Here’s our story: growing a passion into a community

I’ve always had a thing for plants. It traces back to my grandparents like so many hobbies and habits do. But a real spark grew into a fire when I was in second grade having a birthday in a new town (Charleston, South Carolina). All I wanted was a yellow mini rose. I think it reminded me of my grandfather’s roses in Arlington, Virginia. So my mom and I set out to a large plant nursery deep in the swampy wonder that is low country.

The owner, a grandmotherly super human, didn’t have any mini roses and I remember being pretty down about it. The kind lady probably got the backstory from my mom and I spent what seemed like hours being led with old coffee cans sloshing with water from greenhouse to greenhouse, snipping cuttings from any plants my heart desired.

I left with a ridiculous number of rusty cans brimming with cuttings that my young self rooted and cared for until they were ready for a garden bed. A garden bed that my Dad made at the edge of the property where crawdads, snakes and the occasional alligator lived, but that’s another tale of adventure.

Fast forward to 2009 when volunteering at my daughters’ elementary school evolved into designing elementary school garden programs, teaching families and educators how to cultivate edible gardens. that expanded on the core curriculum while building healthy habits. I merged, somewhat by chance, my before-kids career in business and teaching ESL privately and at SDSU and SDCC into a mom-life happy garden place.

By 2015 with my daughters reaching middle school and junior high, I was ready to revisit a longstanding desire to create a business around harmonizing a duality a good portion of the community struggles with: we must consume goods for a daily living, yet, we want to make sustainable choices that support real people and honest experiences.

Living in San Diego’s gentle climate made it pretty easy for us to raise chickens and grow our own food. And we generally aspired to make good choices making sure our purchases supported an actual person or a small business. More and more, I could see a vision for a community business.

I launched our brick and mortar in the Point Loma neighborhood of San Diego, June 2015, allowing me to be near my family and connecting us to planty people from all around who come to see the vistas at Sunset Cliffs or walk along the harbor at the San Diego Bay. It’s a special niche and it’s a good place to be.

en concordia is at its heart a plant shop plus—plant based, but not just plants. We proudly support small makers who create incredible things. That’s our mission: support great businesses, respect sustainability, give you the best customer service experience of your life.

We’re deeply rooted in helping people find their way through the learning curve that is successful indoor and outdoor gardening. Our vibe is anchored in an organic, modern, joyful design. We’re all about happy spaces and chill people. And plants.

with love. Theresa