We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Leah Cretella. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Leah below.

Leah, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

I started Maricopa Botanicals with my fiancé as a way to bring more creativity into my life. At the time, I was working full-time as a fashion designer, but my job felt corporate and stifling. In a previous role at a startup, I had the freedom to share ideas and be hands-on, but after moving across the country for what seemed like a successful career opportunity, I found myself feeling unfulfilled. I was getting paid well, and on paper, I looked accomplished for my age, but I wasn’t able to fully use my creativity the way I wanted.

That frustration led me to start Maricopa Botanicals almost instantly after work one day. There wasn’t a long planning phase—I just dove in. I started by painting plant pots and sourcing unique plants that paired well with them. My fiancé and I quickly got caught up in the excitement of building something together, and before we knew it, our small weekend pop-ups in downtown Phoenix were growing. We wanted to see just how far we could take it.

Fast forward two years, and we now have our own brick-and-mortar shop. I left my corporate job over a year ago to focus on the business full-time. Looking back, one of the best things about starting small—our first market probably cost us under $300—was that we didn’t have to overthink it. We could jump in, experiment, and learn as we went. In my experience, the people who make it the farthest in entrepreneurship aren’t the ones waiting for the perfect moment; they’re the ones who take the leap and figure it out along the way.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Hey! I’m Leah, and I co-own Maricopa Botanicals. At our core, we’re a local plant shop, but we’re so much more than just a place to buy plants. We handcraft a large portion of our concrete pots right here in Phoenix and source our cacti and succulents as locally as possible, supporting Arizona growers. Beyond plants, we thoughtfully curate a selection of goods from local makers, ensuring that everything in our shop feels intentional and special—not just a mix of trinkets and generic sellable items.

Though our shop is small—just 500 square feet—we make the most of every inch, housing an average of 700 plants at any given time. One of the things that sets us apart is our plant bar concept, where customers can pick a plant and a pot, and we’ll pot it up for them at our retro-inspired ‘80s bar. Before launching this concept, we were pre-potting unique plant combos, but we kept getting special requests from customers. So we thought, why not make that part of the experience?

Our goal is to make plants approachable for everyone. We carry easy-care options for new plant parents as well as rare finds for collectors, ensuring there’s something for everyone. What I love most, though, is the feeling people get when they step into our shop. I see their eyes light up as they take in the space—the hand-painted mini murals, the lush canopy of plants hanging overhead, and the cozy, immersive atmosphere. Selling plants is amazing, but anyone can do that. What excites me is creating a space that feels like stepping into another world—one that people want to share with their friends and family. Seeing customers bring their loved ones to our shop when they visit town is the greatest compliment, and it’s what fuels my passion to keep growing.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I’d love to go back to the idea that you need to wait for the right moment to take the leap. I used to be a very cautious person, always waiting for the perfect time to make my next move. And while there are moments where caution is necessary, I’ve learned that sometimes, you just have to trust your gut.

There was never a right time to start our business—it just needed to start. We didn’t have much saved up, but as we made money, we reinvested it. At first, that meant upgrading small things: a nicer tent, better product displays, or sourcing higher-end plants. Financially, it might not have made sense at the time to spend more on our setup or bring in rare plants with lower margins, but those little leaps helped shape our brand and set us apart. That reputation pushed us ahead exponentially.

Then came the big leaps—like overextending ourselves to do 4-5 markets a week. It was exhausting, but it gave us exposure. Every investment felt like a risk: “A $350 display rack? Will it actually help us sell more?” or “A $250 market fee is a lot, but what if it’s worth it?” At first, we’d always ask, “What’s the worst that can happen?” But shifting that question to “What’s the best that can happen?” completely changed our mindset.

Opening a brick-and-mortar shop wasn’t even on our radar—it was a maybe five years down the road kind of dream. But when we came across an affordable retail space with just a one-year lease commitment, we convinced ourselves we had to try. And if that wasn’t enough, just three months into starting our business, we also bought a fixer-upper home that needed everything replaced. Financially, it made no sense to take on both at once. But we made it work, and now, Maricopa Botanicals is a profitable business. If I had waited for the “perfect” time, none of this would have happened. The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that sometimes, taking the leap—especially when it’s uncomfortable—is exactly what you need to do.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I’ve had so many low points in this business journey. Quitting my corporate job to go full-time with Maricopa Botanicals wasn’t some glamorous leap into entrepreneurship. It was messy, uncertain, and honestly, terrifying.

I had become absolutely miserable in my job—it was draining me mentally and physically. I knew I needed a change, but at the time, I wasn’t even sure Maricopa Botanicals would be that change. I had been working on some promising freelance design opportunities that offered flexibility and creative freedom, so I took the leap. But as time went on, I realized I had been waiting on a false promise. The opportunities weren’t coming through the way I had hoped, and suddenly, I was left without a stable income or a clear direction.

I had moments of absolute panic—questioning myself, feeling silly for leaving a decent-paying job, wondering if I had just made the biggest mistake of my life. But I knew the only way out of that hole was to pour myself into something I could control: growing Maricopa Botanicals.

That’s when Joe and I went into overdrive. We threw ourselves into 4-5 markets a week, making product nonstop, hustling like crazy. There were so many nights filled with frustration, exhaustion, and yes—more than a few breakdowns where I sat there thinking, What am I doing with my life? But the thing about entrepreneurship is that everything sounds crazy until it works.

I quit my job in December. By the end of January, we signed the lease for our brick-and-mortar. We didn’t have some meticulously crafted five-year plan. We didn’t have it all figured out. But what we did have was resilience—the ability to push through uncertainty, to bet on ourselves, and to keep moving forward even when it felt impossible. And that’s what got us here.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://maricopabotanicals.com
• Instagram: Maricopa.botanicals
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leahcretella/

Image Credits

Chris Clerc (photo of me behind the counter)