Meet Virginia Orlando of Seed to Stem in Worcester

Today we’d like to introduce you to Virginia Orlando.

Virginia, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Seed to Stem came to fruition in 2011 when Candace Atchue and myself (Virginia Orlando) started making small terrariums and container gardens for local craft shows and art fairs. What started as two best friends crafting soon morphed into “Seed to Stem’. We decided to expanded our offerings and procured a tiny space in The Cider Mill, a large antique mall in Sterling, Ma. When we outgrew our space there we opened our first formal retail shop in Worcester before moving to our current location in the up and coming Canal District.

My fiance, Kristain Solfiell became an integral part of the team, leaving his full-time job as a glass-blower as our little shop grew. I grew up in my mother’s flower shop with an attached greenhouse where my love of house-plants developed. Candace also worked at the flower shop and loved tending to the greenhouse. Our combined backgrounds of horticulture, art, design, and a love of nature have helped grow Seed to Stem. We now are so excited for our continued growth and overwhelmed by the wonderful response we have gotten.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Our road has not always been smooth, but we have always had a positive outlook and are always excited for the future and new projects. In the beginning, we struggled with opening a business out of our own (empty) pockets and juggling day jobs with creating during the evening. I was working as a veterinary technician and Candace was an executive assistant at a large company. We were working out of my mother’s kitchen and Candace’s spare bedroom using any extra cash, time, and energy into growing our little project.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Seed to Stem – what should we know?
Seed to Stem is a carefully curated lifestyle and plant boutique. We celebrate the beauty and perfection of the natural world, boasting unusual botanicals, terrariums, natural wonders, home accessories, hand-made goods, and antiques. The beauty of the juxtaposition between life and death is prominent throughout the shop. We want our visitors to be transfixed and transported upon entering our doors. We believe in surrounding yourself with plants, natural elements, finely crafted goods, and objects of beauty to enhance your daily being.

We are known for our vast selection of plants and terrariums, our displays and installations within the shop, and our ever-changing selection of gifts, antiques, crystals, and other natural items. We are very proud of our plant knowledge as well as natural history knowledge. We are set apart as we all have great design skills and come from art backgrounds. We truly enjoy merchandising and believe that it shows throughout the store. We want people to have an experience when they enter our doors, whether our brick and mortar or under our tent at Brimfield.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Our uniqueness and knowledge of our products is important to our success. We are constantly changing the shop and letting it organically morph into whatever we love at the moment. Seed to Stem has really taken on a life of its own. We also have developed close relationships with our customers and strive to continue to build these relationships within the community. We really look towards the future and are always thinking of ways that we can grow and improve.

Contact Info:

• Address: 138 Green St Suite 1
• Website: seedtostemhome.com
• Phone: 5088900933
• Email: seedtostem@gmail.com
• Instagram: @seedtostem
• Facebook: facebook.com/seedtostem
• Yelp: yelp.com/seedtostem

Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.