New Plant Shop Opens in Riverwest

Plants at Welcome 2 The Jungle, 824 E. Locust St. Photo by Nick Votto.

Even after a full day of running a community garden in Riverwest, Lloyd Johnson isn’t ready to leave the plants behind.

Instead of heading home, the artist and entrepreneur makes a beeline to his nearby retail store, Welcome 2 The Jungle, for a chance to recharge amid the foliage at 824 E. Locust St.

“It’s amazing,” he said, demonstrating a stretch on the business’s sectional couch. “It’s been really nice to give myself spaces to feel good and be happy.”

Johnson, who quietly opened the business in late May, hopes customers find a similar sense of solace inside. “It’s impossible to be angry when you’re cultivating life,” he said.

His own entry into horticulture arrived unexpectedly in 2020, when the pandemic shut down his newly opened — and plant-filled — art gallery, After Gallery. “I had to take 40 plants to my small, two-bedroom house, and I was really, really resentful,” Johnson said. “I woke up every day and there were the plants — it was so annoying.”

Two weeks in, Johnson was “less annoyed.” After two months, his mood was transformed. “The plants made me feel a lot better,” he said. “I started diving into horticulture and studying how plants make people feel, and I realized, ‘oh, this is on par with how I feel.’ It was a really eye-opening experience for me.”

Long before Welcome 2 The Jungle had a brick-and-mortar footprint, it existed as a dream for Johnson, who chose the name five years ago and has been putting money toward the venture ever since.

In recent years, the business operated in a mobile format, sprouting up as a “mini jungle” at sites across the Chicago and Milwaukee areas. Now settled in his own space, Johnson is eager to extend that same courtesy to fellow entrepreneurs.

Welcome 2 The Jungle features candles, art, coffee, records, jewelry and other products from local makers. Johnson is intentional about commission. “I’m going to make money, but I’m not here to make money off of you,” he tells prospective vendors.

But the main attraction is plants, which line the shop’s walls and hang from the ceiling, sun from an overhead skylight peeking through leaves in every shade of green. Johnson sources from three different Wisconsin growers and strives to make plant parenting approachable.

“I want to make sure I get plants that people won’t kill,” he said, citing years of study and hands-on experience that he now draws on to advise customers on care.

Welcome 2 The Jungle doubles as a community gathering space, playing host to guest DJs for monthly BYOV (bring-your-own-vinyl) events, movie nights and regular pop-ups from CaribBEAN Coffee Co.

Eventually, Johnson plans to use the space to lower barriers and stigma related to mental health. “Plants completely changed my life, and men don’t go to therapy enough,” he said. Welcome 2 The Jungle aims to begin offering such events by the end of the summer.

Johnson is also hiring staff members with a specific mission in mind. “I employ 100% people who have a hard time finding a job. It’s a really important aspect to me,” he said, noting a focus on formerly incarcerated individuals and people with intellectual or developmental disabilities.

Welcome 2 The Jungle occupies a multitenant building also home to a hair salon, record store and vape shop. The business is open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Follow its Instagram page for updates and events.

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