Get your Plantsies at Tansy

Tansy, a new plant shop at 1600 Dexter Avenue North, bursts with vibrant colors and features a wide selection of plant babies and home goods.

Founded by Shawna Christian, Tansy originally opened its doors in Burbank, California, in June 2019. After a successful four-year run, Shawna decided to bring her eclectic space to Seattle in April 2023. The black-owned plant and retail store brings a fresh vibe and strong sense of community to the ever-growing South Lake Union neighborhood.

According to Shawna, the L.A. store attracts a crowd keen on rare plants, but Seattle’s plant people have a broader love for flora. “Seattlites are enthralled with plants. They want to bring the outside in, especially given the differing climates,” Shawna observes. When you step into Tansy Seattle, you’re greeted by lots of color, items from all around the world, and almost a sensory overload of things in the shop,” she adds.

But Tansy offers more than just a wide array of indoor and outdoor plants. Around 90% of the home decor is sourced from charitable organizations or crafted by artisans worldwide, fulfilling the shop’s ethno-centric mission. Not just a store, Tansy aims to be a community space where people can learn hands-on about plant care. This aligns perfectly with Shawna’s life journey. After running an IT company for 20 years, she had her “Aha!’ moment around the age of 50 and chose to pivot into her lifelong love of plants.

With fall fast approaching, Shawna has some recommendations for plant owners: “Go for plants that don’t require bright indirect light, such as ZZs, money trees, and dracaenas. Seattle winters can be dark and rainy, so these are more self-sufficient and don’t require tons of care.”

Tansy Seattle is currently running an Instagram giveaway until the end of September where you could win rare monstera Thai constellation plus a $100 gift card to the shop. Follow @shoptansysea on Instagram for more details.

In a nutshell, Tansy is more than just a plant shop; it’s a treasure trove of unique homewares, textiles, and pet products, with a sense of community at its core. If you’re in Seattle and have a passion for plants—or even just a curiosity—Tansy is a must-visit.

Tansy is open Tuesday through Saturday from noon to 7pm, and Sunday from noon to 6pm.