Faces Of Jax:
March 30, 2021 | amandasearlerealtor
This month for my Faces Of JAX Series, I chose to highlight a fun business in the Park + King Street District of Riverside: Cultivate. Not only do they offer an array of beautiful eco-friendly items to purchase but they partner with local talent to offer fun classes to the public about any number of subjects – they “cultivate” a space that fosters learning and growth and a sharing of ideas. Good vibes only type of place.
1. What is Cultivate? Cultivate is a small eco home store in the Riverside neighborhood of Jacksonville founded by my mom and me. Our focus is on goods for the garden, home, and child with a commitment to items made in the United States.
2. When did you open and what inspired you? We opened in 2016 with the goal of highlighting locally made goods. We love to garden and grow food, so that was where the garden aspect came into play. We love local and we love being a place where creatives can shine. We also love to travel and when we travel, we love finding small stores that are curated with local products unique to that area. We wanted to bring that aspect back to Jacksonville. I also had a child in 2015 and had a really hard time finding baby items that were eco-friendly/natural and made in the United States.
3. What types of products do you offer? We have an amazing garden and indoor plants section, which is probably the most popular aspect of our store. We also sell goods for the home and kitchen like zero waste products, tools for the kitchen, and DIY items. One of my favorite areas is our kids section. We have great toys. My son loves coming to “help me work” . One of my favorite lines are the Green Toys. They are made in the US and they use recycled plastic bottles to make all of their toys. They are super durable and great for the bath, the beach, or just playing around the house.
4. You also partner with lots of other great businesses around town and offer classes – can you talk about this a little bit? We love our classes. We believe that what makes Jacksonville really great are the people that live here. We have so many talented artists, teachers & creatives and wanted to offer a space for people to share their passions and their crafts. In the past, we have partnered with different teachers, from gardening, to embroidery, to poetry. Since COVID, we have shifted a little bit and don’t offer in house classes, but we have had a few virtual classes, which is really fun.
5. Why/how did you come about choosing the location in Riverside to open? My husband and I have a coffee shop, Southern Roots Filling Station just down the street and we live a few block away. For me, living close to work is everything. We also chose this area because we are a part of the community here and feel like there are a lot of folks that are into sustainability, gardening, and supporting local.
6. What is your favorite part of the business? I love the people the space attracts. Everyone is welcome and we have the best customers.
7. You have a ton of plants, as well as other creative items, – do you have a favorite thing to grow? I love herbs. I am a herbalist by training and love making fresh herb teas. Things like lemon balm, mint, tulsi, and hibiscus are some of my favorites. And then anything that can go in a salad is always a treat to grow and makes the salad so much more fresh.
8. Anything else that you would like folks to know about Cultivate? We are always looking for new, great made in the US products to carry. Please let us know if you, the reader have suggestions. Also, if people are interested in teaching classes, they can send us an email
