After traveling the world and observing various business concepts, Lake Charles native Katy Rozas has always envisioned introducing a unique mash-up business to her hometown.
On Sept. 11, Rozas brought her dream to life by opening Grounded in Nature, a nursery, crafting space and local artist shop.
“We’re the newest vibe, and we’re doing something that Lake Charles has never seen before,” Rozas said. “We are serving the biggest dose of love and vibes and happiness and fantastical, all the things. It’s out of the box, not anything that we’ve seen.”
The new business has three main areas, including a retail space with some smaller plants and pieces from local artists, an outdoor garage area for larger plants and a crafting room for customers to be creative.
“The idea was that I would like to have a co-op of the things that I’m most obsessed with,” Rozas said. “I’m obsessed with plants and people get behind plants.”
In addition to her love for plants, Rozas said she had her “mind blown” with art last summer.
“I had this whole epiphany that whenever you learn how to love your own art, is whenever you learn how to love yourself,” Rozas said. “Women need to be able to just kind of art it out, and you need to be able to get into your zone, to be able to find just your stuff.”
The store held a soft opening on Sept. 11 with over 60 guests. For the rest of its opening weekend, they saw about 30 people come to visit the business.
Rozas said the response from the Lake Charles community has been overwhelming.
“I was telling everybody that first opening weekend that I was Googling ‘how to stop tears of joy,'” Rozas said. “I could (be at the store) all day, and people were here, and people were so great, but the second I would leave, I would just start sobbing in gratitude.”
The store, located at 115 W. Oak Ln. in Lake Charles, is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday.
In addition to its regular hours, Grounded in Nature will be offering public after hours events like its Yoga, Tea, Craft Night from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Oct. 3.
The business is also available for private events, according to Rozas.
“This is curtailed to adults being safe and having a cool spot for them to vibe out,” Rozas said.
Overall, Rozas said she feels like everybody is always stressed out, and she wants Grounded in Nature to be a place for people to be able to unwind.
“If I can be the stopping point where people can let go … I want to be the spot instead of having to go home and put the blankets over your head, I want to be the spot that where you can just jump on a swing, you can call your best friend, hang out, or whatever you need to do, but be able to continue your day, and it’s not ruined,” Rozas said. “My goal is to be a safe and inclusive place for people to gather.”