The Wicked Botanist is not your average plant shop. Sure, you’ll find your share of philodendron, pothos, sansevieria and syngonium, but owner Dawn Ash is curating much more than that. Shop her eclectic mix of handmade items, whimsical prints, sun catchers and, even, framed insects in Bethlehem.
Dawn Ash
Owner
Tell us about where your love for plants came from!
I was influenced as a child by my grandmother and her little garden; I adored the smells, fruits and vegetables and especially the flowers she had growing in her front yard located in the center of Queens, NY. My grandmother passed away when I was a teenager and it took me several years to find my way back to gardening and plants. A few years ago, my husband and my oldest daughter got me a few houseplants and that’s where my love for plants was reignited.
What did the journey to opening The Wicked Botanist look like?
I started selling plants on Facebook in 2018, mainly from my personal collection that I propagated and divided. This helped me to share my plants as well as allowed me to afford to purchase more and grow my collection. I then decided to start plant purges, which are plant sales but performed almost like an auction. I introduced the purges to a group that I was a member of on Facebook (Lehigh Valley Plant Exchange) and it took off. I started selling weekly since there was such a demand, then decided after much encouragement from my new-found plant friends to open a storefront (with the love, help and encouragement of my husband, children and amazing friends).
Why Bethlehem?
When I first moved to Pennsylvania from New York City, we moved to the city of Bethlehem and I remained there for about 20 years. I love the charm that Bethlehem offers so I really felt I needed to have my store in Bethlehem. I looked around for a while but after about a year we found our location and made the leap.
What’s the overall vibe at the shop like?
The shop is designed around my interests, my lifestyle as a pagan and my deep respect for nature. Our shop boasts an eclectic vibe that is welcoming to all and is curated with hand-selected items that speak to a lover of both nature and mysticism.
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Describe the range of plant offerings available at the shop.
We really have quite the range of plants to meet the needs of all levels of your plant journey. We start with your staple low-care and low-light plants, and from there we go to our collector plants that are hard to acquire but are truly stunning. We have something for everyone, including plants for terrariums, office spaces, commercial settings and everything in between. Some plants we carry are philodendron, pothos, sansevieria, syngonium and many, many more. I also create custom soil blends designed with the plants we carry in mind as well as a variety of plant supplies like moss poles and fertilizers.
Tell us about some of your non-plant offerings.
You will find hand-poured candles that I make myself, mugs made by my daughter, trellises made by us, macramé, reusable tote bags, pottery, handmade jewelry, various paintings or prints with whimsical images of witches, moons and magical themes, crystals, sun catchers, wind chimes and many other items. These items are handmade by other woman-owned small businesses, as we feel strongly about supporting other women in business.
Is there anything readers may be surprised to find at the shop?
We get some stunning framed insects, reptiles and bats in from time to time, which are an amazing addition to our shop. But it is an item that sells out quite fast!
What are you looking forward to at the shop this fall?
We have so much fun planned, ranging from pumpkin activities to special classes designed to create one-of-a-kind autumn décor, special sales and merchandise as well as some really great collector plants.
Tell us about your online Etsy shop!
We carry some of the items you will find in store on our Etsy shop, such as our handmade custom plant trellises, my custom soil blends, some fun hand-stamped keychains and plant accessories (another item I make myself). From time to time, I will list special plants available to be shipped to the plant collectors who are perhaps not able to visit us in person.
707 N. New St., Bethlehem | 610.442.8868 | thewickedbotanist.org
