Bright Indirect Light Social Club

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An honest update.Turning a 1950s auto garage into a plant shop in Washington State is not for the faint of heart.The bui...
04/18/2026

An honest update.

Turning a 1950s auto garage into a plant shop in Washington State is not for the faint of heart.

The building was never built to meet modern energy codes, and Washington's are some of the most demanding in the country. Stricter insulation, windows, mechanical systems and these requirements apply whether you're building something new or bringing an old building up to code for a new use. What that means for a former garage is a maze of permitting just to officially change what a building is before a single interior wall can go up. Small businesses across Washington are navigating the same thing. It honestly doesn't get talked about enough.

There's also a layer that's uniquely complicated for a plant shop: these codes are written around human comfort. But plants don't always want the same thing humans do. We're still working through where we land and what we can actually afford to build.

Life has been heavy too. I have a tendency to lose myself in projects and let everything else fall away. This time I'm trying to do it differently. There are people we love who don't have a lot of time left, and I refuse to look up one day and realize I missed it. So we're moving more slowly than I'd like and that's okay.

The next step is getting our outdoor yard open with our friends . Fence permitting (yes, that word again I'm so tired of that word) is in progress, no exact date yet, but we're pushing for soon. It won't be the full vision. But it will be something real, something outside, and somewhere you can enjoy being immersed in greenery.

We're not going anywhere. So things are going to look a little different than we imagined. Thank you for still being here. 🤍

The first coat of green is down! It's an email and phone call kinda day. Gotta get everything sorted out. We've settled ...
04/06/2026

The first coat of green is down!

It's an email and phone call kinda day. Gotta get everything sorted out. We've settled on new doors and the storefront is just sitting waiting to get the green light. Things are picking back up, tomorrow it's a little more repair then lay down more paint on the inside.

Do we have a hard open date yet.... No... Are we prepared to knock out final details and get the doors open as soon as we get permits. YES!!!

This whole process has been a headache but in the end this is going to be a magical place.

Making some serious progress on the interior! Kim came down over the weekend and got a couple coats of green down. Paint...
04/01/2026

Making some serious progress on the interior!

Kim came down over the weekend and got a couple coats of green down. Painting is more her thing so it freed me up to handle some emails and cleaning up the next walls to paint.

We got a bunch of pottery ... Like a bunch of pottery. It's not all for us but BILSC has a good chunk set aside. It fancy!!

This week has been spent figuring out the ERV. WTF is an energy recovery ventilator aka ERV. Well ERVs help maintain healthy indoor humidity levels, preventing over-dry conditions in winter and reducing humidity in summer. It recovers up to 80-81% of the energy from the exhausted air, reducing heating/cooling loads and improving energy efficiency. It's going to help us keep the plants happy and not consume boatloads of energy in the process.

There's only a couple things left to get sorted out and get acquired. It's been a lot but we're doing it and it's gonna be magical.

Can't forget the BILSC mascot and overall morale booster Loki boi. He's been putting in long hours making sure I don't lose my mind. ☺️

Sometimes the reclaim gods were kind today. We've had a couple stubborn items that were on our list and today our office...
03/25/2026

Sometimes the reclaim gods were kind today. We've had a couple stubborn items that were on our list and today our office door woes have been solved. Thank you for being an endless source of inspiration.

Let's just say 2026 started rough. Between delays and family emergencies (everything worked out for the best) progress h...
03/21/2026

Let's just say 2026 started rough.

Between delays and family emergencies (everything worked out for the best) progress had slowed to a crawl. But we're through it, and knock on wood things are moving again.

For those who don't know, we're not just moving into a building, we're changing what it's officially allowed to be. When a building was originally used for one thing (in our case, a 1950s auto garage) and you want to turn it into something completely different (like a plant shop), you can't just throw up some shelves and open the doors. The city requires what's called a change of occupancy. Pro tip they have a free pre-lease inspection program that is amazing and super helpful!

That means the building has to meet a whole new set of codes. Fire safety, accessibility, energy efficiency, electrical, plumbing, all of it gets re-evaluated against current standards. You're essentially proving to the city that this space is safe and suitable for its new life. There are plan reviews, inspections, back-and-forth revisions, and a lot of patience involved. It's a marathon, not a sprint. We're in it for the long haul and want to do it the right way.

Fortunately we've had incredible support from , and our friends at . Permits are cooking! Like soooo many permits it's honestly a permit lasagna. Materials have been specced and are about to start showing up with a quickness. Demo is done (it was a death trap in here) and it's all cleared out. Very soon this old building is getting a fresh coat of paint to prep for some logos 👀

Oh, and I raided a Nordstrom Rack closing sale and walked out with just about all of our fixtures. Sometimes the universe provides.

