At the fourth annual Kickoff to Summer at the Fair, visitors will be able to buy houseplants as well as cheese curds and beer.

The supply of greenery is courtesy of Marc Eaton and “Roots, Shoots & Leaves,” a mobile plant shop that stands out among the usual food trucks; the green truck will roll in as one of the new vendors at the Minnesota State Fair sampler when it kicks off on Thursday, May 23.

During the four-day event, customers can get free advice while browsing the shop’s tropical plants, succulents, specialty potting soil and offbeat accessories: One of the company’s goals is to help people become good “plant parents.”

To achieve this goal, Eaton recently quit his day job to hop on the truck full time. That his former side gig is already blooming in such a big way is fun for this St. Paul green thumb.

“This truck began as a hobby that got out of control,” Eaton said.

Roots

Houseplants are trending these days, but Eaton’s roots in the natural world were planted during his childhood in Missouri.

“I’d collect seeds out in the woods and bring them back home, sprouting them on toilet paper and then growing them in plastic cups,” Eaton, 54, remembers.

His first gifted plant was memorable.

“When I was 4 or 5, a lady from church gave me a green prayer plant,” he said. “The way its leaves would gently fold up at night and relax during the day, that plant fascinated me. My next plant was a purple inch plant, or Purple Tradescantia, which is easy to grow at 6.

“Since then, it’s been a hobby,” he said. “Animals and plants, I had them all in the house.”

After moving to Minnesota for college, Eaton went on to work as a research entomologist for a chemical company. He and his husband, David Gray, settled down in Dayton’s Bluff, where they raised their son, Joseph Gray, 24. During those growing years, there wasn’t as much time for Eaton to focus on houseplants.

Then came the pandemic.

Pandemic plants

Some people learned how to create a sourdough starter during the lockdown. Others took up crocheting. For Eaton, it was a time to get back to puttering with plants.

“During the pandemic, when I was working from home for two or three years, I had more time to focus on plants as well as my work as part of my daily routine,” he said. “It just kept getting bigger and bigger.”

He found himself chatting online with other houseplant hobbyists; he had a lot of help to offer.

“I just had so many plants that it got to a point where people started asking me questions,” he said. “Being able to help somebody with a plant, whether they are a hobbyist or someone new to it, I find that rewarding. Helping people troubleshoot, I find that fun.”

Eaton began to consider opening up a shop.

A mobile business

The west metro has a variety of specialty shops dedicated to houseplants, Eaton says, but the east metro …

“I felt like I could fill a niche on this side of town,” Eaton said. “But I couldn’t decide the best place to have a shop. I didn’t want to make the investment of time and money, set it up and it didn’t work out for some reason, and be stuck in a lease or a mortgage and be in financial trouble. So I began researching mobile shops.

“Mobile houseplant shops are a thing outside of Minnesota,” he said. “One individual was getting a lot of press at the time in Los Angeles. I reached out to that guy and asked him questions about his mobile shop, how he designed it and what he would and wouldn’t do again.”

His research rolled on to include checking out other trucks and interviewing more owners.

“I decided it could be done,” Eaton said. “I started shopping around for small-business funding, which was quite a chore. I did work with SCORE – it’s a mentorship program for new small-business owners; they helped me with the business side of things.”

Once he had the small-business funding in place, Eaton began shopping around for a truck. He found a used one, a former FedEx truck, in Kansas City, Mo.

“I flew down and drove it back,” he said. “That was different. I’d never driven such a big truck — for nine hours.”

Using what he learned from other truck owners, he added fans for air circulation but went with an opaque roof for light instead of glass, which would make the truck feel like a preheated oven. His brother created the art for the vinyl wrap that provides his truck’s signature motto: “Helping you be the best plant parent you can be.” The truck is also wired for power with a generator; it has grow lights as well as interior and exterior lights for evening events.

A business sprouts

While Eaton’s business officially sprouted in 2022, the truck first hit the road during the growing season of 2023.

On Eaton’s website, Roots, Shoots & Leaves is billed as “Your mobile houseplant shop” and a “mobile garden center” stocked with “healthy plants, sage advice and fun accessories to help you become the best Plant Parent you can be!”

Although Eaton is based on the East Side of St. Paul, his truck travels around the Twin Cities metro for both private events and appearances at fairs and festivals and more.

(Check out where the truck will be at rsleaves.com.)

The green truck, with its unique premise, stands out everywhere it goes.

