WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES JUNE 21, 2018 21
BUZZ
Modern plant shop sprouts up in Ridgewood
BY RYAN KELLEY
RKELLEY@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
TWITTER @R_KELLEY6
Roy Paar and Milana Naumenko
are employees of corporate
America by day, and plant lovers
by night. Their Cypress Avenue apartment
in Ridgewood is packed full of
plants that can be described as works
in progress as the couple tries to fi gure
out the best ways to care for them.
Below the apartment inside a
street-level space, however, the products
of their green thumbs are sprouting
a unique new weekend business.
Water & Light, Paar and Naumenko's
plant shop, opened to the public
on June 1, and the weekend-only store
has gotten off to a promising start. On
a conference call with the Ridgewood
Times during their lunch breaks
from their day jobs on June 19, Paar
and Naumenko said they have been
encouraged not only by the sales in
their fi rst three weekends, but by the
crowds they are attracting.
"We've had a lot of people from not
only our building, but all over the
neighborhood, and we've even had
some people say that they're from
Bushwick, which is a 20-minute walk,"
Paar said. "The fi rst weekend we had
a party, and a lady said she was from
Flatbush and drove like 45 minutes to
get here."
Paar was in North Carolina during
the phone call, where he travels every
week for his job with IBM, while
Naumenko was in Manhattan at her
job as a supply chain manager for a
fashion company. While they like their
jobs, the two love to travel and knew
they wanted to do something else on
the side, Paar said. What started as an
idea for an Instagram page about plant
care quickly evolved into something
much greater.
Naumenko could be considered
the resident expert, but she said her
knowledge of plants is self taught from
her childhood and building her own
collection over the years. Her research
of lighting and watering practices only
increased when the couple decided
they were going to open the shop, and
Naumenko said they are still "learning
as we go."
Inside the shop, the selection of
plants and modern display combine for
a unique experience. Naumenko said
that the most healthy specimen from
their apartment/garden above make it
into the shop, but their collection as a
whole also takes into consideration the
fact that most people in New York are
living in small apartments with not a
lot of light.
"We try to bring a lot of very easycare
plants, but there are also some
exceptions that are more needy," Naumenko
said. "We always try to bring
something new every weekend so
people come back and it's not always
the same plants."
"Even just in the three weeks we're
starting to get an eye for what will sell,"
Paar added.
The space is filled with natural
light from the large glass doors and
windows along the street, and the
plants are spread throughout, hanging
on the walls and resting on specially
designed shelves. Naumenko said that
they were going for a gallery style display
that wouldn't overcrowd the shop
because it makes for a better shopping
experience, rather than "walking into
a jungle."
Water & Light also offers a few
unique sales opportunities. The corporate
savvy owners have full procurement
and delivery of plants for offi ces,
apartment buildings or other corporate
clients. They also have a made-to-order
option for customers, allowing them to
request a certain type of plant that they
want to see in the store.
Paar and Naumenko also hope to
collaborate with other local small businesses
to host workshops and events
and share products. For example, Paar
mentioned connecting with a local
shop that sells unique pots for plants.
In the long term, Paar said online
sales are one of their goals depending
on suppliers and the particulars of
shipping across state lines. With his
background in IT and her background
in supply chains, Paar and Naumenko
also have many ideas to merge those
skills and use technology to get plants
to people easier and keep them healthy
longer, Paar said.
Ultimately, Naumenko said of the
possibility that the business can grow
into a full-time gig, "That's the hope,
that's the dream."
For now, Water & Light is open Friday
to Sunday fromм 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Photo by Kanika Oung
Enjoying a night of fi ne brews at Maspeth craft beer fest
Hundreds came to the Knockdown
Center in Maspeth on
June 15 for the third-annual
craft beer festival hosted by the
Kiwanis Club of Maspeth. Guests
got a chance to sample some of the
best beers in the region and country
while also enjoying live music, food
vendors and cider tastings. Proceeds
from the event will be used by the
Maspeth Kiwanis Club for its various
charitable functions. Club members,
pictured at the event, include Jim
O'Kane, Mike Falco, President Barbara
Rudzewick, Joan Sammon, Ken
Rudzewick, Treasurer Michelle
Masone, Bill Nussbaum, Marie
Breslin, Secretary Michael Terry,
Vice President Barbara Pryor, Lisa
Terry, President Elect Geri Crowe,
Tom Rudzewick, Jim Regan, Glenn
Rudzewick, and Mike Demetriov. Photo by Dean Moses
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