Hoot & Howl has been doing a lot of growing this spring. The popular gift shop, which opened on Walnut Street in 2018, features the handiwork of artists and craftspeople from West Virginia and beyond. Lately, the shop’s list of offerings has blossomed to include houseplants, soils and amendments, pots and planters, and gifts for indoor gardening enthusiasts.
Hoot & Howl spread into the adjoining storefront at 243 Walnut St. to house the new branch of the business. Select plant items have been available there since January, but the space closed in mid-April for renovation. One can only assume that the finished product will have the sunny, funky vibe of Hoot & Howl is known for.
The Hoot & Howl team wants to satisfy the verdant longings of plant parents of all experience levels, from the black-thumb resistant ficus and philodendron to the more high-maintenance black pagoda lipstick plant and whale fin Sansevieria. The team welcomes questions and offers guidance on plant care and upkeep. In-stock plants are regularly maintained and treated. Returns will be accepted five days after the initial sale, with a receipt.
Hoot & Howl’s plant-focused offshoot is called Euphorbia, which is a genus of flowering plants. However, the word also resembles the word “euphoria,” which is the feeling one gets from standing in a well-curated shop filled to the brim with small, colorful living things that one could, in theory, take home to add to one’s collection.
The public will get its first chance to see the new space soon. The soft opening will be during the next Arts Walk in Downtown Morgantown, scheduled for 11a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday. During the event, 10% of shop sales will be donated to Animal Friends of North Central West Virginia. Euphorbia also has an online storefront at https://www.shophootandhowl.com/euphorbia
EVA MURPHY is a freelance business writer for The Dominion Post. She writes a column on businesses, churches and other entities in the city. To suggestion a topic, email her at Newsroom@DominionPost.com.
