The Juicy Leaf in Venice
By Debra Lee Baldwin
Felix Navarro recently opened the Juicy Leaf, a Venice store named for the sculptural succulents that characterize his designs. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)
With the Juicy Leaf, apartment dwellers with no room for potting up plants (or neat freaks who don’t want the mess at home) now have a place to do it. “This is the kind of shop I longed for during the 10 years I lived in the city,” says Navarro, 35, as he creates sleek compositions on the store’s small patio. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)
One of the store’s features is a planting station. “People are welcome to bring their own plants or containers, or select them from the store,” Navarro says, adding that he offers customers as much or as little help as they want. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)
Navarro sells decorative rock and other finishing touches to potted arrangements. “People like not having to get their homes dirty or having to buy a big bags of potting soil,” he says. “Where would they put them?” (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)
Navarro with his finished design. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)
This aloe arrangement sells for $44.95 at the Juicy Leaf. Navarro’s store’s walk-in traffic has been brisk, including Meg Ryan, Sheryl Crow and David Arquette, he says. Celebs have yet to plunge into the potting mix, but Navarro’s “gifts for the urban gardener” appear to have struck a chord. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)
This haworthia arrangement sells for $79.95. In the works at the Juicy Leaf: planting parties where customers will be able to spend the whole afternoon. “That’s the vibe I’m after,” Navarro says. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)
The Juicy Leaf is at 1221 Abbot Kinney Blvd. in Venice; (310) 907-5019.
In case you missed you missed it:
Southern California home and garden blog, L.A. at Home
Weekly drought-tolerant gardening column, The Dry Garden
Southern California homes and gardens in pictures (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)