J. Matthis Helmick has been the operator of Plant Mode since opening in 2014. His chattiness and upbeat demeanor cultivates a welcoming, warm environment, and his passion for plants and people is evident in his work. Getting into plants can be daunting, but Helmick’s friendly and relaxed personality breaks down that intimidation factor.

Although he was born in Champaign, Helmick has lived all over the country, spending some time in Washington, Chicago and Boston. 

After making the call to turn down a potential job in Hawaii, he moved back to Chicago before coming back to Champaign, where he would then open his own plant store. 

His dream of selling succulents and other goodies was sparked by his time working at Sprout Home, a plant store in Chicago.

“Working at Sprout Home, I started to love plants, and I kind of just nurtured the idea of ‘I want to do this.’ I honestly thought I’d work there forever,” Helmick said. 

He explained that, in a weird way, he’d rather work for his old boss and not have to deal with as many of the harder parts that come with running a local business.

He said it was difficult to open the store during the pandemic. Dealing with mask resistance proved to be a hard aspect for him, along with tough customers.

“I’ve got maybe four one-star Yelp reviews. I know two of them are for me just being a confident brown person talking to some … person I’ll just say, who isn’t maybe used to (that) … That was always kind of, not my favorite stuff,” he said.

Aside from the difficulties of dealing with unpleasant customers and the financial side of things, he explained that some of the best parts are when originally plant-shy people — who are hesitant about buying even just one — come back for more and more. 

“My favorite part is when they come in on their own a few months later for plant number two,” he said.

Helmick also finds joy in discovering less-common plants and bringing them into his shop. 

“I like sourcing. I don’t like the word rare, but not-so-common plants,” he said.

While not-so-common plants used to be harder to find, they have begun taking up more space in big-box stores. This is partially due to the gained popularity of plants that seemed to spark in the middle of the pandemic. This increased popularity has led to increasingly difficult competition with big businesses, such as Lowes and Home Depot, that have upped their plant game and offered lower costs.

Helmick predicts that in a couple of years, this competition will continue to get more and more difficult. 

Despite the low costs of some intriguing plants at big box stores, there is a warmth and personalization within Plant Mode that cannot be replicated elsewhere. 

Helmick’s own funky flair has a strong presence in the shop’s atmosphere.

“There’s a flavor in here that’s a little different,” he said. 

A big contributor to curating that aura is music, another area that he has dabbled in. The mid-’90s hip-hop and heavy stoner rock enthusiast spent a few years being a DJ.

“I like to look around and see who’s in, play music for both myself and the plants,” he said.

Unlocking the shop each day requires the immediate burning of Super Hit incense and playing some loud jazz music, which has become a morning ritual for him.

Aside from music and plants, Helmick has also dabbled in the thrift business, as well as window display work during some time as a manager at Dandelion in Champaign. 

“I can work a dress mannequin,” he said.

While there are no dress mannequins in Plant Mode, the extensive array of plants is impressive and reflective of his display skills. 

When customers inquire about a plant that isn’t available, Helmick does a little investigative work on his own with various wholesalers to get the desired plant in at a reasonable cost. 

The personalization of the shop is unique to Plant Mode and makes it an easy place to be drawn into.

Helmick’s array of skills and humor blend together smoothly within the atmosphere of Plant Mode. 

The “glued-together” look of the shop and various pieces of local art from friends create cohesiveness within the shop that works well. That, in addition to Helmick’s own friendly attitude, brings customers in and keeps them coming back.

“I think just a nonsalesman, just lowkey kind of thing. I think people appreciate that,” he said. “I just like to talk to people, you know. I like to greet everyone and let people know they’re welcome.”

If he had unlimited funds, there would be used vinyl for sale, and he would get in on the thrift scene. 

“I’m toying around with the idea of using this whole little corner, using the bathroom as a dressing room or something,” he said.

Regardless, plants are in his future.  

Whatever the future of Plant Mode may hold, Helmick’s personalization skills and the comfort that he brings to his shop suggest that it will be a hit among the community no matter what.

“I don’t know, I’m kind of a weirdo. I think people like that, (but)there’s a small percentage of people who are put off by that and that’s fine, they can go elsewhere,” he said.

For quality plant content and to stay in the Plant Mode loop, look around on the shop’s website (www.plantmode.com) and Instagram account (@plant_mode).

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