Love of plants drove new business venture
Laughlintown — Terry Coyne sowed the seeds for her new floral and gift shop while working as a nutrition researcher for 13 years at the University of Pittsburgh during the late ’80s and 1990s.
Amaryllis and colorful Cape primroses, which are members of the African violet family, crowded her office, thriving behind floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors that faced east.
“Before long, it was like a nursery,” she recalled, adding that for years, she divided pink and white Cape primroses and gave them to friends.
No wonder her new business, which opened this year in a converted two-car garage on Route 30, is called The Conservatory — Plants and Gifts for Gardeners. Here you’ll find herbs and specimens not seen at big-box stores — bromeliads, succulents and air plants.
Customers will also love the setting, just a short walk away from Ms. Coyne’s restored 1797 log house next door. The freshly painted white brick building is trimmed with contrasting black shutters and a black door, both of which came from Construction Junction in Point Breeze. Inside, there’s a large skylight and nine double-hung windows.
Among the most inventive items are bird feeders made out of colorful tea cups. Mounted on copper piping, the feeders are created by Chris Kapitan of Jenners, Westmoreland County, which is just over the mountain. Rub petroleum jelly on the copper pipe to keep squirrels from climbing up and stealing the bird seed.
