TAMPA, Fla. — In a time when so many businesses are closing, things are looking up for two Tampa Bay brothers.
"It kind of became sustainable from the very beginning," Sam Rodas said.
Last November, Aaron and Sam Rodas created Yuravine Brothers, a plant pop-up.
Their passion for plants began at Ybor's Saturday market and grew from there.
Their pop-ups took them to Hyde Park, Seminole Heights and across the bridge to St. Pete.
Their business was flourishing, and then March reared its ugly head.
"As soon as the pandemic hit us, being a pop-up farmers market in this type of business, all of our events got canceled," Sam said.
Like hundreds of businesses, they adjusted to the uncertainty and started online sales with free contact-less door delivery around the Tampa Bay area.
One could say the secret to their success stems from what many people were forced to do.
"Since the people are kind of staying at home more often now than usual, people have really developed a love for plants and a curiosity to learn more about them. To catch them all kind of like Pokeman, you know," Sam said.
The brothers always had hopes of opening a brick and mortar store. That dream, they thought, would be a few years down the road. The pandemic expedited the process.
"We do have some concerns, but it's something that I think like throughout the pandemic we were able to overcome anything that was thrown at us basically since the beginning," Aaron said.
Their profit right now isn't as plentiful as their customer base, but they're still bringing in another type of revenue.
"We really, again, want to share our passion and make this place somewhere where you just want to come in, not buy anything if you don't want to and just relax and look around and enjoy," Aaron said.
Sam and Aaron plan to feature local artists monthly to help spread local exposure.
Yuravine Brothers is located at 800 W Platt Street, Tampa. They officially open Saturday, November 7 at 10 a.m.
Their grand opening will feature live music and gifts for the first one hundred guests.
