A mobile plant shop? Parrish woman branched out with new business during pandemic
Parrish resident Taylor Robison takes her converted horse trailer, nicknamed “Polly,” to pop ups around Bradenton and Sarasota, selling low-maintenance house plants.
Her business, Pilea Plants and Things, is really an expression of her love of plants, and an outgrowth of the pandemic when she she had to quit her job to take care of her young child.
The Bradenton native is a 2010 graduate of Manatee High School and 2015 grad of University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee, where she majored in international relations and sociology. She had worked as a government contractor and as a marketing specialist before starting a business.
The down time during the pandemic allowed her to explore what she could do with her love of plants. And during the peak of COVID lockdowns across the U.S., many young people started buying house plants to improve their spaces.
In early 2022, she launched an online plant sales business, shipping plants nationwide.
“It gave me the flexibility to be home and to work at the same time,” she said.
One day she was searching Facebook Marketplace and saw that someone in St. Petersburg was selling a horse trailer that they had converted as a bar.
“That’s it. I’m going to do a mobile plant shop,” Robison said. “The owners were originally from Bradenton, the price was right — it was meant to be,” she said.
Better yet, with the conversion work already largely completed on the trailer, all Robison needed to do was outfit the interior and paint the trailer.
Her first pop ups in late 2022 were near Celery Fields in Sarasota and at Fort Hamer Park in Parrish.
“It was a nice rollout to get my feet wet,” she said.
More recently, she has taken part in the Friendly City Flea market in east Bradenton, across the street from Pelot’s Pharmacy (the second Sunday of each month through May), Ranch Night Wednesdays at Lakewood Ranch Waterside and at the Summer Tap Juice Bar in Sarasota’s Burns Court District every first Sunday.
Pilea Plants and Things will also be among the businesses taking part in the inaugural Sip & Shop event at Feb. 23 at The Green at UTC, near Tiger Woods’ Popstroke attraction.
Sit & Sip is in honor of Black History Month, featuring Black-owned businesses offering plants, soaps and everything in between, and will be a recurring monthly event.
Pilea Plants and Things is geared toward people who want and appreciate plants but don’t know if they will be able to properly care for them.
Robison offers what she calls a “plant bar” that allows customers to select their succulent, the pot and their soil topping.
“I call this a plant cocktail,” Robinson said.
In addition to Polly, the converted horse trailer, Robison continues to operate her online plant business and does “drop shipping” directly from a Florida nursery.
One of her popular offerings, stromanthe triostar (calathea) is a low-maintenance, colorful plant that opens in the morning and closes at night.
Her customers are also partial to trailing plants (vines) that can dangle from a shelf or hanger.
In addition to pop ups, the plant bar experience is also available for rentals at special events.
Her husband, MaureikRobison, is impressed with Taylor’s resourcefulness and passion for plants.
“Taylor has always had a vision. It’s amazing that she found the horse trailer and made it so engaging, and has been able to demystify plants,” Maureik said.
“She has been able to connect people and plants and make it a low bar for people, to make them feel welcome despite their lack of knowledge,” he said.
While plants might be considered for the indoors, “the fact is that they are native to the outdoors, which means they’re for everyone because nature is for everyone,” she said.
“Like anything else, it’s just about finding the right plant for you,” Taylor said.
For more information about Pilea Plants and Things, visit pileaplantsandthings.com.
Know of a local story or person the Bradenton Herald should write about to celebrate Black History Month? Send tips to jajones1@bradenton.com.
