B.Willow

What B.Willow does

B.Willow is a woman-owned, founder-operated retail plant boutique and plantscaping service headquartered in a single brick-and-mortar location at 220 West 27th Street in Baltimore's Remington neighborhood. Founded in 2014 by Liz Vayda and opened as a physical store in March 2017, the business sells tropical and desert houseplants, pots, plant-care supplies, soil blends, fresh bouquets, terrarium kits, and botanical gifts, and supplements its retail footprint with a Shopify e-commerce store at b-willow.myshopify.com. The company has no proprietary technology and operates using commodity SaaS tools — Shopify for online commerce, Eventbrite for workshop ticketing, and Appointlet for scheduling — with all product, service, and content operations executed by a small team of 1-10 employees.

B.Willow monetizes through five interlocking revenue streams: one-time retail plant and merchandise sales, recurring commercial and residential plant-care services priced at $150-$225 per visit with weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, or as-needed cadences, ticketed botanical workshops (terrariums, kokedama, private events), plant rentals for events and temporary installations, and the $100/year Plant Club membership providing 15% off purchases, three in-shop consultations, and exclusive offers. The customer base spans residential plant enthusiasts in the Baltimore metro and a commercial portfolio that includes Clavel Restaurant, Patagonia Harbor East, Canopy Hotel, Hotel Revival, Vivo Living Baltimore, Freedom Car, and Brickworks, served through direct field sales with no minimum order requirements. In May 2019 the founder launched Florigen, a separate floral design company for weddings, special orders, and recurring deliveries.

Strategic positioning centers on a conservation-led, ethically sourced brand identity, formalized through partnerships with the IUCN Cactus and Succulent Specialist Group (CSSG), the Desert Botanical Garden, and the Center for Plant Conservation, including a $1-per-cactus donation mechanism and collaborative work on endangered US plants. The business is bootstrapped with no external institutional funding or venture capital; the only known debt is the original M&T bank loan used to open the 2017 store. The company briefly operated a second Canton location in 2019 before consolidating back to Remington and shifting support operations to a Woodberry warehouse. Earned media includes a 2021 New York Times feature on the repatriation of poached Copiapoa cacti and a TEDx talk by Liz Vayda at Johns Hopkins University on plant poaching.

Name

B.Willow

Legal name

B.Willow

Website

https://bwillow.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

B.Willow is a woman-owned Baltimore plant boutique and plantscaping service selling tropical and desert houseplants, terrariums, and botanical gifts, and offering commercial and residential plant-care, workshops, and plant rentals to local consumers and Baltimore-area hospitality and office clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Interior Plantscaping & Retail Horticulture

NAICS

Nursery, Garden Center, and Farm Supply Retailers (44424), Greenhouse, Nursery, and Floriculture Production (1114)

SIC

Retail-Building Materials, Hardware, Garden Supply (5200)

akta.pro primary industry

Plants, Seeds & Nursery Retail (Garden Centers) (CRAIAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Indoor Plants, Faux Florals & Botanical Décor Retail (CRAIACAG), Tree Care & Arborist Services (IMAIAIAB)

Keywords

• Interior plantscaping
• Retail plant shop
• Commercial plant care
• Residential plant care
• Botanical workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

Baltimore

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Retail Plant and Product Sales: In-store and online sales of tropical plants, desert plants, pots, plant care supplies, soil blends, fresh bouquets, botanical gifts, and shop-made designs
2. Plant Care Services: Commercial and residential plant care including watering, pruning, pest checking, pest treatment, repotting, and plant installations. Weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, or as-needed service options.
3. Workshops and Events: Weekly botanical workshops (terrariums, kokedama), private workshops for events, and educational programming. Classes repeat monthly.
4. Plant Rentals: Rental plants available for events and temporary installations
5. Plant Club Membership: $100 annual membership offering 15% off purchases, 3 in-shop consults, and exclusive sales and giveaways

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

B.Willow is a woman-owned retail houseplant boutique and interior plantscaping service provider based in Baltimore, MD. The company sells tropical and desert plants, pots, supplies, fresh flowers, terrariums, and botanical goods through its physical store and Shopify e-commerce site, while offering commercial plant installation, residential and commercial plant care services, and recurring botanical workshops.

