Jungle House to take root in new downtown Lawrence location

The owners of Jungle House, a local plant shop, are in the process of moving the store from its current building in East Lawrence to a new downtown location that’s set to open Wednesday.

“I just think that it feels like Jungle House, like, leveled up a little bit. Matured,” co-owner Rachel Guffey said.

She and husband Jhami Guffey opened Jungle House in what was previously a home at 924 Delaware St. in 2018. 

“One of our favorite reviews we got on our business over there was, ‘It’s a little sketchy on the outside, but magical on the inside,’” Jhami said. 

The new downtown location at 6 E. Seventh St. housed the Guffeys’ holiday popup shop, Jingle House, during the 2021 holiday season. Prior to that, the space was the longtime home of Raven Book Store, which moved to Massachusetts Street. 

Although they originally had different plans for the space, the Guffeys ultimately chose to move Jungle House there because of the community and history in downtown Lawrence, Jhami said. 

“We’re excited to be down here; we feel like long-term, it’s a better plan,” Jhami said.

The new Jungle House space will include a new workshop space and updated store features such as new register systems and a larger potting bench, Rachel said. It will also be accessible by a ground floor entrance.

The Guffeys opened Jungle House in November 2018 after having success selling plants at a Final Friday popup shop at Wonder Fair. 

“We sold out of plants super fast,” Rachel said. “It was supposed to go all weekend and we sold out of plants in like two hours. And so after that, we were like, ‘There’s a market for this.’”

The business had similar success on its opening day. 

“So we’ve been so fortunate that the community’s been behind us since day one,” Rachel said.

The Guffeys said the busiest time for Jungle House was during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We’re like an opposite pandemic story,” Rachel said.

In an effort to keep the shop open, the Guffeys created “plant grams” that customers could order online and send to loved ones. They spent 12 hours a day delivering plants. 

“I think I still have a little bit of trauma from that time just because it was like, we just have to grind just to keep it going, to keep the business going, keep everybody paid,” Rachel said.

However, Rachel said these deliveries are her favorite Jungle House memory. She mentioned that one customer during this time would send herself plants with uplifting messages, spaced out over time.

“When I think about that it still makes me teary-eyed,” Rachel said. “We were able to deliver something to her door that made her day better, and that’s freaking awesome.”

The pandemic also brought in new customers, including current employee Josh Ricley. 

“This was one of the safest places that I felt welcomed in when I first started shopping here a lot,” Ricley said. “I felt like I fit in here, and that really made me want to be an employee here just to also kind of spread that love to customers and clients that really enjoyed plants as well.”

Although the Jungle House team is excited for the move, they said there are aspects of the old building that they’ll miss.

“I’m definitely gonna miss the patio, having our neighbors,” employee Jess Qian said. Decade, a coffee shop and cafe, is right next door. “But I’m really excited about our new neighbors.” 

The employees had not yet seen the new location during an interview Friday.

“It’s a surprise for a lot of us newer people, too, so I’m so excited,” Ricley said.

Monday is the last day for Jungle House’s East Lawrence store. Hours for opening day at 6 E. Seventh St. will be from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 31. 

Caroline Zimmerman (she/her) interned for The Lawrence Times in May – August 2023. She has also covered crime and public safety for the University Daily Kansan, and the Eudora City Commission for the Eudora Times.

Follow her on Twitter. Read her work for the Times at this link.

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