Meet Mara Di Salvatore | Plant Lover and Shop Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mara Di Salvatore and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mara, we’d love for you to start things off by telling us something about your industry that we and others not in the industry might be unaware of?
The one thing about this industry that many might not be aware of is that everyone can learn to care for plants. If you really wish you could have plants in your home, but you think you’ll kill them, stop right there. Everyone can keep a plant alive! Our main goal is to make everyone a “plant person”. We’ve come across a lot of people in the shop that are afraid of buying plants because they don’t have a “green thumb” when in reality if you start with one healthy plant and learn how to care for it, then you’ll succeed. I have many friends that went from owning zero plants to now having and caring for many. I guarantee, once you start, you can’t stop! Plants add so much life to a space.

What should our readers know about your business?
We opened Baraca with our community in mind. Hogansville is a small but rich town, and we knew we wanted to be part of it in a more meaningful way. We believe plants can bring a lot into a home, after all they are alive. It is very calming to care for a plant, I’m sure those that work in the garden or are houseplant parents would know, right? We like to provide plants and knowledge to all, the newbies and the serious plant lovers. No matter where they are in their plant journey, we love learning and growing with our customers. There are no dumb questions! We also support local artists, we carry pots from two different potters and very cool concrete pots by another local as well.
We’ve gotten this far because of our customers, those that continue to walk in our shop. Not only from Hogansville but also from towns and city around us. We are also expanding our reach with our website, which I know it can be a challenge in such a big world, but we are hoping to provide the same personable experience we offer at the shop, online. We also love hosting workshops! It’s a great way to meet people.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Our little town is definitely a growing town. There’s a lot of revitalization going on as we speak. Our shop is located at The Historical Train Depot. This building and its exterior have been renovated to accommodate the business that are up and running. Our favorite part is the coffeeshop we have right next door! Fuel Coffeebar delivers great quality coffee and a great customer service experience.
If you take a stroll around town you’ll find some cool shops like Mute and Haven Interiors (and there’s a really cool micro-retail space coming as well!). We’ve got some food options downtown like Karvelas Pizza Co, Main Street Market (also offering Revive smoothies which are amazing!) and The 1980 Room offers the BEST craft cocktails. These last two businesses are located in the Historical Grand Hotel, which in the last year has been reopened -a great place for a weekend getaway! And you can find a meadowy and winery on Main Street called Twin Mills Winery.
Newest places to check out at a Barber Shop and a Tattoo Shop.
And for the golfers, they can’t miss the very popular Drive Bar, located on Hwy 29.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would not be doing this without my husband, Tim Morgan. He is the business mind behind everything we do, but he also is the one person that pushes me to do what he sees I have potential to do when I don’t. He’s the best encourager.

Website: www.baracahgvl.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/baraca.hgvl

Facebook: www.facebook.com/baraca.hgvl

Image Credits
Headshot: Jess Henderson