Better Know a Business: Jungle Room Plant Co. celebrates new location, expanded offerings in heart of Ogden
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- The Jungle Room Plant Co. celebrated the move to its new location at 2232 Washington Blvd. on Friday, May 3, 2024.
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- The Jungle Room Plant Co. storefront, photographed Friday, May 3, 2024.
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- Patrons can now build their own bouquets of fresh-cut flowers at The Jungle Room Plant Co.
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- The Jungle Room Plant Co. celebrated the move to its new location at 2232 Washington Blvd. on Friday, May 3, 2024.
Editor's note: This story is part of a periodic series focusing on businesses in and around downtown Ogden.
OGDEN -- Having outgrown its previous space in one of Downtown Ogden's historic strips, The Jungle Room Plant Co. celebrated its move to a larger space just next door -- at 2232 Washington Blvd. -- with a grand opening party last week.
It's an occasion that may not have happened if not for a fateful drive down 25th Street in December 2022.
"There was a store that had all these plants in the front window and I got so excited," Emily Larsen, Jungle Room's co-owner, told the Standard-Examiner. "I told my husband, 'Stop the car!' I was just so excited there was finally a plant shop in Ogden. So he stopped and I was so excited -- and it was a tattoo shop."
Turns out, the store in question was Skin It Tattoo, and the plants were purely decorative. After shaking off the disappointment, though, Larsen and her husband/business partner, Cole, began discussing the prospect of bringing that dream plant shop to life in the heart of Ogden.
They eventually quit their corporate 9-to-5s to go all-in on the idea.
"If we wanted it to succeed, we couldn't do it halfway," said Cole Larsen. "It's kind of scary to put all of your eggs in one basket and just take a leap of faith and be brave, but if it was easy and not scary everybody would do it."
Flash forward to now and the Larsens are living the plant life full-bore. After a year and change of growing their operation, the doors have been opened to new possibilities in a spacious new location.
House plants are The Jungle Room's specialty, with plants ranging in price from just a few dollars to a few thousand, but the goal of the business is to create an inclusive experience, to provide an entry point into gardening and caring for plants for everyone, regardless of their circumstances.
The shop produces its own scented candles as well.
Although in-store sales have driven the business so far, the new location has made possible the future expansion of The Jungle Room's online offerings. The store's variety of stock and services has grown, too.
Patrons can now create custom soil blends at the store's brand-new soil-mixing station or build their own bouquets of fresh-cut flowers. The Larsens also are looking to expand their seasonal class offerings, and allow for the hosting of larger private events.
More than anything, though, the hope is that The Jungle Room Plant Co. can continue to be a place where old green-thumbs and newbies alike can go to share in their love of plants.
"I want to create a shop where you can come in and get stuff for a happy home and a happy environment," Emily Larsen said. "It's interesting, standing at the cash register and watching people walk in, and they always just take a deep breath and decompress and then they're just happy."
The Larsens are happy, too, to be part of the continued movement to revitalize downtown.
"I love that we're bringing something good back to the community, especially along the strip where it's just been kind of dead for years," Emily Larsen said. "I remember going to the Ogden City Mall, which was right across the street, when I was a kid. ... It's just really nice to be able to add back into the community."
Added Cole Larsen: "All of our neighbors, they're all just so supportive. ... Ogden loves to support Ogden. It's a very tight community, so it's important for us to try to bring something good."