The Victorian, located inside of Citizen Supply at Ponce City Market, is a Creative Plant Shop founded by Libby Hockenberry and her husband Cary Smith. The shop is a special place that offers the Atlanta community a diverse range of plants, educational services, and tips for care. Libby and Cary, along with the help of Manuel Portillo and Abbagail Holtz, work extensively to source unique plants from all over the country. Not only will you find a diverse range of plants, you'll also find artisanal pots from Mexico as well as from local potters.
We've had the privilege of screen printing a number of shirts for the Victorian. We've also printed large custom soil bags for their cactus, tropical, succulent, and aroid soil blends all mixed by hand.
Check out our interview below with Libby to learn more about The Victorian and its unique role in the Atlanta community.
Could you tell us about The Victorian and what it means to be a creative plant shop?
One of the main reasons why we wanted to open The Victorian was essentially because at the time there was a lack of specialty plant shops in Atlanta. We wanted to provide a beautiful space where people could come to learn about plants and be truly inspired by their beauty and the way they can impact an interior space.
We really enjoy the art direction that goes behind the t-shirts, soil bags, etc. Could you tell us a little about the inspiration behind the art that represents the Victorian?
We really owe everything to Mick Bailey, our designer. We gave him just a little bit of what we were looking for and he totally ran with it and created our amazing branding, which we really love. The color palette is inspired by greenery against a terra cotta pot. Some of the imagery is inspired by Victorian-era symbols (arched windows, crescent, and stars). The hand drawn gothic font speaks to the unique and exotic product range we offer, and the playful copy speaks to both mine and Cary's personalities. We worked with Mick to manipulate and change our branding until it felt right and people responded well to it.
Creative plant shop meets screen printing. Could you tells us a little bit about why you prefer screen printed products as opposed to other printing methods?
We chose to go with screen printing because we feel like it fits our brand a bit better than other printing methods. Feels more hand made and artistic.
I personally love getting home and checking up on my plants; they really make my space feel alive and they trigger my creativity. Do you experience the same thing?
Absolutely! However, owning a plant shop means we have a lot of plants under our supervision and sometimes it can get a tad stressful, but it's a stress that we welcome. There's honestly not much better than coming home to a new leaf on one of our personal plants at the house.
Any exciting projects coming up for The Victorian?
Every year The Victorian grows, and 2020 won't be any different. We've got some exciting things coming up this year, and we can't wait to see where it takes us!
Any advice for any creatives trying to start up their own business?
Ya gotta go for it but don't assume that it will be easy. Starting a business takes so much work, but growing something that is yours is so rewarding. Also, get yourself a business partner. Having someone to bounce ideas off of and help with the workload is so important.
To learn more about The Victorian please visit thevictorianatlanta.com
José takes pride in printing your posters and fine art prints. If he’s not in the shop you can find José at a photo session, drawing and designing at home, or spending time with his loved ones.
