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Exclusive preview: Verra Studios and Botanica, holding grand openings August 3 on 3rd Avenue North in Birmingham
Two new small businesses are getting ready to open their doors at 11AM on Saturday, August 3 in a space they’ll be sharing at Birmingham’s historic Burger-Phillips Department Store building (1914 3rd Avenue North). Verra Studios offers unique handcrafted jewelry and Botanica specializes in pot plants.
The new businesses are getting ready for their grand opening and will be coordinating giveaways and special offers over their inaugural weekend. Bham Now was given a sneak peek and here’s what we found.
Verra Studios – custom jewelry pieces
Verra offers one of a kind pieces made right here in Birmingham.
Owner, Chrissie Larkin, told me she has been creating jewelry for more than 15 years, previously selling her unique and versatile designs at pop-up events.
Chrissie showed me some of the unique pieces made from materials such as amethyst, mixed metals and diamonds, pearls, jade, pyrite, and more
The designs are versatile so you can wear many of the pieces in different styles (long bracelet/short bracelet/bracelet/anklet) and some of the designs offer interchangeable pieces.
Chrissie said, “This is our first store and I’m so excited about opening! We have put so much effort and so much heart and soul into getting this place ready for Saturday. It’s been a family effort – with my kids even helping to sweep and mop to make sure everything looks great!”
Botanica – a houseplant shop
Caitlyn Hastings is a full-time physician assistant and plant enthusiast ‘with a passion for people and houseplants’.
“I started by doing home consultations for friends who couldn’t keep plants alive, and then it turned into consultations for people I didn’t know. I then did pop-ups downtown selling plants. But this was the dream (having a store) and I’m so excited about Saturday!”
If you’re looking to make your space greener, there’s a treasure trove of pot plants at Botanica.
Caitlyn said Botanica will help pick the right plants for your space and provide detailed tips on how to take care of them.
So what did Caitlyn recommend as good starter plants that are easy to take care of?
“I like to recommend a snake plant or a zee zee plant. Succulents are also really easy to take care of. My goal is to help people wherever they are in their plant journey.”
Botanica offers plant consultations for home and office, rentals and staging for events, and Interior plantscaping assistance for designers.
Need to know
Verra Studios and Botanica will be co-sharing at: 1914 3rd Avenue North, Birmingham, AL 35203
Grand opening: 11AM, Saturday, August 3
Opening hours: Tues-Fri: 11-2PM, Sat-Sun: 11-6PM
Instagram: @verrastudios @botanica_bhm