By Soncirey Mitchell
Reader Staff
The shops at the Cedar Street Bridge are a kaleidoscope of colorful trinkets and treats, and Erin Johnson will add a pop of green with her new store Verdant Plants.
The shop officially opens for the first time at the bridge’s grand reopening celebration on Saturday, April 27, but local houseplant lovers will recognize Johnson from her popular booth at the Farmers’ Market.
“I started the business, technically, a year ago, but had just been treating it as a side hustle,” Johnson told the Reader. “I used that year to work with mentors through the Women’s Business Center in Spokane, really just doing all the homework and learning about being a small business owner in the hope that, eventually, I would be able to quit my job.”
Erin and Corey Johnson with their children Cassidy and Leo. Photo courtesy of Corey Johnson.
Johnson and her family moved from Colorado to Sandpoint back in 2017, and locals cautioned her to bring her job with her. She’s been working remotely ever since — that is, until April 19 when she officially said goodbye to her company of 16 years.
“I signed the [shop’s] lease, I turned 46 and I quit my job all in the span of two weeks,” Johnson said, adding: “Not a crisis — a midlife opportunity.”
After working online for so long, Johnson realized she missed the community and human interaction that in-person jobs bring, and decided to return to her roots. She inherited her love of plants — and many of her plants themselves — from her mother.
“Plants run in my veins. I think it’s built into my DNA,” said Johnson. “My mom always had houseplants and she would prune but she could never throw anything away. We’d have glass jars on every windowsill and she’d just propagate everything.”
Johnson’s mother passed away in 2022, but her memory and plants live on. Some of those cuttings now fill the walls of Verdant Plants, and Johnson calls them “heritage” or “legacy” plants.
Alongside her wide variety of houseplants, Johnson will sell essentials like pots and watering cans, as well as offer services like plant fostering and rentals for events. Later on, she hopes to host fun classes on building terrariums, crafting macrame plant hangers and much more.
“I just love talking about plants with people. At the Farmers’ Market, when people walk into that booth space, their eyes light up and they just smile. You can’t be mad when you’re looking at plants,” she said.
Johnson has a special talent for asking the right questions to pair each individual with the perfect plant to suit their needs. Visit her upstairs in the Cedar Street Bridge (334 N. 1st Ave.) on Saturday, April 27 to walk through rows of carefully tended plants and take home a new addition to the family.
“I want to thank my husband for all of his support, and our community, too,” said Johnson. “Everyone I’ve talked to says, ‘Yes! That’s what we need,’ so I’m very hopeful and excited that this is going to be a good thing for our community and a good thing for our family too.”
