Local family rebuilds following Thomas Fire destruction— opens new plant shop in Ventura
VENTURA, Calif.— After the Thomas Fire and subsequent flooding destroyed much of the plants on her family’s citrus and avocado ranch, one local found a creative way to rebuild.
Pippa Baker-Rabe says 2017 was a traumatic year for her family.
“We've lost most of our trees over the last ten years with the Thomas fire being kind of like the last straw for our fruit producing trees…It was shocking and traumatizing and a time for us to kind of like sit back and reflect on what we want for the land and what plants survived the fire,” said Owner of Plant Shop 805 Pippa Baker-Rabe.
Like a phoenix, Rabe rose from the ashes to breathe new life into the 47 acres she has in the foothills of the Los Padres National Forest.
The result? Plant Shop 805 in Midtown Ventura.
This shop features the new native plants that have regrown on her family’s ranch in Ojai.
“So we have been given this blank slate. We decided to focus on drought tolerant, arid, adapted, fire resistant plants, landscape plants, unique hybrids,” said Rabe.
In addition to native plants, Plant Shop 805 features rare and unusual plants that you can’t usually find at large retailers.
Rabe says cultivating this unique plant selection helps promote biodiversity and a sustainable business model.
“The plants that are doing really well are hearty native plants that can come back after floods and fires, or plants like the ones that we're trying to focus on which are arid adapted. They love like a well-drained and coastal soil. They do great in Ojai, Santa Barbara Ventura,” said Rabe.
Though the business is brand new, it’s already building a loyal following.
“It was really beautiful, very calming. And I meant to come here and actually found them on Instagram. So it's very different than actually looking on social media. Social media kind of just gives you an idea, but it is really calming and everything is very well laid out. Everything is beautiful and almost overwhelmed, but in a good way and there's a lot to look at,” said customer Alicia Ruiz, who lives in Port Hueneme.
Plant Shop 805 is hosting a grand opening block party next Saturday September 16th, where visitors will get a chance to pot their own succulents and go on a family friendly scavenger hunt.
