CALGARY When public health measures were brought in to slow the spread of COVID-19 in Alberta, keeping many businesses closed and forcing people to stay at home, Jeff Bradshaw and Jamie Starchuk say a seed was planted. What grew out of that idea is the pair s pandemic project-turned-business Plantsie. A Plantsie is a plant with personality and when we started the company, we wanted to create a fun, fresh, modern twist on indoor potted house plants said Starchuk, a co-founder of the company. Bradshaw admits it s a challenge to start a business in Calgary in the middle of a pandemic but he sees it as an opportunity to grow during a time when he would ve otherwise been struggling to line up clients at his other job.