CULTIVATING HARMONY – Eric & Chandra Marcus
BY NICK MAY PHOTOGRAPHY BY ERIC MARCUS
Two transplants from New York and Maryland are making a living in Panama City Beach with just that – plants. And a lifestyle of clean consumption. The two health-savvy entrepreneurs shed their former corporate titles in favor of starting a business selling organic sundries, botanical curios, and natural remedies. It’s a study in holistic living. A store with the taste of Portland, right on the Gulf Coast.
Eric and Chandra are designers at heart. You can see it when you take a look around their store. Wild. Root. located at 707 R. Jackson Blvd. is all about cultivating harmony; both in a physical space and in a business relationship that is already two years strong. Wild. Root. is a cultural anomaly, selling only small batches of authentic local products, organic superfoods, plants, books, herbal tinctures, and healing naturals. The couple says it’s about more than just the products, though.
PCL: How did you guys meet?
ERIC: Well, I was working at an architectural firm in Brooklyn, New York. When 911 happened, they let half of us go. I eventually came to work in the 30A area and, one day, a colleague called me up and said, “You have to come meet this girl!”
CHANDRA: Eric had moved on to work at a different architect’s office at the time and I was working at his old office, because my background is also in architecture.
ERIC: I would say the rest is history, except, when I went to the gym across the street, she put her business card in my windshield wiper and I didn’t see it for like a week… until it rained, and I saw it go across my windshield.
PCL: I bet that was a magical moment!
CHANDRA: That was 10 years ago.
PCL: Do you guys have kids?
CHANDRA: Yes. A daughter.
ERIC: She makes bags and plant holders out of reclaimed leather.
PCL: Awesome. How about any special traditions for Valentines Day?
ERIC: Not really.
CHANDRA: We do have a tradition!
ERIC: We do? (laughs)
PCL: Great, dude! Great…
CHANDRA: We usually pick a local restaurant and go out with some good friends.
ERIC: You’re right. I remember now.
PCL: All right, on to the tough questions. Is it hard being around each other so much?
ERIC: No, but we joke about it a lot.
PCL: You guys could probably do well living in a tiny house, then.
CHANDRA: We do live in a tiny house!
PCL: Really! How does that work out?
ERIC: Well, when you only have 700 square feet, you make the most of it.
CHANDRA: We’re very mindful of how we spend money. What comes in and what goes out.
PCL: This is all great, but I want to know if you ever get on each other’s nerves.
CHANDRA: You want the real dirt! (laughs) I’m probably the one that gets more easily annoyed.
ERIC: Chandra is a perfectionist.
PCL: There it is!
ERIC: I think I’m a little more easy going but, every now and then, I might say, “Stop micromanaging me, woman!” (laughs)
CHANDRA: Come on, I must do something else that annoys you!
ERIC: Na, that’s about it.
PCL: How do you handle disagreements that you do have?
ERIC: I do what she says. That’s how.
PCL: So she’s the boss.
ERIC: Yes. (laughs)
CHANDRA: Well, when the store started out, it was really my thing, but now it’s 50/50.
PCL: Eric, what sort of things did you bring to the table?
ERIC: Well, I do a lot of the graphics and photography.
PCL: Do you find it helps to divvy up responsibilities?
ERIC: Yeah, but we collaborate on a lot. There’s no “my section, your section.”
PCL: What’s one of your personal goals together?
CHANDRA: We don’t feel like we ever had a proper honeymoon, so we want to go to Iceland.
PCL: How about for the business?
ERIC: Well, hang on!
PCL: Oh, sorry! I thought that was a double answer!
ERIC: (Laughs) I want to set aside a couple weeks a year and just travel. Maybe keep a personal blog of my photographs of America.
CHANDRA: We really want to see Wild. Root. as a hub for community; a place where people can come and learn about different things regarding their health, natural living, and really expand on that.
PCL: Have you achieved anything in your business that you couldn’t have without your mate?
CHANDRA: Neither of us could have done this without the support and encouragement of the other.
ERIC: It almost surprises me when she says she needs encouragement from me, because I think she’s fearless.
PCL: Any tips for couples considering going into business together?
CHANDRA: These sound like clichés, but don’t take life too seriously. Have fun.
ERIC: Sometimes she’s the leader, and sometimes it’s reversed. Not too often (laughs). I can’t get hurt if she tells me how to do something. Seventy-five percent of the time, she’s right.
PCL: Are you pretty quick to realize you were doing it wrong all along?
ERIC: Well, let’s calm down with the “all along” stuff. (laughs)
CHANDRA: Eric grew up in a family with lots of siblings, so generally, I think he’s just a good communicator.
ERIC: Yeah, I think communication is paramount. If you have a problem, just bring it up and talk about it.
PCL: Would you encourage other couples to go into business together?
CHANDRA: (long pause) No. (laughs) I would say, if your relationship is stable, definitely. Go for it. There are no guarantees in life. You could work for a great company and get laid off, and then what are you going to do?
ERIC: It’s not easy, but you learn so much about yourself and each other. It’s all on you to make it work, and it’s so rewarding.