Besides clothes and items with political art, Plantiitas is mainly dedicated to the sale and nursing of plants. Photo by Alejendra Guerra.
Pride flags, artwork, plants and good vibes. These are all things customers are greeted with as they enter Plantiitas — a queer and Latino-owned business that serves as a home to community events and a support hub for other small businesses.
The plant nursery and gift shop is located on 4th Street in Long Beach and offers a variety of items from pet-safe plants to pottery imported from Mexico.
Recent events hosted at the shop include a live screen print fundraiser for individuals impacted by ICE raids, free drag bingo and a free HIV testing clinic.
The Owner of Plantiitas, Kevin Alcaraz, shared that he wanted to have community events since the original store’s opening, which was at a smaller location. It wasn’t until after they moved to their current space that these events were made possible.
“The way we [started] showing up for the community then was inviting vendors to sell outside of the store every weekend. Also hosting vendors inside the store,” Alcaraz said.
One of these vendors was Zen Ave, a jewelry business owned by Yolanda Santana.
In September, Plantiitas welcomed Zen Ave into their shop with a grand opening.
“We saw that we had some space here and we were like, ‘why not have [Santana] here if we already know who she is and what she stands for?’ and our values are similar too,” Alcaraz said.
Zen Ave has been open for over four years, offering engraving services and permanent jewelry.
Santana said she began her business with pop-ups and shortly after opening, she was able to rent a shelf at Plantiitas in their initial location.
“Being able to see my business on a shelf really made me feel good,” Santana said. “It kind of just encouraged me to keep growing. I kept going to pop-ups and just recently about a year ago, I decided to go all in and really open my store and this is where I’m at now.”
Santanta shared that since her jewelry focuses more on spiritual trinkets like evil eyes, crosses and everyday jewelry, she believed it would blend well within the plant shop.
Alexandria La Flora, a first time customer, said she was interested in finding a plant shop when she found Plantiitas. La Flora was drawn to the pride flags and artwork which are highlighted all over the shop.
“Plantiitas gives culture. You can tell before you walk in. It’s the reason why you would want to shop here more than like Home Depot, Lowes, whatever,” Flora said. “It feels like you are stepping into community when you come inside. You know who you’re purchasing from.”
Alcaraz believes in a mission for Plantiitas to help small businesses.
“I feel like the only help we can get is community. Sad to say it, but even when the government says ‘we help businesses,’ they don’t really help,” Alcaraz said. “They’re just there for the benefit. So just keep supporting more businesses.”
He encourages others to do the same and support local businesses that stick together to help one another.
“For every sale that we do, it’s a celebration that we have because it means something for us,” Alcaraz said.
Since Plantiitas first sprouted in 2020, in the parking garage of Alcaraz's apartment, the owners constantly looked for ways to support the community.
Alcaraz said that Pantiitas began during the pandemic, in the midst of the BLM protests that resurfaced after George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police.
“We were not sure about how to participate [in the protests]. At that time, I was still an immigrant, so I wasn’t sure. I [didn’t want] to get in trouble with the police or get deported. I was just so scared about being out there,” Alcaraz said.
He mentioned Plantiitas was donating money to a group of interpreters that were doing pro bono for the community that wanted to participate in protests. Alcaraz said that as people saw what they were doing, they too began to show up.
“And that’s how Plantiitas became Plantiitas,” Alcaraz said.