Creator's Corner: The plant Ally | Brit Thurlow

The Plant Ally | Brit Thurlow: Shop Owner

Tell us a little about yourself! Who are you and what’s your creative background?

My name is Brittany and I’m the owner of The Plant Ally, a plant & retail shop, community space, and home to a new herbal elixir and tea house. The Plant Ally is located in a little mountain town in Leavenworth, WA.

We’re surrounded by incredible wilderness and nature- beautiful, pristine rivers, granite peaks and snow-covered mountains, dense conifer forests, … and I say this, because, my creative background is so intertwined with nature, herself!

She is always where I go to seek solace, support, inspiration, and healing. I've always been drawn to nature, and my path has always been inspired and led by this love.

How and when did the idea for The Plant Ally come along?

The Plant Ally’s vision was seeded during a time when I was working as an Education Director at an outdoor school. Throughout my career in education, I had always taught at outdoor programs, believing fully in the importance of our connection to nature and her teachings. I was ready for a change in my career and at the time, was also giving a lot of energy to a women’s group, RISE, that I helped to create a foundation for.

Our first event was such an incredible success, that again, reinforced the value of our connection to one another, to nature, and collective healing and learning. I knew from my heart that I wanted to help create a space for learning, healing, and working with nature and community. The Plant Ally includes our retail brick & mortar, largely partnering with our local artist community, as well as herbalists, and of course, plants.

Our retail operation offers us the opportunity to offer our space freely to guest teachers, healers, and facilitators who wish for a space to share. By offering the space in this way, classes and workshops are offered accessibly to our community, so no person is turned away. Some examples of our programming include free yoga classes, seed-swapping and sharing events, seed-saving classes, natural dye courses, women’s circles, breathwork, and song circles… to name a few!

What are your personal guiding values, and how are they reflected in your shop?

My personal values are rooted in love, and with that- respect and reciprocity. Many of the makers in the store are women and men near and dear to me and our community- local artists. Outside of that, I partner with companies and brands that have prioritized using sustainable practices, ethically-sourced materials, and fair wages for all. I also ensure that there are majority women-owned and BIOPIC-owned companies that we’re partnering with, especially when it comes to herbalism and art.

What do you look for when stocking new brands and their products?

Oh, for me, it’s the love of people and art, the beauty of the soul and heart-centered creations! I bring things into the shop that spark wonder and joy to me, in the desire that it might for someone else, too. I love art that is encouraging, and tender, and aware, and expansive, and inspiring.

Tell me about your beverage lounge. How did you come up with the nourishing mix of herbal concoctions?

The herbal beverage lounge has been such a joyful creative endeavor. Many of the drinks listed are ones that my sister and I have enjoyed together for years. Many of them were formulated tapping into my herbalism background and then also, my amazing co-workers are all brilliant and have their own relationship with plants and have shared some of their favorite recipes, too! One of my favorite things about it is changing with the seasons, and calling in different herbal allies for support throughout the year!

What does your day to day look like as a business owner?

Most days I’m in the shop for at least half the day. I love what my co-workers and I have helped create and I love meeting new faces and reconnecting with familiar ones there. Our town is so seasonal, that “day to day” is more in a larger seasonal flow. Right now, after the holidays, things are much slower, so it’s a great time to gather as a team, collaborate, deep clean, dream weave, and project! And taxes and documents, oh yes, those too ;)

What are a few of the challenges you’ve hit along the way and how did you navigate them?

I feel very grateful to say that after 4.5 years, I’m finding my flow… but hey, I’ll probably say the same thing when you ask me 5 years from now! Let’s be real, the last few years have been a total roller coaster for small businesses. With that, it’s been more of a change of mind… or change of heart, rather, around it. The past few years taught me a lot about my resiliency, my ability to change course quickly, and also when to stand my ground, … I am learning to be a better listener. What I mean when I say that is- I’m learning to listen to my heart more.

There were & continue to be challenges that we meet collectively and individually as business owners and … I just seek my heart. My heart knows when my nervous system is rattled, or when I’m feeling settled & regulated. My heart knows when the risk is worth the effort and energy. It cannot tell the future most certainly or make predictions better than my wandering monkey mind, although my mind will try to persuade me that it can if I just “think” about something enough ;)

For a long while because of the circumstance of shut downs, I got into a pattern of relating with my business that was “reactionary” vs “proactive”… It’s taken me some time to unweave that pattern and relate from a place of ground. I’m really just … exercising this muscle a lot, which is made so much more clear by the vision of my heart.

How do you see the shop evolving over the next few years?

I’d really love to be able to offer more classes, be a part of more partnerships, and bring in guest teachers from far & wide! We’re a smaller space, but we have a surrounding community that is so so receptive to learning and healing and growing together. Partnerships make my heart sing. I feel like mycelium reaching out and making nearby connections and being able to share resources and it’s just such a spark! We’ve already partnered with our local hospital to donate plants for their therapeutic indoor garden and we’re about to get planning for a larger outdoor garden space. In just a month, we’ll be hosting a local non-profit working with women who are healing and offering yoga and workshops… it’s all coming together.

What do you look forward to each day?

Being able to offer a safe and welcoming space to people. I love watching people step inside and watch the tension melt down their spin, take in deeper breaths, slow their cadence, and sometimes even audibly say “wow, it feels sooo good in here. It’s so calming… or peaceful. I feel so relaxed.” I love watching people curl up with a borrowed book in the corner with a warm cup in hand, or share a tea pot with a friend, or write their dreams in their journal while being surrounded by the healing energy of plants. I want that peace for everyone, so it starts with the peace that I can create here.