Felix Navarro was a vice president of finance when the credit crunch hit in 2008. He started making arrangements of succulent plants, pairing soothing white sand with colorful pebbles in glass containers for a striking presentation, and selling them at the Orange County swap meet. His store on Abbot Kinney, the Juicy Leaf, has now been thriving for nearly four years. The store's displays have a great vintage look, and the helpful staff will try to match plants and containers to your needs. Bring some friends for a planting party, using Juicy Leaf's stock of fun pots and materials. And if you really have a black thumb, Juicy Leaf sells air plants ranging from $2.95 to $29.95: They require little to no care and are amazingly hardy. Juicy Leaf even sells air plant fascinators — a living version of those little hatlets recently popularized anew by this spring's royal wedding. 1140 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice. (310) 907-5019; thejuicyleaf.com.

—Lisa Horowitz

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