Norwood Business Honored With Black Owned Business AT&T Award

NORWOOD, MA - The owner of New England's first Black- and female-owned plant shop was recognized Friday by telecommunications giant AT&T for growing a successful and innovative business during the pandemic at Emerald City Plant Shop in Norwood Center.

In celebration of Black History Month in February, AT&T retail employees throughout New England nominated Black business owners for a $2,500 award. Emerald City’s Quontay Turner, better known in Norwood as "Q" - was the unanimous choice of AT&T's leadership, besting 15 other nominees.

A Norwood resident for the past four years and a native of Mattapan, Turner gained her green thumb from her grandmother.

"My nana always had plants around the house," she explained. "She gave me a couple of clippings of a spider plant and a pothos in 2018 and I decided to experiment with growing them. When I stopped traveling for my job, my obsession grew and grew. I would joke that my first plant shop was my house."

She previously worked as a college recruiter and did a lot of traveling, so she didn't have time to nurture plants until about five years ago, Turner explained. After studying engineering at WPI, she decided that wasn't the right fit for her and began working in the admissions office, later working at Emerson College.

Growing tropical plants became a form of therapy during the pandemic, she added, one that she decided to share by opening Emerald City Plant Store last year.

Stepping into Emerald City Plant Shop at 702 Washington St. was like entering a verdant tropical oasis. The lush fragrance mingled with the soft music in the air, creating an immediately soothing environment that instantly transported shoppers from the chilly winter weather.

Turner said she first started believing that a plant boutique could become a viable venture when she partnered with her cousin, Jae'da Turner, the founder of Black Owned Bos. Created in March 2019, Black Owned Bos. became a platform to spotlight Black-owned businesses and offer them support.

"I did pop-ups through Black Owned Bos., including ones at Legacy Place in Dedham, to test out the idea," she said. "When I started selling out every weekend, I decided that I should be looking for a space to do this."

She also started working at a plant store "to support my own personal plant habit," Turner said with a laugh.

Turner found her current location by chance. Her friend had gifted her with a massage across the street when she noticed the vacant storefront. She capitalized on the opportunity, opening last February.

"I didn't think that this would be a business venture or a way for me to make my living at first," she said. "Once I started doing the pop-ups, I realized there was a need.

"I had that insight from working at the plant shop," she continued. "It's been a whirlwind ever since. Since the holidays, the shop has become the main breadwinner."

She noted that the closest plant shops are in the South End and Rhode Island, "so there definitely was a gap."

The shop also has become a center for community engagement. People or groups can rent out the back room for events, and there are plans to open a space in the basement. A baby shower was hosted there on Sunday.

"It's a great atmosphere for people who love plants but don't want the commitment of owning them," Turner said, noting that she had heard of people getting married in plant shops.

As she cultivated relationships with other Black entrepreneurs, she incorporated their work into her business. She displays artwork, tapestries and jewelry in the boutique, as well as clothing with plant themes.

Representatives of state Sen. Mike Rush and state Rep. John Rogers presented state resolutions to Turner as she received her $2,500 check. The award money will be put toward renovating the basement space for events as well as purchasing a high roof cargo van so that Emerald City can provide deliveries.

As part of the AT&T award, Turner can choose to attend a business panel with AT&T leadership on topics such as cybersecurity, digital transformation and digital marketing.

"If there's anything I've learned during COVID, it's to try whatever you want," Turner said. "During that time, plants became the new pets, and pets became the new kids. I love advising people on how to become plant parents.

"There was a lot of work involved in 2020 and 2021 to get it up and running," she added. "I'm just grateful that people love it so much."

Turner is becoming more comfortable with being in the limelight. She was featured in a recent Boston Magazine article.

Every month, she partners with a couple of other businesses to offer a reiki sound bath. Turner also hosts plant workshops and photography sessions.

"I had no idea that plant rental was a thing," she added. "We've been working with designers to stage their businesses and homes. We can rent them with an opportunity to buy."

Keron Incarnato, Vice President/ General Manager AT&T New England, explained the concept of the award.

"The whole premise behind the Black Owned Business Award at AT&T is to make it very local and community-based," she said. "Employees from all six New England states nominated businesses that they either frequented, worked with or volunteered with. We were looking for entrepreneurship and community engagement."

In a month-long process during February, employees including Elizabeth Bally submitted written descriptions of the businesses and their owners for consideration.

"Just the impact that this business has had on the community and opening during the COVID-19 pandemic made Emerald City stand out," Incarnato noted. "Opening a business is hard enough, but starting a business during a pandemic is pretty admirable. She was the unanimous choice."

She said that Turner was "a role model" for other would-be entrepreneurs.

"I really loved the idea of this business," said Bally, AT&T's internal communications manager, noting she began following it since Turner started a GoFundMe page to grow it a couple of years ago. "I love plants, so I was excited not only to go to a plant shop but to a botanical space."

She also attended the pop-up events throughout Boston and was delighted when Turner created "such a beautiful and cheerful space." She said she admired Taylor for being involved in both Boston and Norwood.

"I just wanted to provide a good space for people to get together after all we have gone through during the past few years," Turner said.