Orange County wedding planners grow a new business selling plant pots

Diana Flores and Ione Martinez were gearing up for their biggest year as wedding planners.

After having met in August 2019 at a wedding where Flores had been hired as the planner and Martinez as the florist, the two decided to join forces and work together on future weddings. Between the two of them, they had every weekend in 2020 booked.

Everyone was trying to get married this year, Santa Ana resident Martinez, 30, said. Many couples she worked with said they believed tying the knot in 2020 would bring good luck.

But when the country began shutting down in March due to the coronavirus pandemic, they had to reschedule nearly all their weddings to 2021.

“It was an instant kick to the gut,� Flores, 33, an Anaheim resident, said. “I couldn’t collect on invoices. Everything halted in my life. I didn’t know what to do.�

The business didn’t qualify for government assistance and Flores and Martinez weren’t eligible for unemployment or loans, she said. They weren’t provided with an explanation why, though Martinez suspects it may be because both she and Flores are the sole employees of their businesses.

Succulent plants in their pots at Haus of Belles in Garden Grove.

(Kevin Chang / Staff Photographer)

Flores said the impact of the pandemic extended beyond her income. It also took a toll on her emotional well-being as she dealt with couples who were left with no choice but to cancel and postpone their weddings, she said.

So, like many people who found themselves at home during quarantine, she turned her attention to a new hobby: plant parenting.

As she poured time and care toward her plants throughout the next couple of months, Flores grew particularly fond of her fiddle fig tree (which she named Mariah), a giant monstera and Congo. Her apartment has become home to about two dozen plants that mostly occupy the patio of her apartment.

“I feel like plants have become therapy and have given me this distraction I needed instead of feeling sad and depressed with what’s going on,� she said. “It’s been fun watching them grow.�

Her new hobby also birthed an idea for a side business that has ended up becoming her primary source of income: a store that sells plant pots.

While a number of people began establishing plant businesses during the pandemic, including Hojas de Amor and Amolie Succulents, there didn’t seem to be many who sold pots, Flores said. Even she and Martinez struggled to find ones they wanted for their plants.

So the duo, along with another friend of theirs, Alejandra Quiroa, started selling pots in the summer throughInstagram. Within a month, their account saw its following grow to 1,000, Flores said.

They also made sales at pop-up events, the first of which took place in August at a friend’s hair salon. The most popular plant pot they sold among the approximately 100 people who showed up throughout the course of three hours that day was a matte blush pot called Kendall, Martinez said.

Sales from Instagram and their pop-up events went well enough that on Nov. 27, Flores, Martinez and Quiroa opened a brick and mortar location for their shop, Haus of Belles, at 11372 Trask Ave., Suite I-109, Garden Grove.

Various plants including succulents on a display at Haus of Belles in Garden Grove.

(Kevin Chang / Staff Photographer)

It was a scary endeavor for Flores and Martinez, both of whom had never done anything retail oriented, Martinez said.

Prior to event planning, Flores worked as an aerospace engineer. Martinez had interned at event planning companies in her early 20s and then spent five years running a food truck called Sexy Burger. Both eventually decided to create their own event planning businesses, something they’re each passionate about and has provided them with flexibility to care for their young children.

Martinez said the 600-square foot shop saw about 50 people that day, a number that was dictated in part by pandemic restrictions on in-person shopping. Haus of Belles primarily focuses on plant pots, but it has expanded to offer some less commonly found plants, handmade soaps, succulents, art, masks and body scrubs. It also sells vintage décor curated by Quiroa. Many of its vendors are women-owned businesses who work from home, Flores said.

Since the grand opening, Haus of Belles has seen about 35 customers per day, all of whom can only shop in-store by appointment. New pandemic restrictions have caused the business to shift to online orders and curbside pickup, but it’s a change that has been positive for the plant shop.

Martinez said it seems that many people are showing increasing support for small businesses, which Haus of Belles has benefited from. She has seen community members promote their social media accounts and noted that a sizable number of its sales are driven by Facebook and Instagram.

The earlier months of the pandemic were challenging for Flores, Martinez and Quiroa. They all struggled with the uncertainty of what would come next.

“At the beginning of pandemic, we were like, ‘What are we going to do with our lives?’� Martinez said.

Now, the trio has focused their attention on Haus of Belles. And once the pandemic comes to an end, they plan to continue running the shop alongside their event-planning business.

“We’re just super excited for when things will start picking up again and everything will be buzzing and super busy,� Martinez said. “It’s just really exciting to look forward to and be hopeful for the future.�

The writer is a contributor to TimesOC.

Support our coverage by becoming a digital subscriber.