Lichen is a plantlike organism composed of fungus and algae, often found on wood, rocks, and trees.  Using this natural element, along with knots found on wood, Heather and John Barbieri (pronounced barbie-airy) arrived at a clever name for their new business – Lichen or Knot!
In 1993, Heather Barbieri discovered a love for plants while healing from a tragic accident that left her unable to finish college.  After the accident, she moved to Cashiers, North Carolina, where she found a job revitalizing incredibly old English herb and flower gardens.  It was fulfilling work, sustaining her during the long months of healing.
A year later, Heather’s love for plants led her to start a business in Cashiers, offering container gardening services for high-end clients.  A year after that, Heather landed a job as a buyer for a local garden center, where she worked until 2003.
What had begun as a hobby had not only provided work for the convalescing young Heather, but it was also turning into a career!   In 2003, she landed her dream job when she became an outside sales rep for a wholesale plant distributor.  A position she held for the next ten years.
In 2015, Heather took an interest in vintage items.  After hunting for antique furniture and other bits and bobs at yard sales and auctions, she’d gather her findings and take them to market-day shows all over North Carolina, Tennessee, and even Pennsylvania.  It was very time consuming.  There was all the hunting, shopping, and purchasing.  Then, there was the show preparation time, the drive time, the set-up, and three days of showing.  Each three-day show actually consumed an entire week of activity.
As Heather got more and more into the routine of the vintage show circuit, she began taking plants along.  They sold quickly, and she gradually began taking more plants than the vintage items the shows were meant to feature!  Heather was doing well, but the disadvantages of the market-show business model were significant.  Between the show fees, travel, hotels, and restaurants, the cost was substantial.  She also had to consider the time she was spending away from her family.  The more she saw how well the plants were selling, the more she began to think about a different business model with far less overhead.  Food trucks are often a low-overhead alternative to prospective restauranteurs.  Why couldn’t the same approach work for a plant seller?
In July of 2018, Heather bought an old, GMC plumber’s truck.  It would be two more years, however, until the ultimate dream finally came true.  She and John were busy buying their new house in the New River Valley.  They were also caring for family members who needed them.  Finally, however, the old truck was painted and decaled.  Heather and John were ready to hit the road on a new adventure with plants.
John’s interest in horticulture began when he was young boy in New Jersey, planting maple sprouts in his parents’ front yard.  There was a nearby garden center called “Max is Back”, and John joked he would one day own a seasonal garden center called “John is Gone”!
John went on to get his horticulture degree from the University of Maryland, after which he spent ten years managing a successful retail garden center.  Like Heather, John also became an outside sales representative for wholesale plant companies.
These two had all the background and all the experience, and they were ready to join forces in plant retail.  But that was early 2020.
Rather than being a devastating obstacle to the launching of Heather’s new business, the Covid-19 pandemic meant that the Barbieri’s eldest son would be out of school and able to help on the truck.
“I had an overwhelming feeling that the timing wasn’t right yet,” Heather recalls.  “I was at a point in my life where I was learning to be okay in the quietness of a busy world.  I think that time prepared me for what was to come.”
Despite these misgivings, in April of 2020, Heather began taking the mobile truck into Christiansburg, and news spread quickly.  When they found out there was a plant truck in the area, Covid-weary patrons flocked to the parking lot of a nearby mall.  They showed up to shop for plants in the open air, away from the crowded box store garden centers.  That is how it all began.
“Being in business during the pandemic has certainly brought many challenges to our young business,” says Heather, “but it has also brought a unique opportunity to spread joy, love and beauty in a most uncertain and difficult time.”
Heather often smiles when people try to figure out the name of her budding company.  She smiles even bigger when they try to pronounce it!  Sure, the dictionary indicates the pronunciation of ‘lichen’ can also rhyme with ‘kitchen’, but if you use the other accepted pronunciation, ‘like-en’, then the name suddenly makes sense as the play on words it was meant to be…Lichen or Knot!
The words ‘Lichen or Knot Mobile Garden Shop’ adorn the vintage truck as it rolls along Routes 8 and 221, continuing Heather’s mission to bring plants to the people.  Based in Floyd, Lichen or Knot roams not only the communities of the New River Valley, but makes excursions into the Roanoke Valley, as well.
During spring and summer, Heather offers annuals, perennials, and herbs, as well as houseplants.  In the fall and winter, shoppers are more likely to find houseplants and finished indoor containers.
Lichen or Knot collaborates with regional businesses, parking the truck at retail stores, local breweries, apartment complexes, and health-based businesses such as yoga and fitness centers.  These collaborations have become an integral part of the business, providing a fun and creative way to connect with customers.
By the fall of 2020, business was thriving, but colder weather was on the horizon.  The Barbieris realized they’d need a solid home base for their new company, where the plants could survive the weather and the customers could shop in comfort.  Renaming the business ‘Lichen or Knot Plant Company’, a brick-and-mortar store front opened its doors on Black Friday.
Conveniently located in the heart of Floyd, the newest little plant shop took up residence in the Green Label Organics building located at 203 Fox Street, behind Food Lion.  Responding to an increase in demand for houseplants, the Barbieris stocked their store with monsteras, philodendron, pothos, and prayer plants.  Also meeting demand, the couple sourced pottery for their indoor plant offerings and began a signature service of offering complimentary potting with any purchase.  With a minimalist urban feel, the pottery allows the plants to steal the show.
Lichen or Knot customers share a belief that ‘plants make people happy’.  It’s a belief that brings folks back to the store, as well as out to the truck, time and time again.  They purchase pieces for their homes and businesses.  They buy for their friends and family members.  They collect them.  They propagate and share them.  They take them to baby showers and have then them delivered to homes where people may be mourning a loss or celebrating an event.
What’s next for Lichen or Knot?  The company will continue to operate from their store front in Floyd, as well as continuing to operate the region’s only plant truck.  In the store, there will be an emphasis on indoor plants and containers, with annuals and perennials in stock during the spring.
With warmer weather approaching, the plant truck is already getting booked for events, collaborations, upcoming festivals, and markets where it will carry a large variety of both indoor and outdoor plants.
What started out as a side hustle for Heather to ease back into the industry has grown into what she describes as a blessing.  A way to connect with people and bring them together.

Lichen or Knot • Heather and John Barbieri
203 Fox Street, Floyd, VA • lichenorknot.com
lichenorknot@gmail.com • 540.267.6556