Clay & Twig, a self-serve farm shop and nursery in Critz, is the fulfillment of owner Jonathan Witt’s childhood dream to turn his family’s old tobacco barn into a flower shop.
Founded in 2024, the shop offers plants and products that are either grown, made, or thoughtfully sourced to reflect the seasons.
“It’s more than just a business—it’s a way to create beauty for others and share a slower, more meaningful rhythm of life,” Witt said.
Most of the plants are grown at Round Hill Plants, the Witt family’s greenhouse that has operated since 2009. Witt said he also plans to source additional plants and products throughout the year.
“What you see in the shop isn’t mass-produced—it’s curated with care. We work in step with the seasons, so what’s available changes throughout the year,” he said.
The shop currently offers a variety of houseplants and hanging baskets, including spider plants, several types of peperomias, pileas, and begonias.
“This fall, I’ll offer mums, and I’m actually working on some baskets for the fall,” Witt said.
For autumn, Witt plans to stock pumpkins, gourds and Indian corn for seasonal decoration.
“As time progresses, I’m going to kind of add to what we offer,” he said. “I kind of felt limited to Round Hill Plants just being plants, so I want to later on be able to offer home décor, seed packets, pottery, produce—all sorts of different things. Almost like a garden center-type deal.”
The self-serve shop is open daily from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Payment is made through an honesty box, with cash, check, and Venmo accepted.
Since he works at another local farm, Witt said the honesty box allows him to operate Clay & Twig while balancing other responsibilities.
“We haven’t had any problems or anything—everybody’s been pretty honest,” he said. “I mean, there might be like a day where I’ve noticed it might be a dollar or two missing after checking inventory, but somebody could have made an honest mistake or something. I’m just really not concerned with it.”
Prices start at $2.
“So like the vegetable starts are $2, and then on up for the houseplants and hanging baskets and things,” he said.
Witt came up with the name “Clay & Twig” in 2021 during a difficult season in his life. At first, he said, it was a simple image—”a clay pot and a twig for a plant.”
“I wanted to build something new, something different from Round Hill Plants,” he said. “But as time went on, the name began to take root in a deeper way as it started to reflect the work God was doing in me.”
The name now connects to two scriptures—Isaiah 64:8, which state, “We are the clay, and You are our potter,” and Ezekiel 17:22-24, where God plants a tender twig on a mountain and causes it to grow.
“Clay & Twig has become more than a name—it’s a reminder that even in hard seasons God is still shaping and planting something good,” he said.
Witt said he hopes visitors to the shop feel a sense of calm and connection.
“I want people to pause, feel connected, and walk away with something that blesses their home,” he said. “It’s not just about selling a product, it’s about sharing something beautiful and meaningful with others.”
Looking ahead, Witt hopes to renovate the barn to allow for indoor browsing and expand the nursery to include trees, shrubs, and native perennials.
For more information, visit Facebook.com/Clay&Twig or follow clayandtwig on Instagram.
