A year and a half after setting up shop in Pullman, Dominic Villareal, owner of A Modern Plantsman, has announced the closure of their Pullman location by the end of June 2024 in a series of Instagram stories. In a following story posted two weeks later, Villareal announced the store’s new location, in collaboration with Kure & Company, on 107 S Grand Avenue.
A Modern Plantsman first opened its doors to Colfax community members in 2019 before expanding to Spokane in 2021. In 2023, Villareal relocated his Colfax location to Pullman, setting up shop on Grand Avenue next to My Office Bar & Grill.
In the year and a half that A Modern Plantsman has had its doors open in Pullman, Villareal has organized and hosted events like Botany Club.
“The concept was to simply allow everyone the opportunity to be involved in the hobby of plants at any level, and for them [to] have a stake in something they loved within their community,” Villareal wrote on Instagram.
Villareal also shared his experience on Instagram in March after being promoted on a Downtown Spokane BigBelly trash can, courtesy of Downtown Spokane.
“I gotta say, the experience of seeing your face plastered on a BigBelly trash can in Downtown Spokane as you stroll around is really something else,” Villareal wrote in an Instagram post. “I could not help but cackle out loud when I saw this, cause again I just did not expect it.”
Just over a year ago, when A Modern Plantsman first came to Pullman, The Daily Evergreen and the City of Pullman welcomed Villareal, speaking of city efforts to “reshape downtown Pullman’s streets and public spaces to build community, experiences, and economy,” according to Project Downtown Pullman.
“The overarching goals for renovating downtown, and the programming that will certainly follow, are to provide an enjoyable and interesting place,” Pullman’s former economic development manager Jennifer Hackman said, according to a Daily Evergreen article.
In a series of Instagram stories, Villareal said the closure of their Pullman location is not by choice, but rather the termination of their lease following their landlord’s decision to sell the building.
“I want to be clear that this is not happening as a result of the downtown construction project,” Villareal said on Instagram.
Though disappointed, Villareal said he will continue to look for a new location in the Palouse.
“I hope that you guys continue to have faith in and support my business at our downtown [Spokane] location and online while we hunt for a new home on the Palouse,” he said in his Instagram story.
Announcing the store’s new location in shared space with Kure and Co., Villareal said he believes the joint space will be a good collaboration.
“We’re going to be moving in with our friends down at @kureandcompany, who will be sharing their space with us,” Villareal wrote in an Instagram story.
A Modern Plantsman’s Spokane location and website remain open.
