She’s effortlessly cool – and has a lovely plant shop too

At our plant PPL series, We interview people of color in the plant world. If you have suggestions to include PPL, tag us on Instagram @latimesplants.

Many who enter the green space don’t come for the plants, and owner Jennifer Aragon is fine with that.

They can paint their own terracotta pots, park them at the plant shop’s center table to start crafting. They can bow their heads to Elvis or Blondie while they sip iced coffee on the couch. If they’re the boy next door, they might come in on their daily lunch break to play the well-loved piano.

Still, those who come for the plants are never disappointed.

There is a shop Thriving with heart-shaped caladiums, tropical maranta and soft-pink syngoniums. “It’s been a while since we’ve had a restock, so it’s a bit empty now,” she says, though the giant greenery says otherwise.

Aragon, 38, has an effortlessly cool energy. Her dark hair is pulled into a top knot, accented with a gold hoop and a welcoming smile. After a decade in retail management, she chose to lead her own business.

His downtown Fullerton shop opened in August 2020, and everything in it has a story. Take the rusty Brachiosaurus sunbathing on the front table: Cactus Mart didn’t sell it but Aragon managed to buy it anyway. And walls hand-painted by local muralist Carla Roque, who splashed white-outlined leaves in thin black paint after looking at Aragon’s reference sketches.

Featuring local artwork, partnerships with other city vendors and Aragon Beach manning the front desk, the store is a love letter to Fullerton. Sitting next to a paint-speckled crafting table, Aragon tells me how she made it.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

So, when did the plant dream begin?

I started collecting plants about 10 years ago, but the dream of a plant shop probably started around 2017 or 2018. When I was like, “I don’t want to be at my job anymore, I really want to do something. I want to start my own business.” But I didn’t know what I wanted to do. And then one time I was at home, just watering my plants, and I was like, “I’m opening a plant store.” And back then, there were no plant shops [in this area]. There were nurseries like Home Depot, Lowe’s, Armstrong’s, and the only one similar to this is probably the Orange Potting Shed.

It’s really cool to see everyone’s different aesthetics and personalities come through the plant shops because even though there are so many, they’re all so different and so unique and have their own personalities.

Speaking of decorating, are you the one decorating this place?

Yes – my vision was to really make it feel like you’re in someone’s home, like you’ve arrived and it’s comfortable. About 90% of everything here is handmade or given or recently donated, so everything has a story in its own sense — and that’s what I want. I don’t want it to feel too boutique-y; I wanted to feel like you were hanging out at your friend’s house, and I think we captured that. I want people to feel comfortable here, to hang out and not feel like you’re in a super modern boutique.

Absolutely, and it’s a really big place.

It’s really big. It was scary at first, but now that we’re in, I think it’s not big enough [Laughs.]

Why Downtown Fullerton?

I moved here when I was 22. I love the area; I’ve seen it change a lot. Lots of shops come in and out, and it’s always kept a really nice atmosphere. I have moved three times and I live in Fullerton. It was like the perfect look; Obviously the best location. And to be honest, I never dreamed that I would be able to get this position. I’ve seen three different stores come out of this location, and it’s great that I’m part of that lineage of people who are here.

And how did it feel when you opened it for the first time?

scary Really scary. But to be honest, I felt really proud. It’s scary, and I did it myself. I don’t have a partner, so if it fails, I fail myself. But if it succeeds, I succeed myself. I’m proud of being that, whether it doesn’t work or it works, I’m proud that I was able to make the scary journey.

What is the situation of the employees?

Right now, we are family-run because I am single. My mother is the one who works for me. I have my sister who works for me. And then I have a couple girls that work part-time, so they have other jobs and then they pick up hours here and there. And they’re people I know from other retail jobs, so it’s really cool because I trust their work ethic.

It’s really tight-knit because, especially when you own your own place, you have to trust the people who are running it for you. And we are not a corporation. It’s just us. Like, when people want to talk to a manager or HR, it’s me! So you really have to trust people who are, in a sense, looking after your home. This is my second home. This is it.

How to bring your culture to the store?

Oh my god, everywhere. Like unique pieces of art, music too – so my culture, I’m Hawaiian, Filipino and Spanish – and so we also like Hawaiian days where you get a discount if you come in a Hawaiian shirt or something like that. . But yeah, the plants we bring in, the art we bring in, the music we bring in – we just flood it.

That’s awesome. What do you hope everyone who visits this store will experience?

Positive energy. Like legit, I want people to walk in and be like, “Oh my god, like, I don’t want to leave. I love being here.” Really, that’s what I want. I want people to come in and like, maybe they’re in a bad mood. Or they’re having a bad day, and I want them to walk in the door and immediately feel like positive energy and feel that way. I want it to change their day.

One of the things I love is that people come in and sit on the couch and drink coffee and just chill, or come in and paint pots and just chill here for an hour or two. I like that, because it’s like, oh, I’m creating that energy that people want to live in, whether it’s music or us, workers or plants or whatever. I want them to feel a sense of community when they walk in here.

So if there was an emergency and you could only save one plant, which one would it be?

[Thinks for a while.] maybe mine Philodendron cordatum ‘Brazil.’ That’s why it’s hanging on the wall. It’s not a very popular plant, but it’s one of my favorites. The leaves are heart-shaped, and when they are on the vine, they are really beautiful. It’s not one of the cool trends on Instagram. It’s not something that attracts anyone, but for some reason, I have four of them in my house. And I just love them. I like their way. I love their color. I think they are really easy to care for, and they give such beautiful color.

Is there a plant that you leave behind?

[No hesitation.] Yes, probably all Calathea. There are tons of different types of them. And people love them because they’re cute, but let me tell you, they’re the funkiest brats ever. [Laughs.] They are just too picky, but they are gorgeous. They are like the girls of the plant group.

What is your best advice for aspiring plant parents?

Start small and easy. Stay away from trends on Instagram. Because usually they need a lot of love and care, and then you can be disappointed. Don’t buy expensive things at first. Maybe a snake plant, a ZZ plant, a pothos – something easy. Just work your way up.