By Megan Sayles
AFRO Business Writer
msayles@afro.com
There are wine bars, and there are plant stores. But, what if the two were combined? Former metallurgical engineer Quincy Goldsmith has done just that in Baltimore with Stem and Vine.
When walking into the business, located on the 300 block North Charles Street, you see not only plants from all over the world, but a full-service bar with space for fellowship and community. Its tagline is “cultivating the art of living well.”
“When this came together I wanted Stem and Vine to be more than just houseplants,” said Goldsmith. “I wanted it to be more culture-based and to highlight the diversity in the world of houseplants– but also of cultures and how plants have been traditionally used.”
Stem and Vine’s plant offerings are arranged in the store by origin, separated into the Americas, Australia and Africa. The business also sells ceramics and painting, primarily created by women of color.
But, Goldsmith does not just want residents to use the space to buy plants and have a glass of wine. He intends to invite other business owners, nonprofits and political leaders to host small conferences and events for the public.
“This is not a plant shop,” said Goldsmith. “This is a whole lot more than that. I want this to be a cultural community center and hub for downtown Baltimore.”
Goldsmith wants to delve into the world of edutainment, or educational entertainment, by hosting wine tasting and workshops on topics such as plant care, horticultural therapy, ethnobotany and financial literacy. Drawing from his science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) background, he is set to host a plant science summer camp at Stem and Vine for Baltimore youth.
Foremost, Goldsmith wants Stem and Vine to be a gathering place for the city’s women of color to share ideas and strategies for making Baltimore better.
“This was done with intentionality, and the intention is to bring women together to help solve Baltimore’s problems,” said Goldsmith. “I want to create a space where ideas can be shared by people who have the means to create change and move the city forward. I think there’s evidence that Black women are going to be the backbone of that.”
Claudia Jolin, vice president of economic development for the downtown Partnership of Baltimore, met Goldsmith in 2019 while the pair participated in a civic leadership program.
“I want to create a space where ideas can be shared by people who have the means to create change and move the city forward.”
Quincy Goldsmith
At Downtown Partnership of Baltimore, Jolin focuses on business recruitment and retention. Since Shelonda Stokes, president of the partnership came on board, Jolin said there’s been a push to attract retail stores to vacant spaces in downtown Baltimore, as it’s one of the fastest-growing neighborhoods in the city.
In talking to Goldsmith, Jolin learned about his aspirations to open Stem and Vine. She then directed him to a grant program from the partnership, Operation Storefront, which supplies entrepreneurs with grant money to relocate their operations to vacant downtown spaces.
“One thing about downtown: our average age of residents is around 32. They love wine, and they love plants,” said Jolin. “My retail analysis suggests that we don’t have a lot of children downtown, but we have a pretty good disposable income of people who want to spend money on themselves.”
Jolin said the partnership is particularly looking to attract businesses that can serve as “third spaces,” or places where people can spend time between home and work. Stem and Vine suits this purpose.
“Quincy’s space is that. You can go in, grab a plant and leave, or you can go in, have a couple of glasses of wine, talk to Quincy about plants and start meeting people in your community,” said Jolin. “That’s something downtown has been lacking for a while, which is why I believe this location is going to be so successful. It’s not just a store, it’s a place to go.”
Megan Sayles is a Report For America corps member.
