Vinyl Vines Plant Co.

Vinyl Vines Plant Co. in Appleton combines plants and records in a space built around taking time to enjoy both. In this interview, the owner discusses the shop’s customers, music played in the store, and plans for growth.

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Interview with Vinyl Vines Plant Co.

A plant shop that spins and sells vinyl is a wonderful combination. How did plants and records end up together at Vinyl Vines?

When we were first coming up with the idea to run our own store, we were kinda thinking of what we would really want in our space - what brings us joy and what do we think would bring others joy? We knew we wanted plants in the space, and I love a name with alliteration, so when I thought about including our love of music into our shop, Vinyl Vines was born. But, plants and records have a stronger relationship to us than just words that sounded cool together. Plants require a lot of care and thought, they force you to slow down, enjoy little moments, care for something. Records kinda have the same take, you know? You have to be intentional about picking an album, flip the record, clean it, etc. There’s something so comforting about slowing down to care for something, especially in this fast paced world.

You're in Appleton. What does the space mean locally, and who's coming through — plant people, record people, both?

We are in a building called The Draw - it’s a special place. When it first was built it served as office space for the old paper mill, now it’s been transformed into multiple spaces for small businesses. It means a lot to be in a historical place in Appleton with some other really cool small businesses. Our clientele is mixed: some are here for the coffee shop upstairs, some are here for an appointment at a different business, some of them are just passing through as the building is off of a walking trail. Vinyl Vines’ customers are mostly plant people, but we’ve started to see an increase in record people too.

What kinds of records feel right surrounded by plants — what are you spinning in the shop?

Man, what record doesn’t feel right surrounded by plants? We are spinning a lot of different things in the shop. Mostly from our personal collection, but we love taking recommendations from customers and giving them a listen and playing that in the shop too. We play a mixed bag of things; R&B, Classic Rock, 90’s grunge, hip-hop, folk, blues, southern rock…. We really are kinda all over the place.

Do people come in for a plant and leave curious about the bins, or the other way round?

Typically I think people are coming in for a plant and they end up looking at the records. Sometimes people don’t even know we sell records until they come in and see them set up. That’s always fun to see people get extra excited about the records and come and sort through them.

Someone's in for a plant and asks what's playing — what record do you hand them?

Lately, with the season changing I’m vibing more with R&B, jazz, folk. Dominique Fils Aime’s album ‘Our Roots Run Deep’ was one I discovered in fall a few years ago, so it’s a go to for me. Norah Jones has always been an Autumn staple, lately I’m into “Feels Like Home”. Anything Bob Dylan, Neil Young, John Prine are great. Tyler Childers ‘Live on Red Barn Radio I & II’, or Leon Bridges.

What's something you're excited about for the shop in the coming year?

I won’t give official details, but we’re excited about growth and what that looks like for our shop. We took a big risk this year and opened our store with more hours, and we’re looking forward to continuing that story in the upcoming year.

Last updated: 2026-10-28

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