It’s a brisk but sunny November Saturday as Memphians wander among the booths at the Broad Avenue Artwalk. A performer croons a sad, slow song over the clean tones of a softly strummed electric guitar. At Sugar Ghost Ice Cream and Bubble Tea, the line of customers stretches out the door and onto the sidewalk.
“This is the best idea ever,” says a woman wearing a Memphis Tigers sweatshirt as she ducks her way into Viva La Plant Bus, parked next to the Falling Into Place gift shop. Inside the bus, pothos vines dangle from shelves along the walls, and snake plants and other leafy greenery reach toward the vibrantly decorated ceiling. It’s a bus; it’s a plant store; according to one Tigers fan, it might be the best idea ever. It’s Viva La Plant Bus, the mobile plant store owned and operated by the husband-and-wife duo of Matt Vinson and Iris Valenzuela-Vinson.
Transplants: From Texas to Tennessee
Matt originally hails from Fort Worth, Texas, but in 2012 — before traveling to Memphis — he moved the 2,000 miles to Portland, Oregon. “I am originally from El Paso, Texas,” Iris says. “Same as Matt — in 2012 I moved to Portland, Oregon. We didn’t know each other at the time, but I think he moved there about a month before I did. I went to art school out there. I just kind of loved it and decided to go to school out there.”
The two met in 2015 at the Toyota dealership where they were both employed. Matt worked in the service department and Iris was a receptionist, so they didn’t cross paths often. That is, until a faulty tire brought Iris to Matt’s department. “She thought I was a pretty cute guy,” Matt says.
“I pursued him after I left the job,” Iris says with a laugh. Matt quips, “He’s from Texas, he can change a tire, what else do you need?”
As the romance progressed, the couple discovered they shared a goal — to own and operate their own business. “Knowing we wanted to be small business owners one day is something we bonded over very quickly,” Iris says. “I think that’s something that has always stuck with us. Living in Portland, small businesses very much meant community for both of us.”
Iris and Matt married in 2018. A year later, the young couple picked up and moved to Memphis. They were ready for a change, Matt says, and being in Memphis turned a multi-day drive to visit family in Texas into a more manageable six-hour drive. The Texas transplants say they love Memphis, though they did have to do a little bit of adjusting.
“Definitely the biggest change for us would be the weather,” Matt says. “The first summer was definitely — ”
“Brutal,” they say in unison. “We ended up in a rental that wasn’t that great, that we didn’t get a chance to see before we got here. So the first summer was sweaty.”
Before long, the couple began to thrive in a new environment, and the experience with the not-so-great rental home would later help inform their business. Houseplants are, after all, one simple way to brighten a dreary space. “They go to each place with you,” Iris says of her houseplants, noting the difference between, say, a favorite satin-leaf pothos or a dilapidated couch or a piece of furniture that might be too heavy or expensive to move, especially across the country. But, as Iris says, “Your plant, you just always make room for them.”
On the Bus
“Plants are definitely my thing. I will take that credit,” Iris admits. When she was a child, she saw them at her grandparents’ house. “I was very lucky to grow up very close to them, within five minutes probably, so we spent a lot of time with them. And both my grandparents are huge plant people,” she remembers. “That’s just something that’s always been around me.” The passion persists, both in Iris and in her relatives. In fact, her grandfather is about to turn 90, and he still maintains a large collection of plants.
“My grandparents had everything. I remember they had a lime tree and then aloe vera plants everywhere, of course, because we were in the desert so they grow so easily. And a lot of houseplants, too. That was very much my grandmother’s little touches,” Iris says.
Hearkening back to her childhood, one of Matt and Iris’ goals with Viva La Plant Bus, Iris says, is “being a representation for Latinx culture in the community. That was a very important thing for us and was definitely the whole theme for the bus. It’s been really cool to create an environment that’s based on my culture and really celebrates it.
“We definitely have a lot of customers who come out and are really excited to see a space that is familiar to them,” Iris says. “It’s been great, too, to connect to other Latinx business owners, like Mili’s Flower Truck. She’s been really great.” Mili opened some communication lines with other local businesses when Matt and Iris were first launching the plant bus, and the couple says they’re still grateful for the connections.
“The reception has been overwhelmingly positive, so we’ve been excited about that,” Matt adds.
Let It Grow: Love, Plants, and Business
Beginning a business is no small thing, even in the best of times. Launching a relatively new concept — plants? on a bus? — during a pandemic is another level of risk. Add to that equation that Matt and Iris were new in town, both worked other jobs, and that Matt’s job was supervising the opening of a new Tesla location; the mind-boggling effort that went into Viva La Plant Bus begins to clarify.
“It’s been very challenging to say the least,” Matt says, with a touch of modesty. “We both have our weekly jobs, and on the weekends it’s the plant bus,” he continues. “During the week, Iris maintains and builds up the plants that we have. And we’re working on social media and marketing during the week as well. It’s been a lot of evenings and dinners discussing bus- and business-related things. It’s been challenging, but it’s been really fun.”
Of course, as any small business owner or indie band member will confess, the business will wind its way into one’s personal life as well, ignoring the delineation of so-called “business hours” and creeping like kudzu vines. So, even though there’s a whole bus devoted to Iris and Matt’s business, so, too, has it claimed a room of their house.
“We have converted our spare bedroom into a plant studio. We currently have five three-tier shelves full of plants and plant lights. It’s a lot to maintain during the week,” Iris says. She spends time each day repotting plants, watering them, and adding little Viva La Plant Bus touches to their pots and containers. “I get so much joy out of seeing my plants grow and thrive,” Iris says, admitting that she celebrates every time one of her plants gets a new leaf. “That’s the everyday — maintaining plants, making sure things are healthy and pest-free — and at night I’m a bartender.”
