How It Started
In late 2020, Renay organized a simple plant swap on a small vacant lot in Charleston, SC. The enthusiasm showed by the local plant community was so big, Renay started to ask herself if more could be planned. This led to the creation of a market in Charleston at local breweries. In 2023, Renay Partnered with Rach and expanded into two other cities, Lexington and Myrtle Beach. The fall of 2024, SE Rare Plant Market will expand into their fourth city, Greenville, SC.
How It's Going
While the markets continued to florish, Renay and Rach were planning something bigger. The vision was to see all the markets come together and establish Southeast Rare Plant Market, LLP as a plant community name. Why couldn't SC be a destination for people to travel to for the love of plants? And so The BIG Plant Expo was born. Announced in early 2024, Renay and Rach already secured sellers from across the nation and out of country to come to the heart of SC for one big event.
On June 29th and 30th 2024, they opened the doors to the BIGGEST plant expo the state had ever seen. The success was overwhelming in terms of turn out, vendor participation and enthusiasm from the local plant community. By the end of the weekend, the one for next year was being planned.
The focus remains on supporting local plant growers, sellers, and plant-related artisan vendors. They believe and invite local plant businesses to join at the markets and expo as each event gains traction.