In its 1880 brick building at 5th and Walnut, Planters Seed & Spice Company looks even older -- like it might have been an Old West emporium that offloaded a few crates of pick heads from the Arabia just before the steamboat snagged itself in the river and sank. The shelves in Planters' four long rooms are still stocked with everything necessary for survival on the prairie -- though it's doubtful any of the urban pioneers in nearby lofts have much use for shovels or rakes or fifty-pound bags of grass seed or Weed & Feed. They might need a blown-glass hummingbird feeder to hang from the fire escape, but that's not the point. The point is the lush greenery of little bedding plants stacked on carts out on the sidewalk, the lullaby from a wall of wind chimes hanging just inside, and all of those little packets of seeds: half a dozen variations of lima beans and sweet corn, jalapenos, watermelon, pumpkin, catnip, the mysterious-sounding crown vetch and "truckers' favorite." For folks who don't want to grow their own, Planters mixes up little plastic baggies: cilantro, "Chinese Fire Spice," "Apple Pie Spice," salt-free garlic pepper, Foenugrek and pork sausage seasoning. Standing on those creaky wood floors, you'll find it impossible not to inhale. And for an extra buzz, there's a bin full of New Orleans Chocolate Rum coffee beans.
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