to code. The site’s previous tenants hadn’t made updates as they had been in business for more than 30 years.

Orlando and Atchue had concerns about a potential decrease in foot traffic at their flagship shop once Westborough launched, but so far that hasn’t turned out to be the case.

Instead, they said the new location is being well received in the area, with shoppers especially remarking on the location’s convenience.

“I found the people that are going there now weren't coming here as often because it was more difficult for them. We've gained back more of our clientele that weren't coming as often that are now,” said Orlando.

For those who don’t mind the drive, Orlando said some customers hit up both shops in one day.

With this initial success fulfilling some of their long-term growth plans, Orlando and Atchue can already visualize continuing their brand to more locations in more states. At the same time, they are not looking to make any hasty moves, they said.

“We want to have as many [locations] as we could do without losing the authenticity of the experience,” said Orlando.

The two would love to open a large-scale shop, a greenhouse with a cafe, food trucks, or all of it. They’re willing, ready, and able.

“We've got big, big dreams,” said Orlando.

Mica Kanner-Mascolo is a staff writer at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the healthcare and diversity, equity, and inclusion industries.