Forbidden Roots: Olean’s Hidden House Plant
Forbidden Roots: Olean’s Hidden House Plant
From the shed to the store: Discover Missy Woloszyn’s journey to operating Olean’s “Forbidden Roots”
Olean’s rare and exotic plant scene is taboo no more with the arrival of Forbidden Roots at 318 Wayne Street. Specializing in houseplants and cuttings, terrarium plants and more, the store recently celebrated its second anniversary at its present location. EllicottvilleNOW caught up with the owner, Missy Woloszyn, for comments on how the concept took root.
“Actually, I used to kill all our plants," Woloszyn recalled over the phone. "When my husband and I moved out to our own place, my dad kept bringing plants to our house, and I was just killing them all; that’s what I did for years until someone gave me a succulent,” she said. “It was at the beginning of summer, and I just let it sit outside and let Mother Nature take its course,” she continued. “Wintertime came around, and I was like, I’ll just get a grow light for it, I know it needs that much… and I just did succulents for two years. They seemed to work for me, but after that, I got tired of them, and we tried houseplants again, and that was it! They were all growing and beautiful and eventually my husband said, "The house is full, we have to do something.”
Woloszyn explained that the couple moved their houseplant collection in 2021 to a 10-foot by 16-foot shed on their property. “I started selling cuttings and importing rare plants from Thailand; we ended up opening on the weekends, and people would come in from all over the place just to buy the plants,” she said. “It was really fun to share that journey with other people.”
After two years of selling out of the shed, endearingly called “The Grow Room,” Woloszyn had saved enough money to buy the property on Wayne Street in May 2023. “The Grow Room had a Facebook page, so it grew into something pretty fun, and it was a really big steppingstone into being able to open Forbidden Roots,” she said.
“When we moved over to Wayne Street, I was like, we should just change the name as well, so we came up with Forbidden Roots,” adding that the name stems from when people visited The Grow Room, some would not want their friends or partners to stop. “It became like a forbidden fruit, so Forbidden Roots just kind of came to us.” She shared that it is also where the logo originated which was designed by a local artist.
As for the Wayne Street store, it is inviting to plant lovers and non-plant lovers alike. “In the very back - that’s our newest spot - we have the table. People can come in and use it as a lunch area, or most of the time, it’s used for when they want to repot a plant and don’t want to make a mess at home,” Woloszyn said. “They can also mix up their own soil at our soil bar that we have, or they can build their own terrariums - people come in and make their own terrarium dates, so it’s a table that they can utilize to do play related things, or maybe just hang out and have a spot to hide out for an hour or two.”
Yet another hangout spot, The Lounge, provides an inviting greenspace for those who are less interested in looking at plants. “The Lounge is an area that a lot of people - if they bring someone who doesn’t want to walk around and look at plants for hours - they can just sit down; they have somewhere to relax, kids have somewhere to go and play and get their energy out, and everyone can enjoy the whole experience of being in the store,” she said.
And that’s not all. Woloszyn explained that a terrarium area was recently installed. “On the right towards the back, we do have a terrarium set up - that’s where a lot of our rare terrarium plants go in - that is something we are slowly building up right now.” In addition to the rare terrarium plants which will garner attention from plant collectors, Woloszyn added that the shop also carries a wide variety of mini orchids measuring 2 to 3 inches in size. “They’re very, very cute,” she said.
Other features include a community peg board wall where shoppers can bring cuttings and trade for new ones. “It’s completely run by the community as far as variety goes – whenever we get cuttings at the store, we just pop them in there for everyone so it’s a really fun thing that everyone likes doing just because you get free plants and you never know what’s going to be up there, who brings what from day to day,” Woloszyn said.
Last, but certainly not least, the vintage vending machine selling locally made items for $12 and under is a treat, and the indoor greenhouse which doubles as a plant hospital is not to be missed. Woloszyn explained that houseplants that are struggling at home can come to her plant hospital where she will resuscitate them in a controlled temperature environment.
As for marketing, Woloszyn said that a website is in the works, but for now, the store advertises through Facebook, billboards, and word of mouth, bringing in shoppers from the surrounding areas as well as from Buffalo and Erie. “Our goal is to eventually get a greenhouse onto the property or relocate somewhere that will allow us to have a greenhouse, and we want to also have an outdoor patio seating area,” she said. “We really want to expand a whole lot with the store and offer more; really get it on the map and show people how relaxing it can be and still be playful,” she said. “Plants are cool… a lot of people really do enjoy that.”
Forbidden Roots is open Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 12:00-6:00 pm, and Saturdays from 10:00 am-6:00 pm. In addition to its retail offerings, the store offers occasional workshops and can be booked for private events and photoshoots. The next workshop on staghorn fern mounting will be announced via Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/forbiddenrootsolean/ in the weeks to come.