Fundraiser for Molbak’s comeback bid falls short

A comeback bid for the shuttered Woodinville nursery Molbak’s Garden + Home has fallen short, the latest in the winding series of events that shuttered the suburb’s landmark local business earlier this year.

The nursery had planned to reopen at the site as Green Phoenix Collaborative, a space hosting plant vendors, classes and food and drink businesses.

Molbak’s in April launched a $2.5 million fundraiser for the new venture. But the webpage for the fundraiser shows it raised just over $100,000.

Community reactions to the fundraising attempt were mixed. In dozens of comments on the business’s Facebook page, some were excited about the prospect while others slammed the pitch for the new space as too vague and the financial ask too high.

“While the community as a whole wasn’t quite ready for GPC, a seed of possibility was planted,” CEO Julie Kouhia wrote on the company’s website. “When the time is right, we’re hopeful that it will take root in another form and bring something positive, green-friendly and community-driven back to the area.”

Donations will be automatically refunded within days, Kouhia said.

The nursery was a popular hub in Woodinville but closed in January after a massive redevelopment plan for the area fell apart.

That plan, set to include Molbak’s and hundreds of new apartments, unraveled late last year when developer Green Partners said it was shelving the project “due to a combination of factors,” including high construction costs, interest rates and the “complexity” of including a large garden store in the development.

Molbak’s accused the developer of cutting the store out of the plan. The two sides entered mediation, but failed to reach a deal and the store closed.

It’s unclear what’s next for the larger redevelopment project, which had been a key part of Woodinville’s plan for growth. 

When Molbak’s launched the new fundraising effort last month, Kouhia said they would have access to the shuttered space for “a couple of years,” but offered few details about its lease agreement, citing a nondisclosure agreement. Given that the business said it couldn’t stay open in its previous iteration, it was unclear why the business tried to bring the new effort into the same space.

The developer, Green Partners, declined to comment Friday. A spokesperson said in an email “There are no new updates to share at this time.”

Materials from The Seattle Times’ archives was used in this report.