Erik Hamline launched the original Mother Co., Minneapolis’ only dedicated cactus boutique, in March 2018. Located on a sunny corner in the Northeast, every square inch of floor space was taken up by cactuses and succulents planted in unglazed terracotta pots hand-thrown in Northern New Mexico. Hamline was able to cram in a good variety by stacking them on tiered cinderblocks, but ultimately the 1,000-square-foot shop wasn’t big enough to keep up with Minnesotans’ insatiable demand for southwestern greenery.
The new Mother is located in a more industrial part of the Northeast, directly across from the river, but the square footage is three times the size. Hamline’s babies finally have room to breathe and shoppers can move freely about the space without worrying about knocking things over or getting pricked.
With fancy new digs comes a bigger selection. Hamline handpicks the cactuses himself when touring Arizona and New Mexico in his old Dodge Sprinter. They come in every shape and size; some are fat and spiky with smooth skin, others gangly and droopy or so fuzzy you just want to squeeze them. (Don’t do that.)
All told, there are between 80 and 100 species of cactus (pencil cactus, prickly pear, crested blue myrtle, etc.) and now more than 40 species of tropicals—everything from the common Ficus Lyrata (fiddle leaf fig), Sansevieria, ZZ plant, and Philodendron varieties to the more unusual Cycad dioon edule, Banana-cavandish dwarf, Yucca Cane, and Alocasia.
Mother is open year round (every day but Monday) and also sells gardening accessories such as thick leather gloves, handsome Japanese trimming shears, and Hamline’s own hand-mixed bags of desert rock top soil and tropic dirt.
Note: Because Mother knows 🌵inside and out, the shop should be your first call if you need help with cactus-centric landscaping. The team can design you a dream cacti garden and even maintain it if your thumbs are more black than green. Perhaps you just want to rent a wall of cactuses for a wedding reception or photo shoot? Hamline’s forever your dude.
Mother Co.
2400 N. Second St., Minneapolis, MN; 612-293-9287.
