By South OB Girl
Last Friday July 14th saw the official opening of Botanica Home and Garden at 1909 Cable St. The shop is right on the busy stretch of sidewalk between Newport Ave and Santa Monica Ave and was the location of the long standing former tenant the Loan Ranger Pawn Shop.
Caitlin Brooks. All photos by South OB Girl
Owner of Botanica Home and Garden, Caitlin Brooks, has always had a love of plants. She has previously worked at garden centers and nurseries, and she has now turned her love for plants into a business.
Her designs and creations with plants are on display and for sale at Botanica. Along with goods by several other Ocean Beach artisans.
She previously had a studio at 4966 Santa Monica Ave (not far from Pizza Port). She was hoping for more foot traffic and more business by moving to the new location.
In addition to her Santa Monica Ave studio she had a booth at the OB Farmers Market. She has also done special orders occasionally, providing displays for weddings or party favors.
Also sold at the shop are motorcycles refurbished by her boyfriend, Ellis White. He restores bikes from the 60s and 70s. And does welding and fabrication for the bikes.
The couple met in college at the Florida Institute of Technology, graduated in 2011, and moved to OB 4 years ago. They have enjoyed OB for many of the same reasons that many individuals move to OB — for a change of scenery, surfing, and good weather and good vibes.
Prior to opening the doors last Friday, Caitlin and Ellis undertook quite a lot of renovation of the interior of the space. The space is quite transformed, with new flooring, new counters and displays, fresh paint, and a modern look.
Property owner Ben Moshe was very accommodating, Caitlin says, in allowing them to design the interior the way they envisioned for the shop.
Hanging all around the shop are various displays. Caitlin enjoys using various materials for her creations. She gets inspiration lots of places and enjoys using materials that aren’t normally used in plant displays. Some plants hang in macrame, some are arranged in pieces of glass, some on pieces of wood.
She particularly enjoys creating crystal planters which you don’t see many places. She has created arrangements in different kinds of pots and containers, made of various materials. The plants she uses are from all over San Diego county and she is quite knowledgeable about all things related to gardening and horticulture.
Also sold in the shop are hand made candles from 1502 Candle Company (based in OB). Furniture made from reclaimed wood by OBcean John Howard of Howard Woodworks. And canvases by local artist Josh Fillis of Medium Studio.
Caitlyn clearly has a passion for plants, seen both in her beautiful creations with plants and the way she talks about plants.
Botanica Home and Garden will be open Tuesday through Saturday, 12 pm – 7 pm. The shop is not new to OB, but is new to the main drag. If you stop by you are bound to find a plant creation to give as a gift or enjoy at your home. You can also build your own terrarium and browse the many plants, motorcycles, candles, and crafts for sale.
Botanica Home and Garden
1909 Cable St.
Instagram: @botanica_home
www.coyotecreativesd.com
(619) 500 – 6979
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