“Our state fair staff had originally seen Roots, Shoots & Leaves a year ago at the Friends Plant Sale which is held on the fairgrounds,” said Maria Hayden, State Fair spokesperson, in an email to the Pioneer Press. “We felt the innovative and visually appealing display of products would make a great addition to the fair, so it was added as a new vendor in 2023. Asking them to participate in the Kickoff to Summer at the Fair was another perfect fit — aligning perfectly with an event that celebrates summer.”

The State Fair itself was a big event for a new business, but Eaton, his husband and their son worked together to serve the crowds.

“I’ll be honest with you, plants aren’t really my thing, but I’ve learned a lot about caring for them and we try to help out as much as possible because it’s a family business,” said Joseph Gray, who is known as the company’s best salesperson while also juggling his college studies.

This time, Eaton and son will staff the truck and are ready to talk about plants with this pre-summer crowd.

“Although we specialize in indoor and not outdoor plants, it’s still nice that we’ll be at the Fair at the beginning of the growing season this time,” Eaton said.

Crocheted chickens, lavender soaps and Venus flytraps

It was still snowing when Eaton and his son took the plants to a craft fair in April.

On that Saturday morning, a light overnight snow had yet to melt and new flakes were falling, pellet-like. It was still too chilly in the season to store the plants in the mobile truck, but they were warm inside the 7th Annual Spring Madness Craft & Gift Expo at the Eagan Civic Arena.

The plants of Roots, Shoots & Leaves bloomed amid the sellers of crocheted chickens, lavender soaps and Pokémon wallets. In this corner, you could smell the soil of the potted Venus flytraps, examine the needles of the cacti or laugh at the unusual diorama kits designed as houseplant accessories.

As they shopped, many customers asked if the plants were pet-friendly (look for the animal icon next to the price) and how to take care of the plants (both father and son gave mini tutorials). Questions are always welcome here, because each plant sold comes with emotional support.

“I bought an Anthurium and a Monstera and they gave me lots of good advice,” said Brittany Hauser of St. Paul.

Hauser welcomed the advice: Now that she’s working from home, she has started to fill her home with plants to keep her company. They even have names, like Robert Plant and Keanu Leaves.

“I’m starting to become a plant person,” Hauser said.

Some shoppers were here specifically for Roots, Shoots & Leaves; that includes Gabby Wollmuth. The Farmington High School junior follows the shop on Instagram and was here to stock up.

The teenager became a plant lady after discovering the charm of Air Plants while visiting Florida. She’s expanded her hobby since then.

“I like cactuses and Monsteras,” she said.

At home, Wollmuth added shelving for more plants and is considering taking a botany class as an elective.

Other shoppers were new to the hobby, like 6-year-old Carter Pulczinski.

He got to pick one thing to buy at the craft fair; he skipped the Pokémon merchandise and went for a cactus instead.

Has he been interested in plants for awhile, or was he just getting started?

“I think I’m just starting,” Carter said as he looked down at the cactus.

The smell of dirt

A month after that craft fair, the air smelled like summer and the sun was shining as Eaton puttered with plants outside of the truck the week before Memorial Day.

This gated storage facility and parking lot in White Bear Lake is the truck’s home when it’s not at an event.

There were a couple of food trucks parked here, some RVs and lots of boats, including the covered pontoon next to Eaton’s truck.

“That boat will probably be gone for the summer by next weekend,” Eaton said.

The plant truck won’t be around much, either, especially during the Kickoff to Summer at the Fair. But on this afternoon in May, he was focused on getting ready for other events, including a stop at a school in Golden Valley. There, they’ll help kids pot their own plants.

Plants keep you in the moment, though, so Eaton was focused on replanting the ferns he had set out on a table.

“For me, it’s relaxing,” he said of spending time here. “To get up in the morning and go out to the truck when it’s full of plants; opening the doors and windows; to be surrounded by green while I work … there’s just something about plants.”

Kickoff to Summer at the Fair

When: 4 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, May 23, and Friday, May 24; 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 25, and Sunday, May 26.

Tickets: Tickets, sold for specific days, are $13 each when purchased in advance online (fees and tax included) and $16 each at the gate (via QR code, credit/debit only; fees and tax included).

Details: An event created during the pandemic, this kickoff event is now an annual tradition in its fourth year. It’s held rain or shine and includes food, brews, music, shopping, free parking and family fun at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds in Falcon Heights. Attendance is limited each day so guests can have space to stroll and savor the experience.

More info/link to purchase tickets: mnstatefair.org/kickoff-to-summer

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