Interiorscapes Inc.
5600 W. North Ave., Milwaukee
Neighborhood: Milwaukee’s Uptown
Founded: 1975
Owner: Sharon Lavin and Joe Neuman
Service: Corporate plant rental and maintenance
What does Interiorscapes do?
Luke Struve, vice president of Interiorscapes: “We service about 500 to 550 accounts throughout southeast Wisconsin. Last time I checked we had about 22,000 plants out in the field, so it’s a constant cycle. Part of our service is bringing in new plants so they always look professionally maintained. We also do holiday decorating. We have a separate location (at South 76th Street and West Main Street in West Allis) that we do that out of.”
Where do the plants come from?
“About 95% are from Florida. The other 5% comes from California or Hawaii.”
How do you help customers pick out the right plants?
“We consult with them and go in and assess light levels to select something that’s going to be successful in those conditions. We custom design all our installations for our customers; container selection, plant selection and different color options.”
What’s something a passerby wouldn’t know about this place?
“Most people don’t realize this industry exists, because it’s a small niche. I think people see plants and they don’t think what goes into it and that there’s a company behind that. We also have this mysterious factor; there seems to be mystery about what we are and why we’re not open all the time to the public. But we do have a sale on the first Saturday of every month, except January, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It’s old school rummage sale style – cash or check only. It has exploded in the last year and a half.”
Why is that?
“Millennials are very aware that being around nature and plants is good and healthy, and I think that’s why.” n
