Fancy Plants Grows Creative Community in U District

Seattle is—famously—abundant in plants. With its temperate climate, coniferous trees, and ample parks, there’s no denying that the city is one of the most visibly green in the country. We see plants daily when walking, biking, and zooming around Seattle, but Adelaide Nitroy is hoping to encourage more direct symbiosis between people and plants on a neighborhood level. 

Nitroy launched Fancy Plants in Fall of 2022. Located on the Ave at the intersection between the University and Ravenna neighborhoods, Fancy Plants is a multipurpose shop where Nitroy hopes to create a welcoming environment for plant carers of all experience levels. Acknowledging that “plants are living things, so they can be really overwhelming emotionally,” Nitroy says that her goal with the store is “trying to make growing plants less stressful and more joyful.” 

Nitroy has a background in biology and plant science, and she brings this knowledge to Fancy Plants. She sources her plants in a few different ways. One is propagation, meaning taking the cuttings from her own plants and using them to grow new plants. This can be done in a variety of environments, including water, soil, moss, and minerals. She also buys through wholesale, and thirdly, she takes donations of plants that would otherwise be thrown out and rehabilitates them. 

Plants for sale at Fancy Plants

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Fancy Plants welcomes donations of plants for any number of reasons; perhaps someone is moving, or maybe they simply don’t have the bandwidth to care for their plants anymore. Nitroy rehabilitates the donated plants, repotting them in the optimal soil environment and giving them proper watering. Then, she puts them on the sale rack as options for those looking to give a plant a new life. In her observation, the plant rehabilitation process can be a type of revival for humans, too. As Nitroy explains it, “A lot of people don’t want to buy a ‘nice’ plant. They want to buy the plants that they can bring back to life, and get that dopamine fix of ‘Oh, look, I got it to do something.’” 

Shoppers have plenty of variety to choose from, with a selection that includes everything from hanging plants to carnivorous utricularia in bog terrariums to cacti and air plants. Nitroy recalls the first plant she cared for—it was a lipstick plant, a hanging plant that puts out a two-piece flower resembling a lipstick tube. “I killed it like three times, but I kept bringing it back to life,” she says. “I think with plants you have to have a certain amount of persistence and not give up on them, because it’s not intuitive.” 

Similarly, when helping a customer decide on a plant, Nitroy seeks to be adaptable to each person’s needs and personalities, asking questions about the lighting in their living space, the amount of time they want to devote to the hobby, and whether they are more likely to anxiously overwater or forget to water entirely. She then gives catered suggestions based on the shopper’s preferences. “I think all plants are special in their own ways,” she adds, “so calling my shop Fancy Plants was ironic, because they’re all fancy to me.”

Suncatchers by Blessard Glassworks

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Fancy Plants has become a community gathering space for more than just plant-lovers. As of December 2024, Nitroy now rents out vendor spaces in the second room of her store to local artists. By paying a small monthly fee, creatives who don’t yet have a physical store or studio space are able to sell their products directly using online payment systems. Part of this choice was a practical one to boost store revenue, but also Nitroy hopes it can foster a co-op environment where local creatives can share their work. Every featured vendor is in a different stage of their business; some are just starting out and seeing if their art sells in a low-stakes setting, while others are full-grown businesses in need of vending space. Current sellers in the space include Rescued Mug Candle Company, Jessica Blessard Glassworks, and Mizu Mori Tropicals. Nitroy is still looking for more artists, who can inquire through email. 

Nitroy also runs a plethora of workshops in the store. Ranging in price, and frequently offering student discounts, these workshops are taught by both Nitroy and several of the artists featured in the shop. Upcoming events include making macrame plant hangers, orchid repotting with Little Orchid Annie’s, an introduction to plant propagation with Nitroy, and making floating terrariums with Michael Meechan of Mizu Mori. Fancy Plants’ welcoming philosophy encourages revitalization and sharing of resources to give plants and people alike a little more joy. 

Orchids from Little Orchid Annie’s

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