San Jose’s ‘Plant Slut’ wants Gen Z to have green thumbs

Natalie Nijmeh’s downtown San Jose store may be small — roughly equal to a single-car garage — but it packs a rebellious punch. Starting with its name.

Plant Slut, located smack dab in the middle of San Pedro Square, is what you could call a bohemian Gen Z-ers paradise. There are the plants of course, from little cacti to a 9-foot-tall fig tree. Other goodies also fill the store, from marijuana-themed ashtrays to body-part-shaped mini ceramic pots to a turquoise-colored bar of soap with a two-word phrase etched in it that can’t be printed in this newspaper.

Hint: it rhymes with “bucket.”

For 25-year-old Nijmeh, a San Jose native, the shop is a dream come true. After graduating from Cal State Long Beach three years ago, she was in a job that just wasn’t doing it for her. While selling plants as a side business, Nijmeh made a leap of faith and turned the gig into a full-time job when she opened her store almost exactly a year ago in February. We sat down with her — and her plants — to talk about her young entrepreneurship, the inspiration for her shop’s name and the time an attorney came in to find solace among the greenery.

Q When did the plant obsession begin?

A My interest in plants (started) when I was in college. I was in different apartments. And they weren’t the prettiest. So I wanted something to bring life into the apartments and fresh air and beauty. It only amplified during COVID when everybody’s indoors. I think everyone realized that like, oh my god, plants look amazing indoors. And there was a huge boom in the industry. Then I graduated from college in 2020. And I was unemployed for a while and kind of just floating around and in a weird space of being graduated but also in a pandemic. It was a very weird time. And then I thought to myself, what would be the best job in the world? Probably to be an owner of a plant store.

Q And so how did this store come to be?

A I did end up getting a nine-to-five job eventually. And very early on in that job, I realized that a nine-to-five job wasn’t for me. I was in public relations. I (started) selling plants on the weekends while I was still working. Then it grew really fast. I quit (public relations) and I got a lease offer. Being an entrepreneur is my chosen career path. It’s what I love.

Q I have to ask. How’d you come up with the name? Does it ever rub people the wrong way?

A The name was one of the first things that I actually thought of. I knew I wanted something fun, something different, something unique, something memorable. Ninety percent of people who have ever encountered the name have a very positive reaction, like smile or a laugh or something. Every once in a while there will be maybe an older person who is uncomfortable with it. And I understand. But I am also a part of the Gen Z generation. And I do believe that my generation will be the ones to stop using slut and other terms in a way that belittles women or objectifies them or shames them. So I think putting slut in the name is the first step of unraveling all the years of shame. It takes the negative power out of it.

Q What sells the best in your store? And what is your favorite plant?

A Things that are pink or have purple undersides. Like these (points to a plant called tradescantia callisia). This is (another) one of my favorites right now that’s in the (points to a philodendron fuzzy petiole). I just love the heart-shaped leaves.

Q What’s something people don’t know about when it comes to plant care?

A A lot of people are a little bit frightened by plants. They’re like, well, I want it and it’s pretty, but if it dies, I’m going to be really sad. So a lot of people I find are intimidated, but it’s so much easier than you would think. And actually overthinking the process is kind of one of the easiest ways to kill a plant. They want it to stay alive so bad, so they’re always checking on it every day, and they’re always trying to water it or they’re like, you know, stressed about the conditions of the plant.

Q So the key to owning a plant is not being like an overly protective parent?

A Right. Some people water their plants so much because they love it so much. And then they die.

Q What’s the most memorable reason someone has bought a plant from you?

A We are located right next to the courthouse. There was one time a very distressed woman came in and she was having clearly a very bad day. She was an attorney. She’s like, I just need to touch plants. Right now I’m having a bad day. She just came in here more to sort of chill out. She actually (later) purchased something online, which I thought was really sweet of her.

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NATALIE NIJMEH PROFILE

Title: Owner of Plant Slut since February 2022

Residence: San Jose

Favorite item she sells: The embroidered Plant Slut sweaters.

FIVE THINGS ABOUT NATALIE AND HER SHOP

• About 100 different plant varieties have been sold in her store
• Natalie got her lease through San Jose Made, a group that helps small businesses get off the ground by offering them lower rental fees compared to other retail locations in the Bay Area
• Natalie’s store is just about 300 square feet — and San Jose Made’s small business program only allows her to lease her space for another year
• Over 30 small businesses are represented in Natalie’s store
• When Natalie was trying to make a logo, she reached out to her friend and artist Vivian Garcia, who first made a hand-drawn sketch of a chilled-out smiling flower holding a watering can. The friend then made a second, more “touched-up” version, but Natalie ended up using the first sketch because of how much she liked it.