Challenges aside, Iris and Matt have enjoyed building the business together. There are times they get on each other’s nerves, they admit, but they think it’s good to have something to work on together.
“It does get me away from the worries of the daily work at my job,” Matt says. “It’s a good thing to do in our ‘free’ time. It’s something we’ve been doing together, and it’s been really enjoyable.”
“Saturday is typically our pop-up day. Saturday morning is get up, take care of the dogs, and start loading plants,” Iris says. They spend Saturday mornings watering plants, putting them on “huge trays,” and getting them on the bus. The pop-ups usually last about six hours, then it’s time to drive home, unload the bus, and take inventory of unsold stock.
Flowers in the Window
“I saw the bus for sale from a brand that was selling Mexican huaraches,” Iris says, “and they were on that next step for their business, so giving up their bus.” The bus already had the trellis roof with greenery, and it had been partially converted into a retail space. “It already had the Mexican upholstery in the back and that green wall, and I just immediately thought ‘a plant bus,’” Iris says. “It’s a no-brainer.”
So Iris and Matt put their plant plan into action. They purchased the bus in February of this year, picked it up from Los Angeles in April, and opened for business in August. Since then, it’s been a process, as their business began to take root and thrive in Memphis.
“I think honestly we’re just taking it day by day,” Iris says. “We’ve just really been enjoying where this is taking us and are excited to see what is possible for the plant bus. I don’t think we have any intention of opening a brick-and-mortar.” They enjoy the mobility the bus offers — and keeping costs low, for themselves and for their customers. It’s nice, Iris and Matt admit, not having to pay rent for a storefront. That was also a factor in working up the courage to take the leap on a new business in a pandemic.
“We didn’t have to deal with the insecurity of ‘Are we going to be able to cover rent? Are we going to maintain a lease? Are we going to have people come into our store?’” Matt explains. Of course, there were still challenges — and reasons to be nervous — but the bus felt like a safer investment. So they kept an eye on the future. They weren’t sure if people would want to go out, but if the customers did appear (and they did), Viva La Plant Bus would be ready.
As Iris and Matt’s bus has tooled around Memphis, they have built a customer base, and the pair say that business has been going well. What’s most important to them, though, is creating a space to foster wonder and excitement. They want people to learn the joys of caring for plants, that it’s not as difficult or as frightening as it might appear, and to transport their customers, if only for a little while, to a place where even something as mundane as a bus can be magical.
“People love the bus,” Iris says. “It’s just such an experience.”
Viva La Plant Bus will be at Soul & Spirits Brewing Saturday, November 27th; Frances Berry-Moreno Open Studio Saturday, December 4th; and Memphis Modern Market at Saddle Creek Sunday, December 5th. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram at @vivalaplantbus.
Plant Care with Amanda
Amanda Willoughby is co-owner of Not Your Ordinary Films production company. She’s also the lead video facilitator for Memphis Public Libraries at CLOUD901 Teen Learning Lab and the Mentor Program Coordinator and the Black Creators Forum/Festival Producer at Indie Memphis. Her film skills are put to use in a myriad of ways, not the least of which is in managing her @planty.droppers Instagram account, where she waters her houseplants in seductive slow-motion.
Her videos turn routine plant care into something steamier — and generally more entertaining. Now she’s a recurring guest on Action News 5’s “Bluff City Life” segment, where she shares her tips for keeping houseplants healthy and thriving. We asked her to share a few tips with our readers who might be interested in taking the plunge into houseplant parenthood.
Memphis Flyer: First, I have to say I’m a huge fan of your Instagram page @planty.droppers. It’s hilarious and also pretty satisfying to watch plants get watered. What gave you the idea for that?
Amanda Willoughby: I came up with the idea for @planty.droppers out of sheer boredom one day at home. I started recording some of my plant care and got a little creative with the shots. And then came the music! I personally thought they were cool and just kept the videos to myself for a while and made them for my own entertainment. Then I figured, if I like these so much, why not share them for other people to see? Turns out other people liked it too!
How did you get into caring for houseplants?
About five years ago I was given a handful of houseplants and managed to kill them all. After that, determined to keep plants alive, I bought more and learned how to properly care for them. I watched a lot of YouTube tutorials. I also really loved the way they looked as home decor. Somehow, this grew into an obsession with having plants in my house, in every room. The slightly improved air quality is also a plus.
Do you have a favorite plant to care for?
Yes! Jade plants! They’re so beautiful. The jades are my oldest plants, and they don’t require much attention. Jades grow slowly, but they are easy to manipulate into desired shapes and patterns. I have about seven bonsai jade trees that are my pride and joy. They’re also really easy to propagate, so I’ve given several jade babies away as gifts.
I propagate my pothos, but I’ve never tried with anything else. Do you have any tips for propagating plants?
Have patience. Other plants, such as succulents, take more time to grow roots. Sometimes it can take months, so be sure to research the proper way to propagate each of your plants. Trust mother nature to do her thing, and enjoy the process.
Are there any tips you would give to new plant parents?
Research the care for every plant you acquire (light, soil, and watering needs). In the beginning, I made the mistake of treating all of my plants the same, which is the reason many of them died. They each have their own needs and an ideal environment for thriving. Be sure you can accommodate those needs in your home.
Where can Memphians see what you’ve got growing?
You can check out my bimonthly segment all about plant parenting on “Bluff City Life.” And of course, follow my plants on IG.
Is there anything else you want people to know?
A green thumb is not something that comes to people naturally. It’s a skill that anyone can learn. So, if it interests you, try it out and see where that leads you. Being a plant mom has taught me a lot about how nature operates, and I’ve grown to have the utmost respect for mother nature. It’s pretty cool that the skills that are necessary for plant care (patience, understanding, logic) can help us in so many other areas of life.