Stump Plants: Everything I Thought it Would Be

Once I decide that I really want to do something, there's usually no changing my mind, so when I said that I was going to visit Stump Plants in Italian Village this weekend, I totally meant it, dammit. And guess what? It's everything that I imagined, and more.  I met Brian, one of the owners, and Egan, their one-man staff for the day, and they were both so extremely nice. I immediately felt at home after about 10 minutes of being there. I also met Ray. Sweet, Lazy Ray. Oh yes, she has her own Instagram account, okay?

Photo via Stump Plants Instagram

Initially, I was slightly intimidated by Ray. After all, she's pretty big, and appeared quite aggressive when I first walked in, but it wasn't long before we totally warmed up to one another. She's the sweetest dog. She walked me to my car as I was leaving, and even chased behind the car as I drove away. It was adorable.

Before I even took the trip to the store, I knew what I wanted to potentially purchase. The cactus. THE. CACTUS. I have three baby cacti, but I knew that once I found a store in Columbus that sold taller cactus plants, I was going to buy one. I think they're so damn gorgeous. I ended up falling in love with the smaller of the two in the photo above (the one I would eventually bring home with me). But, can we talk about the taller one for a second? I. want. it. Adding it to my mental wishlist.

A gallery wall in the store that serves as "plantspiration." The photos come straight from some of their customers' Instagram accounts.  [/caption]

The owners Brian and (his girlfriend) Emily did such a wonderful job designing and decorating this place.  Emily's expertise lies in industrial design and photography, while Brian focuses on branding and graphic design. He's also a photographer.

Before I headed home, I made another stop to pick up a pot for the lovely cactus that I'd purchased. Just your basic terra-cotta plant pot. I love these pots because they're classic and inexpensive, but once I got home and remembered that I already had a pot that the plant could fit into, I decided to return the other one. Originally, I was going to keep the cactus in the pot that it came in and simply sit it into the pretty pot, but I decided to just have it re-potted altogether.

I've never re-potted a cactus before, and wasn't about to start today. I'm a little fearful of getting stuck by the spines. So, I journeyed my way back to Stump, and they worked their magic. Egan definitely made it look more simple than I would have, that's for sure. I am so over the moon for this plant, especially now that it's in its new pot. I keep promising myself that I'm not going to buy any more plants, but, sooner or later, I'll fall in love with a new one, and start this entire process with Brian, Egan, and Sweet Lazy Ray all over again. Plants are such a fun addiction.