How This Retailer Ranks #1 on Google & Grows 50% YoY
Executive Summary
A Shopify Masters interview in which host Adam Leter talks with Matthew Burrows, founder of the Los Angeles plant retailer Plant Material, about inventory management, working with local growers and growing a three-location retail business. Burrows describes asking why each product is carried, buying directly from growers, keeping shops full without overstocking, how a closed Altadena shop after the fires affected the year, and the risk of leaving a salaried job. Sponsor: Shopify, which presents the show (a free Shopify trial is linked in the description). PARTIAL COVERAGE: this note is based on the opening, an inventory section, a middle section on growers and seasonality, the closing and the description, and does not cover every exchange in the roughly 29 minute interview. All numbers and views are the speakers' own claims and are not independently checked.
Key Takeaways
Growth claim
The host says Plant Material has grown about 50 percent a year on average since 2019, and Burrows says the year was harder because a big shop was closed.
The Altadena shop
Burrows says the Altadena shop was affected by the fires, did not burn, but is still closed.
Why, not how
Burrows says inventory decisions start with why a product is carried at all, not just how it is carried.
Visiting growers
He says he enjoys driving out to growers, seeing plants firsthand and choosing what looks good right now.
Avoiding returns
Burrows says he tries not to send stock back and that growers generally will not ship plants they think are below retail quality.
Seasonality of native plants
He says native plants have a dormant season and that he once sold a bucket of dirt with live roots to a customer who understood the plant was dormant.
Taking the leap
Burrows says leaving a steady paycheck is scary and requires sacrifice, but he says it has been worth it.
The Conversation Breakdown
Growth claim
⏱ Untimed topicThe host says Plant Material has grown about 50 percent a year on average since 2019, and Burrows says the year was harder because a big shop was closed.
The Altadena shop
⏱ Untimed topicBurrows says the Altadena shop was affected by the fires, did not burn, but is still closed.
Why, not how
⏱ Untimed topicBurrows says inventory decisions start with why a product is carried at all, not just how it is carried.
Visiting growers
⏱ Untimed topicHe says he enjoys driving out to growers, seeing plants firsthand and choosing what looks good right now.
Avoiding returns
⏱ Untimed topicBurrows says he tries not to send stock back and that growers generally will not ship plants they think are below retail quality.
Seasonality of native plants
⏱ Untimed topicHe says native plants have a dormant season and that he once sold a bucket of dirt with live roots to a customer who understood the plant was dormant.
Taking the leap
⏱ Untimed topicBurrows says leaving a steady paycheck is scary and requires sacrifice, but he says it has been worth it.
Core Frameworks & Ideas
Why do we carry this? - Burrows' inventory question
Start from the purpose of each product before deciding how to stock it.
Go to the source - Burrows' sourcing habit
Visit growers to choose stock by what looks best right now.
Educate customers on seasonality - Burrows' example
Explain dormancy so customers value live plants that look bare.
Actionable Next Steps
- ✓Ask why each product is in your range before reordering it.
- ✓Build direct relationships with the suppliers you rely on most.
- ✓Tell customers about seasonal limits so they know what to expect.
- ✓Treat every figure as the speakers' own claim and check it before using it.
Notable Quotes
“I hate sending stuff back.”
“without risk, there's no reward kind of thing.”
“No looking back, as they say.”
The One Thing to Remember
The founder of Plant Material explains, in his own words, how asking why he carries each product and buying from growers he knows keeps his plant shops full without overstocking.