Sal Gonzalez looks at the succulents he cultivates at Urbano Wood Plant Shop every day. (Photo courtesy of Chloe Lewis)

Sal and Lorena Gonzalez started selling succulents and plants about five years ago when a yard project introduced a large number of drought-tolerant plants into their lives. The two began to transfer the succulents from their garden to pots for purchase. Urbano Wood was born in South Los Angeles

Their business started in the travel business, holding two to three mobile pop-ups a month, usually doubling the booking days to meet the needs of buyers, and everyone went to different locations to sell their plants. The action took them to San Diego and San Francisco, and their three children attached great importance to family and joined them on their journey.

Various succulents in Urbano Wood Botanical Garden (Photo courtesy of Chloe Lewis)

When the pandemic changed customer needs and indoor plants became the most coveted, Urbano Wood became a stagnant one-stop shop.

"In order to survive in a small business, you have to change quickly...so we saw the demand for indoor plants, and we moved our business," Lorena Gonzalez said.

The family started selling everything the customers needed, from flower pots, plants, decorations, and even creating their own soil.

"A lot of people like to shop here with us because they gain knowledge from talking with us... We spend a lot of time with our customers, educating them about the factories they buy and their needs," Lorena Gonzalez Say.

At the beginning of the epidemic, a family of five often patronized Home Depot and Lowes to buy plants, but the cost was too high, and they chose to find favorable alternatives. They found growers for Lowes and Home Depot in San Diego and went there to stock up plants. According to Gonzalez, the whole family traveled with them. "For us, family has always come first," Lorena Gonzalez said. "When I said it was a family business," she reiterated, "this is a family business!"

Family values ​​run through the entire company, from concept to creation and sales. Before Sal was engaged in landscaping work, Sal and Lorena's fathers were gardeners themselves, and their love for plants gradually instilled in them two, which in turn instilled a love for plants in each of their children.

"Our family, my husband and I all have our green thumbs," Lorena Gonzalez said. "A lot of the plants we sell are from the 80s and 90s in my house."

This business goes far beyond the scope of the Gonzalez family. The couple found a family in Guerrero, Mexico. They made pots and then shipped them to relatives in Tijuana, Mexico, where the potter’s brothers customized each pot with hand-painted designs.

Various tropical plants sold by Urbano Wood (Photo courtesy of Chloe Lewis)

"Our goal is to let people have a bit of our culture at home. We do this for our own families and for our children to know where they are from. We want [they] to know that this is a Mexican and [they] is Mexico. people."

As for the location of the store, South Los Angeles has always supported this business. "There are many people around us who will thank us and say,'Thank you for this opportunity here,' because we have always been a community that lacks things...Many people love the plants in South Los Angeles," Lorena Gonzal Reis said. The whole family visited their home, mainly by word of mouth. Lorena Gonzalez speculates that this is because their marketing budget is small and their address is not listed anywhere.

Lorena's husband Thrall emphasized the rewards of caring for the plants. "It is our responsibility to keep them alive, but in return, plants bring us happiness and joy," he said. "We have witnessed the healing effects of owning plants, and we are very happy to see the happiness it brings to our community."

For students, visiting Urbano Wood is a reward in itself. Taylor Sonnenfeld, a senior at the University of Southern California, visited the store and was overwhelmed by information about plants, ceramic pots and even the history of the family's love and interest in plants. "Simple flower pots on the table, even those with small stories," she said, "every plant is special to them."

"As students at the University of Southern California, our area is already very gentrified, so I think the least we can do is to give back and support our community," Sonnenfeld said. "To be honest, I think it's also more interesting because you can explore the area and learn more."

Behind the scenes of Urbano Wood Botanical Garden (Photo courtesy of Chloe Lewis)

Gonzalez's is aware of the unique qualities they bring to their business. "We are not just a Home Depot, you can get paid when you work there. This is our passion, and this is why we do business," Lorena Gonzalez said.

Urbano Wood has proven to be of interest and value to people of all ages, and young children have the opportunity to get new and interesting housework.

"You start to make a child take a little interest in new things, and now it is your child's responsibility to keep this plant alive...we call it a plant parent."

Urbano Wood, which Gonzalez describes as a "boutique nursery", is a passionate project that turns into a business opportunity and nourishes the community of South Los Angeles

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