Happy Saturday, everyone! In addition to being Thanksgiving weekend and a great day to lounge around the house (that’s what I’m doing), it’s also Small Business Saturday. This initiative, ironically spearheaded by American Express, follows the retail holiday of Black Friday.
After a day of scooping up deep discounts and once-a-year deals at major national retailers (and online at Amazon), Small Business Saturday encourages folks to turn their attention to mom-and-pop shops in their local community. Especially in the midst of a pandemic that’s catalyzed a major economic downturn, it’s important to invest in these locally-owned spots.
As such, I thought today was the perfect day to highlight another Floyd-based business. Lichen or Knot opened yesterday in downtown. Heather Barbieri, who co-owns the business with her husband John, described its mission as bringing “plants to the people.” I hope you enjoy this feature, and that it inspires you to do some holiday shopping at your favorite Floyd shops this season. Thanks for reading!
-Ashley
Lichen or Knot sets up shop in downtown Floyd
Heather and John Barbieri’s sage green Lichen or Knot truck is now a familiar sight when driving along Route 8 and other roads that criss-cross the New River Valley. However, the box truck filled with houseplants, perennials, annuals and herbs sat idle for almost two years before the husband and wife team behind the wheel launched their now successful business.
The Barbieris have been in the plant business—together—for their entire careers. That means they have a beat on where to find the best garden centers in Southwest Virginia, as well as where you can’t find one. Christiansburg doesn’t have a retail shop devoted to plants, they noticed, nor does Radford. In 2018, they purchased the truck with an idea to offer the plants people wanted and needed throughout the region. However, the business never quite took off. Earlier this year, Heather and John actually planned to sell the truck. They gave it a new coat of paint to make it marketable.
But the truck’s makeover reinvigorated their belief in its potential. They recruited local graphics artist Andy Finn to add a “Lichen or Knot” decal, and right before the COVID-19 pandemic struck Virginia, they launched their mobile garden shop.
“We worked together before we were married,” Heather explained. “So it was kind of like, we need to get the team back together.”
Lichen or Knot is a family affair, top to bottom. Heather said her 14-year-old son accompanied her to the NRV Mall in Christiansburg the very first day they set up in the parking lot. It was a cold and rainy early-spring day, and at the end of it, the pair had done only $100 in sales. They were worried, but figured they’d try again tomorrow. By the end of the next day’s shift, they made $1,100, Heather said. That’s when she knew the business was going to work.
The pandemic presented challenges, but in other ways, it helped Lichen or Knot fill a niche. Folks were hesitant to shop inside stores like Home Depot, Heather said, because of the potential risk of contracting the virus. And as people transitioned to shopping less and spending more time at home, they also began to contemplate cultivating gardens.
Heather said that even though the margins on vegetable plants are smaller than houseplants and those for landscaping, Lichen or Knot started to stock them. “The margins aren’t great, but it’s a great service for people,” she said.
Initially, the Barbieris were paying businesses—such as the mall—to let them park out front and sell plants. But as Lichen or Knot developed fans throughout the New River Valley, local joints started reaching out to the business, requesting that it stop by. The truck has parked at Floyd’s Buffalo Mountain Brewery, Roanoke’s Black Dog Salvage and recently did a themed event at Eastern Divide Brewing in Blacksburg.
Heather and John were sourcing all their plants out of Florida, and storing their supply at their house in Floyd. That wasn’t sustainable for the long-term, they realized. “Our children wanted their house back,” Heather said. The pair started exploring potential spaces in the region, which they anticipated would be used solely for plant storage. They found an available spot in Christiansburg, but the rent was high and they weren’t sure if committing to the overhead was the right move.
The Barbieris made contact with Cheryl Tucker at the Roanoke Small Business Development Center, who advised them to make a concrete business plan before choosing a brick-and-mortar location. “She kind of walked us off the ledge we needed to be walked off of,” Heather said.
This was right around the time Floyd Economic Development Authority’s C4 Business Development Series was launching. The 2020 cycle would kick off in August. Heather had heard of the program, but she and John had never participated. They figured the program would hold them accountable as they worked to develop and grow their business. So they went through the rigorous six-week course, which included seminars on financing, marketing and running a small business. It was a lot of work, the Barbieris recalled. “We had a lot of stiff competition,” Heather said. “We were having a really busy fall, and it was not easy. But it really did help us solidify in our heads what we needed to do.”
The final week of the C4 program is a pitch competition. Ten local businesses pitched their ideas to a panel of judges, and Lichen or Knot cinched the third-place spot. They were rewarded with $2,000 in prize money. And then someone notified Heather and John of a retail space that had become available in the heart of downtown Floyd.
Lichen or Knot’s new storefront on Fox St. opened to the public on Friday, Nov. 27. When I stopped by on the Monday prior, Heather, her mother, John and their dog Millie were busy running around the store and unpacking dozens upon dozens of vibrant green plants.
Lichen or Knot targets two primary demographics, Heather explained. Millennials and local college students at Radford and Virginia Tech are interested in houseplants. So the new space features plenty of succulents and the like. But local married couples with families want perennials and annuals to landscape their yards, so Lichen or Knot will keep stocking those, too.
The married team hopes the transition to a retail space will be a win/win. “We feel like our customers will come here to shop us, and hopefully it’ll be a good thing for Floyd,” Heather said. She sees lots of potential ways the business could grow in the coming months. They hope to offer online sales with local delivery. Beyond the plants, Heather said the business will begin to offer other gardening supplies like pottery, hanging pots and branded soil mixes in response to customer demand.
But John wanted to be very clear: the truck isn’t going anywhere. “We’ll always do the truck,” he said. “It’s so fun.” Plus, driving around and embedding Lichen or Knot in various NRV communities helps Heather and John build relationships. Sometimes friends-of-the-truck will check Lichen or Knot’s Facebook page to see where it’ll be parked on a given day. Then they’ll come by to chat or hang out. That’s okay, Heather said, because they’re loyal customers who value more than just the transaction.
John thinks there’s even an argument for adding a second truck someday: one for local events at breweries and colleges, and another that can be Lichen or Knot’s full-service “garden center on wheels.”
Lichen or Knot opened yesterday. It’s open again today from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 203 Fox Street.