Help keep Terracotto Plants open!

Hi, my name is Cotto, and I own Terracotto Plants in Logan Square Chicago. I first started selling plants online and at pop-up shops in May of 2021, and on August 4th 2021 I opened a physical location at 3056 W. Diversey. Small businesses and restaurants such as Four Star Family Cyclery and Superkhana International were extremely welcoming and supportive of the store since the start, as well as the kind neighbors of Logan Square. Being born in Humboldt Park and raised in Logan Square I’ve experienced the rapid growth of these neighborhoods, and I can confidently say the sense of community has never been stronger. I owe the rapid growth of the store to the people of Logan Square and surrounding neighborhoods; we’ve felt the care from the start.

Recently, we’ve been having issues with finances as most plant stores do in the wintertime. We managed to work through these financial hardships and did everything in our power to stay afloat. We were so close to the spring, which was the sigh of relief we were looking forward to. But unfortunately for us, we are unable to operate from this day forward.

We are unable to open our doors without a business certificate, which the state of Illinois has made difficult to obtain. Previously we were able to make weekly payments to catch up on our outstanding balance, but they have rejected our application to pay weekly installments and instead want us to pay everything we owe upfront. We are now stuck in this dilemma; we must be able to operate to make money to pay them, but they’re not letting us operate until we pay them.

Our options are exhausted, it seems like there’s not much we can do with our hands tied, which is why we are asking for your help. I was right across the street in June of 2021 selling plants out of the back lot of Four Star Cyclery with nothing but plants and a dream. Anytime I would tell a customer that we would be right across the street when we open a physical location their faces would light up. I started building every shelf and table you see in the store as soon as I received the keys to the space knowing that it was going to be the foundation of something beautiful. Since August 2021 we have been able to employ two very knowledgeable and kind people, Brian and Christian, and I can tell they care about this as much as I do. The three of us have built something so much more than a plant store on this little corner, and we aren’t ready to give up.

If we’re able to raise enough money, we will obtain our business certificate back, as well as pay our two employees for the days we’ve been unable to operate. During our slow months, our landlord was kind enough to allow us to pay rent a little later in the month, that being said, part of this fundraising money will go towards paying rent for the store for March. Even if we're not operating, there are still open invoices being charged from our plant distributors; if we were still able to operate this wouldn't be an issue, but since we can't sell any plants we are relying on this fundraiser to help with those bills as well. If we’re able to do this, we will continue to be part of the Logan Square community and continue to provide a bright and welcoming space for plant lovers and dog lovers alike. Thank you for taking the time to read this. Thank you for donating. And as always, thank you for supporting Terracotto Plants.

-Cotto