This originally appeared in the 2019 Best of Louisville issue of Louisville Magazine.
The air inside Mahonia [4] on East Market Street smells of spicy soap and rich dirt. Deep greens take over the bright-white space, plants in woven baskets resting on dark wood tables and jute rugs. I wander and find a carefully curated corner full of succulents of all sizes in handmade pots, sitting alongside bronze elephant statuettes and books like The Drunken Botanist.
Lily pad-looking leaves — the Pilea peperomioides, or Chinese money plant — seem to be propped up on sticks. Strings of green pearls cascade from terra-cotta pots. A large table displays flowers for sale by the stem. Deep-red blooms fade to burnt orange, deep pink, coral, yellow and white. Ceramic flowers hang on a wall, and a dried bouquet sits encased in glass, preserving reds, pinks and greens. Glass terrariums abound.
This originally appeared in the 2019 Best of Louisville issue of Louisville Magazine. Read more [5].
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Photos by Joon Kim, studiojoon.com [8]