Meet Kerynn Laraby Samantha Mills | Co-Owners

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kerynn Laraby Samantha Mills and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kerynn Laraby, how did you come up with the idea for your business?
Samantha and I started as hobbiests, We started collecting plants in our area, and once we realized that there was a market for the plants we had in our possession, we started selling them online, mostly on Facebook groups. We became well known in those groups, and our following began to grow. Soon, our inventory was taking over Samantha’s dining room. Because we live an hour apart, we decided the next move would be to find a common area where we both would have access to care and sell the plants on our own time. I was browsing for spaces when I came across an affordable storefront. It wasn’t exactly in the plans, but once we toured the space… it was over. Stem came to fruition almost overnight. We opened the doors on a cold February day in 2021. Since then, we’ve grown twice the size and moved into a new storefront double the size as the OG Stem.

What should our readers know about your business?
Stem is a 100% women owned business. Started by two best friends who connected over pregnancies, Stem is dedicated to making Rochester NY a greener, more inviting place. We specialize in rare & hard to find plants you can’t find anywhere else. We started with pennies in our pocket, starting with thrifted furniture and the help of friends. It wasn’t easy- upon opening we made many mistakes… financially, personally. As a business owner, it’s important to remember to dial it back. You’re not just yourself anymore, you represent your business. I think its important to remember that, but also staying close and connected to your community. We like it to be known our door is always open to chatting, suggestions, and how we can do better every day of the week. Challenges of any kind are to be expected, it’s about appropriate resolve that I find the difficult part.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Oh my GOSH too many to list! It depends on the season.

Summer – I’d take them to go kayaking in the clear kayaks at Green Lakes. For dinner, sitting on the patio at the Genesee Brew Haus overlooking the falls is one of my favorite summer spots.

Spring – A trip to Scent By Design is super fun. Make your own candle while having a drink is so fun! There is a coffee spot close by – Melo. After that, check out some local thrifting spots – we have some good ones!

Winter- ROC Holiday Village for some hot chocolate and ice skating! A nice dinner at Verns afterwords hits the spot.

Fall – Bristol Mountain has their chairlifts going to view the fall colors. After that, a tour of breweries in the fingerlakes (i’d make the trip to Canandaigua for Frequentum Brewery any time of the year!)

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
From our personal experience, Plant shops are known to have mentors. Ours was Rachel Steipen, owner of Plant Shack in East Aurora, and a second location, Lewiston NY. Rachel was so helpful, we never could have done it without her. It was on a whim that we reached out to her via Instagram. She invited us to her beautiful shop to sit down and discuss logistics, financials, and general owning-a-business- info. I’m forever grateful for the friendship that grew out of that meeting, and we keep in touch with Rachel all the time. We can’t thank her enough.

Now that we’ve been in business ourselves, we’ve mentored a plant shop in Syracuse, called Adopted Roots. It’s been fun sharing the knowledge and wisdom Rachel has given us.

Website: www.stemplantsrochester.com

Instagram: @stem_rochester

Facebook: Stem Rochester

Image Credits
Photo of Samantha & I – Will Cornfield Rest – Jess Kalahar