More than a plant shop, Little Leaf Essentials offers inspiration around every corner.
Walking through the doors of Little Leaf Essentials, you'll quickly realize it isn't a typical garden center or nursery. It's a curated space where plants mingle with art, antiques, custom woodwork, local crafts, and vintage fashion.
“This is a destination shop – it’s not a quick drop in,” shares owner Andii Kreek Irwin. “Eighty percent of our plants are in what we call ‘the wild,’ meaning they are displayed throughout the shop, not simply placed on a rack. It’s one of those places where you come and wander, and you probably make two or three laps. Then you say, ‘I want plants. Tell me what plants I want.’”
Andii is a self-declared “plant parent.”
“My jam is indoor plants. I call myself a creative by heart; plants are a medium for me. They allow me to create visual designs; then pairing them with the furniture helps people see how plants can enhance their space.”
“A plant that we sell a lot of is the Monstera Adansonii ‘Swiss Cheese.’” Andii says. “It’s a great beginner plant, and it can go in low light.”
Andii is quick to point out she couldn't do it alone. Amanda House and a talented team help create “the wild” throughout the shop.
“While it’s my shop, I have been fortunate enough to come across some individuals who were excited to come on this journey with me. About six years ago, I happened to walk into a space curated by Marcia Robinson. Her business is Ampersand Home, and I was blown away. I told her, ‘One day I’m going to open a store, and I want you to be a part of it.’”
Marcia sources the antique furniture while Amy Reed of The Kitsch Nitch curates the vintage clothing. Together, they help create the shop’s ever-changing vignettes.
“We reset the shop about four times a year,” Andii shares. “We shut down for a week, and we reset everything. It looks completely different. We work tirelessly, sometimes through the night, but it’s so much fun.”
Her customers’ reactions are part of what keeps Andii motivated.
“Every time we do a reset, our team and I are like, ‘This is the best one; we can’t outdo ourselves.’ We are on an adrenaline high because we’ve been creating for days. Then people come in, and they just fall in love. They appreciate it, and I don’t want that to end.”
The next reset and open house, themed “Gathered,” is scheduled for Sept. 18 and 19.
In addition to browsing the shop, customers can take part in a variety of events and workshops, including fused glass, embroidery, moon gardens, cookie decorating, charcuterie boards, mahjong, and sound baths.
“Anything that I think my best friend and I would like to do, I find a maker that would fit in that category,” explains Andii. “Our fused glass is by far our fan favorite.”
Fused glass workshops are offered in collaboration with Michelle Spry of Midway Mercantile Co.
Instructor-led workshops are typically held on weeknights, while self-guided DIY events take place on Saturdays with all materials provided.
In the future, Andii plans to add beverages to the shop.
“Initially, we are going to serve regular drinks, and eventually we’ll serve mocktails and other nonalcoholic beverages. Before I got sober, drinking was always a social event. You remove that, and recovery is very isolating. I would like to introduce a place where you can come and buy a fun beverage while you browse the plant shop.”
Before finding success as an entrepreneur, Andii first had to conquer addiction.
“When I look in my rearview mirror, there are so many things that led to this, but the thing that really changed my trajectory in life is sobriety. In October I will celebrate 12 years of sobriety. That is how all of this came about. If I remove that, none of this would be here.”
“After I got out of treatment, I started changing my people, places, and things,” says Andii. “I decided to put all my energy into creating a space that is relaxing and calming. I just wanted to create a place where people felt happy.”
Andii’s dream of becoming a business owner started at a young age.
"My family owned [a] local grocery store for six generations. I was that kid who woke up early to go to work with [my father and grandfather] before school.”
After graduating from college, Andii's first job was working alongside her dad. Then she got married, had kids, and life happened. It wasn't until after overcoming addiction that she took the first challenging steps toward creating Little Leaf Essentials.
“I’ve learned that I am stronger than I ever gave myself credit for. One of my biggest accomplishments was getting sober. Through that, which gave me the confidence to do this, I realized I am determined, driven, and persevering, and I can do hard things. Anytime I came up against something and thought, ‘This is hard … I don’t think I can do this,’ I reminded myself, ‘Oh, but you can because you’ve done hard things before.’”
