Don’t stop be-leafing

It’s a phrase that seems all-too-common these days: “When I lost my job due to COVID…” Yet for many people, Melinda and Nick Fore included, it presented an opportunity for new growth.

The Fores began to sell plants online and by inviting small groups of their neighbors to shop in their South Austin greenhouse.

Over time, this business model branched out. “We were soon at farmer’s markets and quirky evening events,” said Melinda Fore, co-owner of Leaf Porn and Plants by Mel. “Eventually these melded with my love of vintage camper trailers to become what we are today: A mobile plant nursery for all manner of markets and events.”

Melinda Fore’s first love was music, and she spent her formative years in New Jersey learning piano and singing in choir. She attended a music conservatory in Princeton before moving to her chosen hometown of Philadelphia, where she became involved in symphonic choirs and enjoyed a lifestyle of traveling around the city by foot.

Eventually, though, the winter climate became difficult to bear.

“Every year, I swore it would be the last,” Melinda said. “But it’s hard to leave the place you love.”

Still though, Fore said the sunshine started calling her name, and she migrated to Texas as many of her family members had done before. “Texas was a special place that I had visited every year and so it wasn't too hard to start to feel at home.”

Even with the move south, Fore remained true to her roots with regard to her love of plants. “Growing up, my grandparents kept vegetable gardens,” Melinda said. “It was really special to be involved in all that knowledge of growing food, but especially rewarding to get to harvest it and take it to the kitchen to make family dinners truly our own.”

Her grandmother also kept houseplants, which Melinda admitted to finding even more intriguing than the vegetables. “I think as a small child I was fascinated by the science of it,” she said. “I can distinctly remember the awe of watching plants root in water. As I got older I really appreciated the beauty and sense of serenity that they could bring to the home.”

Melinda didn’t know at the time that her childhood curiosity about plants would lead her to her life’s work. “My hope is to just provide a little joy and beauty for people to make their space feel more like a sanctuary. Plants truly can enhance the home, not just visually, but energetically as well.”

Because Leaf Porn is a mobile mom-and-pop nursery, the Fores are more able to interact with people in a variety of spaces. They put living, green growing things into the hands of their customers — from succulents to snake plants and almost everything in between. Even more exciting to Melinda Fore is the ability to plant the seeds of interest in people who never considered themselves ‘plant people.’

“I love it when people are inspired to learn more and start collecting,” Melinda said. “It is really cool to watch someone grow from novice to expert right before your eyes. The last couple of years I have noticed more and more children who are truly interested in plants, and I love that I get to be witness to that.”

To find Nick and Melinda Fore, their plants in stock and all their weekly events and locations, check them out on Facebook @leafporn22 and on Instagram @ leafprn. Additionally, keep an eye out for local farmers markets and vending events to interact with them in person.

“I am still floored at the thought of how well received our concept has been,” Melinda said. “I’m so grateful to our friends and neighbors whose encouragement and support propelled us forward.”