The Plant Gays are putting down roots in Grandview. The queer-owned plant shop plans to open its third Columbus storefront at 1257 Grandview Ave. in early December, taking over a space between Penn & Beech Candle Co. and Lion Cub's Cookies that previously housed Bubbles Tea & Juice Company.
The owners say the new shop will be their biggest yet. “This will be our largest location now at over 1,000 square feet!” they told 614now. Columbus Underground reported that the business is planning to open in early December. The Grandview address will mark the company's third Columbus location in just four years, 614now reports.
As first detailed by Columbus Underground, The Plant Gays announced their excitement about joining the Grandview neighborhood and sharing their love of plants in an Instagram post. The space they're moving into was previously occupied by Bubbles Tea & Juice Company, which opened its Grandview Heights location in January 2025 before closing earlier this year, per Columbus Underground.
From Instagram Account to Three Storefronts
The Plant Gays started as a pandemic project in 2020, founded by partners David Erbe and Aidan Robinson. The business is co-owned by Erbe and Robinson, according to The Lantern. The pair opened their first brick-and-mortar location inside East Market in 2022, followed by a second storefront at 220 Thurman Ave. in German Village in 2024, 614now reports.
That East Market shop still operates at 212 Kelton Avenue, where visitors can find houseplants, bespoke concrete planters and design services, according to Experience Columbus. The business has also grown beyond retail, offering in-home plant design, repotting services and plant maintenance, the same account notes. In an earlier interview, the owners had said they were eyeing a second Columbus location, most likely downtown, before the German Village and now Grandview expansions took shape.
The Bigger Picture for Columbus Plant Shops
The Grandview move comes as other local plant businesses are also expanding their footprints around the city. Another plant shop, Over Grown Eyes, was reported in August to have two open locations, and its owners said they would like to open one more local store, according to What Now Columbus. Plant shop STUMP had planned a 560-square-foot German Village store at 220 Thurman Avenue.
With the Grandview storefront, The Plant Gays will have three locations spread across East Market, German Village and Grandview once it opens as planned in early December. The company's trajectory, from an Instagram account during the pandemic to a trio of Columbus storefronts, tracks a broader pattern of local plant retailers growing from market pop-ups and single shops into multi-location businesses across the city.
