West Adams plant shop forced to relocate seeking help to stay in neighborhood

WEST ADAMS, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A small business in West Adams is hoping to turn a big problem into an opportunity.

The business is losing its current location, so a GoFundMe page has been set up in hopes of finding a new place and bring the community together.

The business is a nursery along Jefferson Boulevard in the heart of the West Adams community.

The Plant Chica has been at the spot for a couple of years. Sandra Mejia is the plant chica, or plant lady, of the neighborhood.

"The Plant Chica is specifically in this neighborhood because I grew up here. When I was growing up here it was predominantly a Black and brown neighborhood," Mejia said. "We just didn't have spaces like this."

Unfortunately, their neighborhood business has to move out by June 30. Mejia and her family have started a GoFundMe page to help with their moving expenses.

They want to stay in the neighborhood. Once they find a location, their goal is to bring other neighbors to bring their businesses to the new spot, so they can share a building together.

"Our new goal is really to be able to purchase land here in this neighborhood, and be able to house other Black and brown-owned businesses that can't afford to stay here anymore, or are getting pushed out," Mejia said.

"I feel like that's becoming more of our goal, because we're going through that and we know that we're maybe one of the first businesses that are going through that here in this neighborhood," she added.

A few customers who heard about the nursery through social media came in to support the neighborhood business.

"I'm going to tell my other friends and people in the community to support it because we need more small businesses," customer Cecile Cloyd told Eyewitness News. "We need people in our community to grow and thrive, and we need to be able to invest in small business."