Visitors to the new location of Ann Arbor’s Pot & Box Container Gardening might think they were entering an art studio instead of a flower and horticulture shop.

That may be because the store is located in the Ann Arbor Art Center’s former building on 220 Felch St. or because owner Lisa Waud considers herself more of an artist than a gardener.

“If I’m working here and I want to be creative, I have to be surrounded by creative things,” she said.

The shop, which opened mid-month, is moving from its former home in Waud’s basement, where she has been working the past three years. The 900-square-foot space includes a small retail area, workshop and a community room where Waud hopes to host small events.

From its bright teal bathroom to its collection of vases shaped like women’s faces, Pot & Box’s new digs are different than a traditional flower shop.

A massive old-school chalkboard lists the shop’s services as customers walk through the door, underneath a shelf of Waud’s globe collection, remnants of an event she decorated for last year.

To the left is a table containing retail space, a small area of potted flowers such as roses, gerbera daisies and Fuji mums available for as low as $2 a stem or in more extravagant bouquets.

The store’s workshop and community areas continue Waud’s vintage aesthetic with collections of antique vases, white orb and string lighting and more potted plants.

“I just love old, rusty stuff,” she said. “I love turning old stuff into new.”

Though she now has a retail area, Waud specializes in container gardens for both residential commercial spaces and also provides landscaping services.

She prides herself on using only locally grown or fair-trade plants she gets from the Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market or a wholesaler in Detroit. She also grows a number of plants herself.

“I want to feel like I’m living in my community and buying from my neighbors,” she said. “I like to buy responsibly.”

Waul is leasing the space from ICON Creative Technologies Group, which owns the building.

Waud worked with Bluestone Realty Advisors to lease the space.

“It’s great to see another independent business move into this continually evolving and improving neighborhood building,” said Bluestone agent Newcombe Clark, who handled the transaction.