To say Sandra Mejia and her husband Bantalem have green thumbs is an understatement. The owners and founders of The Plant Chica, now located in Leimert Park, are spreading green love and oxygenating the atmosphere one indoor plant at a time.
The Plant Chica started as a side project in 2018 when the couple welcomed their son, Alem. They grew and cared for the indoor plants at their at-home greenhouse.
“We didn’t think anything of it,” Mejia explained. “It was just us setting up on random corners, selling plants and then it kind of took off. We started selling plants online on Etsy, and we became very popular there.”
On Women’s Day in 2019, Mejia quit her job as a medical assistant at UCLA where she had worked for 10 years to devote herself to The Plant Chica full time. The brand was even able to power through the pandemic because they had an established business online with many reviews.
Sandra Mejia of Plant Chica.
(Chris Mortenson/Staff)
In March of 2021, The Plant Chica opened its first location in Jefferson Park, the neighborhood where Mejia grew up. After 3 years, they lost their space and began the search for a new home. Around this time, the Los Angeles Times ran a feature about The Plant Chica, which made it into the hands of Black Owned and Operated Community Land Trust, Inc. executives Robbie Lee and Prophet Walker, who invited the store to plant their roots in Leimert Park Village. The Plant Chica’s current location opened in October 2024.
“They said, ‘We love your business. We love what you guys do and what you provide to the community,’” said Mejia, “and that’s how we ended up here in Leimert Park.”
Mejia can trace her love of plants to her childhood growing up as a little girl when she would help her mom pick out flowers and plants for the church where her father was a pastor.
“My mom was the person in charge of the plants and flowers at our church,” she shared. “I grew up doing that with her every single week. I wasn’t really the biggest fan of it when I was a kid, but as I got older I really started to appreciate what she did and her love for plants. My parents are both Salvadorian immigrants, and their country is lush and beautiful. No one takes care of the plants out there. They just grow. Our home was always like that.”
Another part of the couple’s plant life is hosting events at the store and in the community. On February 14, The Plant Chica set up at The Shaw, aka Crenshaw High School, to give away free plants and planters during Day 2 of Nike All-Star Weekend. Twice a year at their biggest event they give away 2,000 house plants at their Adopt A Plant day. The next one will take place in April for Earth Day.
“That’s truly what the brand is known for,” Mejia said, “how involved we are with our community. We host events like Easter egg hunts at our shop, story time with kids, full moon repotting dates for the community for people that feel a little nervous about repotting their plants.”
Mejia favors Monsteras and prayer plants, aka Maranta leuconeura, which also happen to be the shop’s No. 1 sellers. According to its site, The Plant Chica specializes in wishlist plants — those rare and unique finds that often only thrive in warm climates or aren’t typically sold in stores.
“Plants are life,” she emphasized. “So, for me to be able to take care of something that needs us in order to survive is beautiful. People will come to The Plant Chica and say, ‘I’ve never owned a house plant in my life,’ and they’re getting their first house plant from us. That is very special. It opens up the doors for them to explore growing things, and now they’re really into gardening and actually growing stuff outside.”
“I think it’s so important for us to know how to do that because I feel like, especially the younger generations, they’re so disconnected with how things grow, they don’t have any idea how things get to their table,” she continued. “I think for us being able to be that first interaction that they have with a plant is super special.”
The Plant Chica is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Customers receive a free house plant on their birthday.
The Plant Chica is located at 4311 Degnan Boulevard, Leimert Park, 323-570-7394; theplantchica.com.