On the east side of Pittsboro, down a short road into what feels like the countryside, you encounter a curious set of signs. A street sign reads, “Lorax Lane,” with a “Trespassers Welcome” sign next to it. Then there’s a large “Welcome to the Plant” sign with nearly twenty local business logos below it.
As you travel further down the road, seemingly deeper into rural Chatham County, a small parking area gives way to a cluster of buildings that looks like some sort of magical, permanent farm picnic.
“People come down Lorax Lane, and they’re always like, ‘How did I never know this was here? What is this place?'” said Tami Schwerin, the owner of the The Plant who also calls herself the Creator of Experiences. “Of course we want people to know about us, but it is pretty magical with the amount of trees.”
The Plant is a little difficult to explain. It is an isolated economic district filled with local businesses including a brewery, a meadery, a clothing store, art gallery, food trucks, and more. There is playground equipment, art, native plants, and people walking around to enjoy it all — giving it a permanent festival atmosphere. But there is also a shared ethos around supporting local commerce and encouraging entrepreneurs that adds to the unique feeling of The Plant.
“I tell people its a mix of Willie Wonka and Dr. Seuss,” Schwerin said, “with a local business and sustainability spin.”
The property that is now The Plant was originally used as a flower farm, with its claim to fame being the farm that supplied the flowers for President John Kennedy’s inauguration. When the flower farm closed, the property was repurposed as a Cold War aluminum smelting plant making pieces for fighter jets. Shwerin and her partners purchased the property in 2005, about 10 years after the smelting plant moved out. Their original goal, she says, was to manufacture biodiesel.
“My husband was starting a biodiesel co-op at the time, so we took half of the buildings to make biodiesel,” Schwerin recalled. “And the other two we filled up with other sustainability minded businesses. Then a farmer came and put a farm around the place, and we started planting native plants.”
That diversification proved important for The Plant. After a brief run of prominence in biofuels, the industry shifted toward electric vehicles. And The Plant shifted toward food and beverage, and eventually evolved into what it is today: an eclectic group of like-minded businesses.
On a Saturday in early spring, The Plant was bustling with new energy. Gloria Rodriguez of Lilly Den Meats was preparing a new deli space in one of the buildings.
“We are going to be having our soft, soft opening,” she said. “[We] are going to be selling meat, yogurt, eggs, some pottery, and other local products.”
Outside, Mackenzie Withington was getting her farm’s food truck ready for the lunch rush.
“We own a small family farm in Goldston,” she explained. “And we just recently opened up a food truck to help sell our product in a different way. It’s great. We absolutely love being here at The Plant. It’s a great community.”
Just to the side of one of the main buildings, Michelle Thomas was cutting the ribbon for the grand opening of her candle business, Essence 4 U. With a small crowd of friends and family around she, cut the ribbon, held her arms high in the air and said, “We are open!” before wiping away tears and ushering in her first round of customers.
Michelle Thomas celebrates the ribbon-cutting of her new business, Essence 4 U, at The Plant in Pittsboro.
Schwerin says that energy is pretty common at The Plant, especially on weekends and on Thursdays when the Pittsboro Farmers Market is open.
“Everyone here is a mom and pop business, and they just kill themselves to make it work,” she said. “I wish people understood how hard it is to run small businesses like these, including the entire property.”
Nurturing such local businesses may also be part of the secret to the plant’s success.
“We’ve been here so long and we have so many deep relationships with people because we’ve built businesses together, done projects, or helped people’s families,” Schwerin said. “We are really lucky that we can call so many people or they can call us. I think it gives us a leg up.”
The Plant is located at 220 Lorax Lane in Pittsboro. It is open seven days a week, though the hours of individual businesses vary.
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