It’s a trendy new fad, building terrariums, and it’s coming to Columbia in December

Just a few years ago, Bailey Ryan had an idea for a store: One half of the business would be selling terrariums and teaching people how to build them, and the other half would sell plants, from little baby plants to towering greenery, from rare finds to average houseplants.

She called it PlantHouse.

Now, the family-run company — she’s in business with her parents — has five stores across the Southeast plus one coming to Cross Hill Market shopping center in Columbia on Dec. 11.

It is fast growth — and a bit scary, Ryan said — but the response from customers has been overwhelming, especially for terrariums and especially during the coronavirus pandemic when people stayed home and prettied up their residences with plants.

Ryan said when she opened the first store in her hometown of Virginia Beach, the clientele was mostly women in the 35 to 55 age range. Now, shoppers are of all ages, and many are multigenerational.

It’s common for a grandmother to come in to build a terrarium like ones she built in the 1970s and bring her daughter, who remembers them, and her granddaughter, who is taking part in a trendy cool “new thing,” Ryan said.

Couples often attended terrarium workshops for date nights, she said.

Columbia was chosen for a 3,000-square-foot shop because she fell in love with the city, Ryan said..

“It has a homey, small-town vibe,” she said.

Besides Virginia Beach, PlantHouse has locations in Charlotte, Charleston, Richmond and Decatur and will soon open a store in midtown Atlanta.

Ryan, her parents and business partners all moved to Charlotte, where they have established a headquarters and recently obtained warehouse space to handle online sales.

Her parents had an online plant business, selling through Amazon, which Ryan joined after high school. She had the idea to switch to retail, and her parents joined her.

Her father builds all the shelving and tables. He’ll start work on the Columbia store next week.

All the plants come from growers in Florida, Ryan said.

She expects to hire between 15 and 20 people for the Columbia store. PlantHouse will stand alongside the Whole Foods grocery store, Midwood Smokehouse restaurant, Athleta apparel shop and other businesses at the Cross Hill shopping center.