Local plant store Botanic has tripled its retail space by moving to 1004 SE 5th Street.

Just like at previous locations, owner Hannah Graff welcomes fellow plant lovers to stop by and shop — or just get some free advice.

“People literally will open our doors carrying a plant and be like, ‘Help. It's so sad. What do I do? What does it need?’” she said.

This is the business’s third retail location in three years.

It started at a tiny spot on B Street — about 400 square feet, Graff said. Seeking more space, the shop then moved to 1001 SE 28th St. #9.

Needing more room once again, Graff and her husband, Cory Baker, spent a year renovating the new location. It opened in February, with 6,000 square feet of retail space.

Previously, the space was Backroom Social Club, a nightclub that closed in 2024. Then, the building had a grungy warehouse vibe, with steel beams exposed. 

It’s since been transformed into a bright, airy retail space, with rows of plants, wood shelving, and plenty of natural light.

The retail shop is an extension of Botanic's main business: creating and maintaining indoor plant displays in local homes and offices.

There were already a lot of plants on hand, since replacements are often needed for those clients. A storefront is good for marketing, too. But more than anything, it’s the community aspect that Graff enjoys.

“We just like having this space and having people come in, and even if you're not buying anything, you're just hanging out, or you just want to nerd out about plants," she said.

Graff isn't a landscaper — she's an “interiorscaper.”

She’ll do a patio, but beyond that, you’ll have to call somebody else.

"What I like to tell people is if I have to dig a hole in the ground, no. If I can put it in a pot, yes," she said.

There’s a good chance you’ve already seen her work around town. Botanic has installed and maintains plant displays at The Ledger, AC Hotel, Botanical at 8th and A, and the Compton Hotel.

Graff studied criminal justice in college and was looking into becoming a park ranger before life took a different turn.

After moving to Northwest Arkansas from Houston in 2014, she needed a job. A neighbor connected her with someone who needed help watering plants for commercial accounts. That person turned out to be the owner of Tropical Plant Design out of Tulsa, who had about 10 clients in the area.

She ended up purchasing those accounts and starting her own business.

"I got a little bit of training, more mentorship than anything. I could just call him with questions and he shared all of his secrets," she said of the mentorship she received during the transition.

She set out on her own in January 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic hit several months later, sending many office workers to work from home. For about a year, the company didn't grow at all, Graff said.

She kept watering the few accounts she had and waited it out.

Then she was commissioned to design and install the plants at Onyx Coffee Lab in Rogers. "Then it snowballed from there," she said.

Today, Botanic maintains 70 accounts stretching from Bella Vista to Fayetteville and has a team of seven full-time employees.