So what does this mean for a timeline? I was optimistic about March but… yeah, that's not happening. At this point let's just say spring. The moment it's more definitive, you will know.

And we can't forget to introduce the newest member of middle management, Loki 🐾 He's always at the shop and has been making regular appearances hanging out with his auntie .

Thanks for sticking with us.

Hello is this thing on..... 🎙️ Woah it's been a while and there's been a lot going on. Don't worry we're getting an upda...
03/04/2026

Hello is this thing on..... 🎙️

Woah it's been a while and there's been a lot going on. Don't worry we're getting an update together with a boat load of photos.

Let the grand buildout begin!

Between working behind the scenes with architects I've been zipping around finding fun fixtures/lights, delivering plants, and enjoying some time with friends and my beautiful wife.

Earlier this week I had the pleasure of delivering some cacti for our dear friend Molly . Whenever I visit I'm always blessed with wiggles from Birdy but this little nugget took some time away from his busy napping schedule to say hi. That smile gets me every time. 😅

Yesterday was our last day in this magical space. I took a minute last night to buzz around the shop one last time befor...
12/29/2025

Yesterday was our last day in this magical space.

I took a minute last night to buzz around the shop one last time before I rip it all apart. There's a lot of feels leaving this space and I'm sure there's more to come.

We both poured our hearts into creating a space where everyone feels welcome. A place where the noise and stress of the world melts away as you escape into a sea of greenery. Somewhere that you walk in and can't help but smile and even sometimes say "wow!" (the not so quiet wow always made my day and is the best compliment ever). If the past week is an indicator if we succeeded ide say we knocked it outta the park.

We've had newly weds come in after getting married at the court house. People who have lost a loved (doggos count too!) one and just need a place to feel safe. There's been first dates, birthdays and a whole lot of new residents looking for their place in the community. We're so honored to be a safe and magical place for you and grateful to be part of the best community.

The paper goes up on the windows today as I move everything and get to work on the new space at 17th and Broadway where we get to be neighbors with my sister from another mister . It's going to be 1500 sf inside and 4500 outside, we're gonna be an urban garden center!There's a lot of work to be done and I'll take you all on the journey with us!

BILSC & are setting up camp in Arnada and are bringing all the leafy goodness.

Time to get back to work!

Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season and getting some quality time in with friends and family. We're settling in...
12/26/2025

Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season and getting some quality time in with friends and family. We're settling in for the night with our pups, getting some rest before the final weekend at our current location.

After this weekend, we're packing up and rolling over to Broadway. We'll be opening back up in March with big new space and a big party, so keep an eye out for that. We're really excited for more space to grow and even more excited to bring our friends along so they can bringing that native outdoor goodness we love. I know March is a while, but we want to take our time to make the space just perfect. Don't worry though we'll be posting updates along the way because who doesn't love a good behind-the-scenes build out.

Anyway be sure to stop by this weekend, say hi, soak up some planty goodness, and help us say farewell.

Disco planter + succulents = pure vibes. Like not those artificially flavored vibes. I'm talking about those I shopped l...
12/23/2025

Disco planter + succulents = pure vibes. Like not those artificially flavored vibes. I'm talking about those I shopped local this year, free range, grass fed vibes.

The sale roars on! 25% off everything! I gotta get back to work gotta restock pots and tag some plants I brought in from the greenhouse. 👀

Anthurium renaissance variegated she pretty I think I'll keep one. There is a direct connection between how scattered I ...
12/23/2025

Anthurium renaissance variegated she pretty I think I'll keep one.

There is a direct connection between how scattered I am and how beat up my hands are. The new space and build out plans are on a smoother path forward so the healing has begun. The other sign things are working out is I'm losing my keys less and less each day. 😂 But for now I shall shield your eyes from my run in with a vegetable peeler, the carrot spirit demanded a blood sacrifice and you don't dare say no.

The dogs don't understand math but they aren't lying. Kim and I sat down and decided to do 25% off on everything. Yes that right EVERYTHING! There's even some statement trees that are up to 30% off. So if you had an eye on something the time is now, not to mention we won't be opening up the new space till March so be sure to stop in and at the very least soak up some complementary vibes.

Address

1600 Washington Street, Suite 111
Vancouver, WA
98660

Opening Hours

Wednesday 12pm - 6pm
Thursday 12pm - 6pm
Friday 11am - 6pm
Saturday 11am - 6pm
Sunday 11am - 4pm

Telephone

+15037546390

Website

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