Meet Mel Rothblatt of The Plant Hustle!
Mel Rothblatt, the creator behind The Plant Hustle, discovered her love of plants during her personal healing journey. What began as a way to quiet the mind and find peace quickly grew into a passion for nurturing plants and helping others experience the joy they bring. Caring for plants became both grounding and creative, turning a simple hobby into a thriving plant business.
Mel was excited to join The 815 Artisan Collective not only for the opportunity to have a physical space for her plants, but also for the sense of community among fellow makers and creators. Being surrounded by other passionate small businesses has quickly become one of her favorite parts of being at the collective.
Her inspiration is deeply rooted in family. Growing up, Mel watched her grandparents tend a large vegetable garden while her grandmother filled their home with beautiful houseplants. Today, some of the plants in Mel’s collection are great-great-grandbabies of her grandmother’s original plants, making her work a living continuation of that legacy.
At The Plant Hustle, Mel specializes in transforming everyday plants into aesthetic living art. She loves creating beautiful plant displays and designing unique pieces like handmade trellises, which started when she realized many available options weren’t very visually appealing—so she began crafting her own. Along with plants, Mel is excited to expand her offerings with kokedama, terrariums, hanging plants, plant orbs, unique pot designs, and creative plant displays.
A typical creative day for Mel is spent fully immersed in plant care—watering, propagating, pruning, fertilizing, repotting, and troubleshooting any plant issues that arise. When her hands aren’t in the dirt, she’s working on new merchandise ideas or creating content for her growing online community.
Mel believes that plant care and gardening should be accessible and affordable, and she’s passionate about helping both experienced plant lovers and brand-new plant parents build confidence in caring for their greenery. In the future, she hopes to host plant parties and plant bingo nights, along with offering plant education and support for anyone with questions about their plants.
One thing that surprises many people? Mel currently owns over 100 plants—and her collection is always growing!
Her favorite part of being a maker is bringing new joy to the plant community and helping others discover the happiness that comes from welcoming plants into their lives.
You can find Mel and The Plant Hustle at The 815 Artisan Collective, on Facebook, and on TikTok at @the_plant_hustle, with Instagram coming soon.
