Collection by Diana Budds

All the Cacti You Could Ever Need at a Shop in Los Angeles

When it comes to impressive indoor gardens, certain plants are having their moment in the spotlight (we're looking at you, succulents, tillandsias, and fiddle leaf fig trees). The new Los Angeles shop Cactus Store has tapped into the—you guessed it—cactus trend, with rare and hard-to-find specimens on offer. Manged by Johnny Morera and owned by Help LTD., the 350-square-foot Echo Park storefront is a destination for those seeking a sharp addition to their homes.

Morera was also attracted to cacti's resilience. "They thrive in the worlds harshest conditions, and not only do they thrive, they look completely bitchin' while they're at it!" he says. "I started collecting them…big time. I would say I had over 2,000 specimens in my personal collection at one time."
Morera was also attracted to cacti's resilience. "They thrive in the worlds harshest conditions, and not only do they thrive, they look completely bitchin' while they're at it!" he says. "I started collecting them…big time. I would say I had over 2,000 specimens in my personal collection at one time."
"A lot of nurseries sell cacti, but the difference in what we are doing is that we are not selling raw plant material delivered by a semi each morning," says the store's owner, Help LTD. "We hand pick every cactus that's in the shop from these crazy farms in the middle of nowhere near the border of Mexico and California. No one else is doing that—you aren't going to find these plants at a nursery."
"A lot of nurseries sell cacti, but the difference in what we are doing is that we are not selling raw plant material delivered by a semi each morning," says the store's owner, Help LTD. "We hand pick every cactus that's in the shop from these crazy farms in the middle of nowhere near the border of Mexico and California. No one else is doing that—you aren't going to find these plants at a nursery."
Some of the cacti species available at the shop include cleistocactus supernova, pediocactus knowltonii, and thrixanthocereus senilis. "What we try to do is carry uniquely beautiful cactus that are not commercially available to the public," Help LTD. says. "But we try not to carry plants that only a cactus head would flip over—we're trying to bring these beautiful plants to the public, not pull them further away."
Some of the cacti species available at the shop include cleistocactus supernova, pediocactus knowltonii, and thrixanthocereus senilis. "What we try to do is carry uniquely beautiful cactus that are not commercially available to the public," Help LTD. says. "But we try not to carry plants that only a cactus head would flip over—we're trying to bring these beautiful plants to the public, not pull them further away."