Product overview

B.Willow operates as a woman-owned retail plant boutique and plantscaping service in Baltimore's Remington neighborhood. The business offers a unified retail and service model combining a physical plant shop (selling tropical and desert plants, pots, supplies, fresh flowers, and botanical goods through Shopify) with a comprehensive plantscaping service division that handles commercial installations, residential plant care, and educational workshops. Key products include retail houseplants, terrariums, commercial plantscaping services, botanical workshops, the Plant Club membership, and the Greater Goods Market eco-event. The company also runs Florigen, a separate floral design brand for weddings and special orders. Services are booked through Eventbrite (workshops) and Appointlet (appointments).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Retail Plants & Houseplants Wide selection of tropical and desert plants sold at the Baltimore boutique location and online, including pots, plant care supplies, and soil blends for indoor gardening.
• Fresh Flowers & Floral Arrangements Fresh bouquets available for purchase, also part of the Florigen floral design brand for weddings, deliveries, and special orders.
• Terrariums & DIY Kits Build-it-yourself terrarium kits available in-store with DIY tutorial videos on YouTube for both desert (cacti/succulent) and tropical setups.
• Commercial Plant Installation Full-service interior plantscaping for businesses including on-site assessment, planter selection, plant procurement, installation, and ongoing maintenance for offices, hotels, restaurants, medical facilities, and retail spaces.
• Commercial Plant Care Services Weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, or as-needed plant care visits for commercial clients including watering, pruning, pest checking, pest treatment, and repotting.
• Residential Plant Care Services In-home plant care sessions providing watering, repotting, diagnosis, and maintenance guidance, including virtual and in-shop plant consultations.
• Botanical Workshops Weekly in-shop classes including Kokedama, terrarium building, and other botanical crafts. Classes are ticketed through Eventbrite and repeat regularly each month. BYOB welcome.
• Private Workshops Custom botanical workshops for private events including birthday parties, bridal or baby showers, employee appreciation events, and corporate wellness events.
• B.Willow Plant Club Membership program costing $100 annually, offering 15% off purchases, 3 in-shop consultations (or $75 toward other plant services), and exclusive sales and giveaways.
• Plant Rentals Rental plants available for events, weddings, and temporary installations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Donated $1 per cactus sold to IUCN CSSG conservation efforts
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• IUCN CSSG (Cactus and Succulent Specialist Group)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 March 2021Formal partnership with the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Cactus and Succulent Specialist Group to promote conservation and awareness of illegal plant poaching. B.Willow donates $1 from every cactus sold toward conservation efforts. This partnership enabled the return of 1300 poached Copiapoa cacti worth $1.2 million from Italy to Chile.
• Desert Botanical Garden (DBG)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 March 2021Partnership with the Desert Botanical Garden in Arizona, which acts as host institution for IUCN CSSG to lead cactus and succulent conservation efforts worldwide. B.Willow works with DBG to promote conservation awareness and fundraising.
• Center for Plant Conservation (CPC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with the Center for Plant Conservation to conserve North American plants. B.Willow is developing a line of goods featuring endangered US plants with proceeds supporting conservation, including commissioned artwork by Lianne Plug.
• Dr. Jared Margulies (University of Alabama)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssistant Professor in Geography at University of Alabama who connected B.Willow with IUCN CSSG. Expert on plant trafficking and author of research on illegal succulent trade. His work helped B.Willow understand the connection between plant collecting and illegal poaching.
• Greedy ReadsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal Baltimore bookshop partner offering 10% off book purchases for registered B.Willow book club attendees at their Remington location. Cross-promotional partnership for community education events.
• Blue Water BaltimoreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal environmental non-profit receiving donations from B.Willow book club event funds. Blue Water Baltimore works to protect and improve the water quality of the Chesapeake Bay tributaries.
• WIRES (Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAustralian non-profit working to rescue wildlife affected by environmental disasters. B.Willow encouraged customers to round up purchases or donate to support wildlife rescue efforts in Australia following the bushfire crisis.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Bloomscape: Online-first indoor plant retailer selling potted houseplants directly to consumers. Comparable in core product category (indoor plants) and DTC motion, though lacks the in-person workshops and commercial plantscaping services B.Willow offers.
• The Sill: Direct-to-consumer indoor plant brand with a mix of physical stores and a national e-commerce operation. Most directly comparable to B.Willow in product mix (houseplants, pots, care supplies) and educational content strategy.
• Lula's Garden: Specialty plant gift brand focused on succulents and garden collections sold as gifts and corporate gifting. Comparable in product category (live plants as curated gifts) and gifting/e-commerce motion, though more wholesale-driven.
• Leon & George: Premium indoor plant brand selling large, designer houseplants with same-day delivery in select metros. Directly comparable to B.Willow in indoor plant retail and higher-end positioning for design-conscious customers.

Broad incumbents

• Costa Farms: One of the largest horticultural growers in North America, supplying houseplants to mass retailers like Home Depot, Walmart, and Trader Joe's. Comparable as a plant supplier at scale; not a direct boutique competitor but sets pricing and supply dynamics in the category.
• Terrain: Anthropologie-owned garden and home lifestyle retail brand with locations in PA, CT, and CA. Comparable in curated indoor/outdoor plants and home goods retail, but operates at much larger scale and across broader home categories.

Emerging players

• Planta: Plant care app providing care reminders, plant identification, and light meter functionality. Comparable in serving the same residential indoor-plant customer base with complementary content and tooling rather than direct plant retail.
• Lick: UK-based direct-to-consumer home decor brand (paint, wallpaper, plants) with a focus on design-led customers. Comparable in adjacent home aesthetics/plant positioning and DTC content strategy.

Regional players

• Beards & Daisies: London-based boutique plant shop and interior plantscaping service. Closely comparable to B.Willow in combining retail houseplants with commercial/residential plant care, workshops, and design services; UK-focused.
• American Plant: Long-established garden center in the DC/Bethesda area combining retail plants, landscaping services, and interior plantscaping. Comparable in retail + commercial plantscaping combination, but operates in a different metro from B.Willow.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/with_replies
• Facebookfacebook.com/bwillow.bmore
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/b.willow

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about B.Willow